Have you ever asked yourself where the Quinoa comes from?
This plant originated in the area surrounding Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia. There are proves that it was used and eaten there as a cereal between 3,000 and 5,000 years before Christ!
There are more than 100 types of quinoa, the more famous are white,red and black but this is only a drop of water in the ocean!
We cook and eat quinoa like the rice , but, botanically speaking (it might make you feel a bit better to know ) it is a relative of spinach, beets and chard. So, theoretically speaking you are eating a vegetable, and this is also why is gluten-free. 100 grams of quinoa only have approximately 120 calories ( compared to rice approx 300 cal and pasta 350-400 cal!)
This is why I love quinoa, it is just delicious, healthy and fill you up as not many other dishes can! Also 100 g of quinoa just by yourself is it a lot and you will probably fill full before even finishing it!
So...Have I convinced you or not yet or shall I keep talking about it?
Doses for 2 portions
INGREDIENTS
- 160g quinoa
- 320g cold water (double weight from the quinoa amount)
- 2 peppers
- 1 onion
- 20-30 black pitted olives
- 1 tablespoon of EVO oil
- salt and pepper
Just add as many vegetables as you wish!
EQUIPMENTS
-pan
PROCEDURE
Let's start by chopping our vegetables: onion, peppers and slicing our olives.
Heat up a spoon of EVO oil and start cooking the onion. When it soften up and start becoming goldend, then add the peppers and keep stirring to make sure it will not burn.
Add salt and peppers here as much as you like!
Peppers will take about 7-10 minutes based on the heat of your hob to be cooked.
Once this is going let's now focus on our little quinoa. Weight up your quinoa and put it in a pan. Add the double of its weight in cold water, then turn on the hob and let it cook.
When the water it almost totally absorbed then put the lid on the pan, turn off the hob and let it rest for about 5 minutes ( this is the final touch that will make your quinoa delicious!)
In the meantime our peppers should be ready and soft and the deliciousness of cooking peppers should be all round the house by now! Add the olives!
When the quinoa has rested enough ( it is all about her now!) let's put it in the pan with the vegetables! Stir and mix for few minutes until it is all homogeneous with the condiments!
It is now ready to be served!
This quinoa recipe is delicious both hot that cold as a quinoa salad!
You basically just need to decide if you are going to eat it now or later but the decision will not be easy as the delicious smell of this dish will hardly making you wait!
ENJOY!
SUGGESTIONS
You can make the quinoa with every vegetables you want e.g. tomatoes, courgettes, broccoli! The procedures is exactly the same and it will give it a totally different taste when you add the different flavours!
Of course you can add all the spices you like too, making it spicy, curry flavour, peppery
To this pictures I have to thank my dear Andrea ( my partner ) who patiently helped me to try and take nice pics for this delicious dish!
BEHIND THE SCENE!
Comments