Looks good,tastes better

Roast vegetable quinoa bowl. Photo by Nicola Brown
Roast vegetable quinoa bowl. Photo by Nicola Brown
Super seed mix. Photo by Nicola Brown
Super seed mix. Photo by Nicola Brown

If you've never tried quinoa before, this is a great way to start. It's important to thoroughly rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve otherwise it can taste soapy. This recipe can be adapted to use whatever vegetables are in season and is a variation on one from the Seasons' Eatings calendar and recipe booklet (see www.nibl.co.nz for more information).

Roast vegetable quinoa bowl

Serves 3-4

Roast vegetables


1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
300g-400g pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm cubes
2 Tbsp rice bran oil
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (leaves only)
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, roughly chopped (leaves only)
sea salt and black pepper
3 medium zucchini, chopped (or a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and chopped)
1 red capsicum, chopped

Quinoa

1 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained

1 tsp vegetable bouillon or stock powder (low-sodium)

3 cups boiling water

Dressing
half an orange, juiced
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon each: cumin, coriander, paprika
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp flaxseed or olive oil
pinch of sea salt
black pepper

To serve
100g feta cheese, cubed (optional) cup of super seed mix (see below)


Method
Roast vegetables
Heat oven to 200degC. Place prepared onion, garlic and pumpkin on a lined baking tray; drizzle with the oil, herb leaves and seasoning and toss well. Place in oven for 10 minutes and then stir in the zucchini and capsicum. Continue roasting approximately 20 minutes longer, or until all vegetables are golden and tender.
Quinoa
Place quinoa, bouillon/stock powder and boiling water in a medium saucepan over a high heat. Cover and bring to boil. Turn down to low and simmer until tender, approximately 15 minutes. Don't stir, but watch so that it doesn't burn or turn to mush.

Dressing: Place dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake until combined.

To serve: Combine cooked vegetables and quinoa in a serving dish; drizzle with dressing and combine. Stir in feta and garnish with seeds just before serving. Any leftovers are delicious the next day!

Super seed mix

One of the tricks to getting more plants into your diet, in ways which are easy and economical, is to add seeds to everything you possibly can. Seed mixes, trail mixes and dukkah made with seed/nut blends add protein and they're all delicious as garnishes on soups, salads, or in sandwiches. This particular mix is so easy to make - we like to always have some in the house so I bake a tray of this when I'm using the oven for something else.

Makes 1 3/4 cups
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sesame seeds cup
¼ sunflower seeds
1/4cup flaxseed (optional)
1-2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari (preferably low-sodium)

Method

Heat oven to 170degC.

Mix the seeds in a bowl with the soy sauce/tamari. Add just enough liquid to lightly coat the seeds. Place seeds in an ovenproof dish which has been well greased with rice bran oil.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Do not allow them to stick to the dish. You will know when they're done as they will smell delicious! Store in an airtight container; can be kept for up to a month.

 

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