Keeping it vegetarian on a hot and humid Monday with refreshing quinoa recipe from Full of Flavor: 18 Ingredients…Endless Possibilities (Kyle Books USA, April 2013) by Maria Elia
Orange and sumac scented quinoa
When I first tasted quinoa I thought the
health benefits outweighed the taste. I decided this needed to change and
experimented cooking it in flavoured stocks and fruit juices. Here's the result
of one experiment.
Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
120g quinoa
finely grated zest of 1 orange
240ml freshly squeezed orange juice
sea salt and black pepper
25g flaked almonds, lightly toasted
1/2 bunch coriander, finely chopped
1/2 bunch mint, finely chopped
1 avocado, diced into 1cm cubes
shiso sprouts, if available
2 tsp sumac, plus a pinch for garnish
Heat the oil in a medium pan. Add the
carrot, celery and onion and cook over a medium heat until tender. Add the
quinoa and cook for 1 minute while stirring.
Add the orange zest and juice, and bring to
the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10–15 minutes until the quinoa is
tender and the orange juice has been absorbed. Season with sea salt and pepper.
Leave to cool a little before stirring
through the almonds, coriander, mint, avocado and sumac. Garnish with shiso
sprouts if available and sprinkle with a pinch of sumac.
Variations
• I like to serve this with oily fish, such
as mackerel.
• It’s also delicious served chilled with
prawns or on its own.
• Great with chilli-roasted feta too.
• Try cooking the quinoa in apple juice
instead of orange juice.
(* Recipe from 'Full of Flavor' by Maria Elia- published by Kyle Books USA, April 2013- reproduced with permission- Photography by Jonathan Gregson)