Aubergine and Shallot Quinoa

This is good as a main course or a side dish. It’s easy and healthy, too.

Ingredients:

2-3 shallots

oil (I used some coconut oil and some sesame oil, for a nice combination of flavours)

1 aubergine

quinoa

water

Instructions:

1. Dice the shallots and fry them lightly in oil.

2. Dice and add the aubergines and brown in the oil.

3. Cook the quinoa in the water according to the instructions on the package.

4. Serve the quinoa with the vegetables.

Quinoa with Vegetables and Halloumi

After a long day of work, it is tempting to skip making dinner and just have some ready-made soup or pasta and sauce or even a frozen pizza. But it’s actually possible to make fast, easy, healthy, tasty meals. I aim for balanced meals that have some carbohydrates, plenty of vegetables, and some protein. For example, here I lightly fry halloumi cheese and serve it over quinoa grains and with broccoli and spinach. It makes a pretty green, white, and tan meal, and it’s fast to cook. Within 20 minutes, dinner is served.

Ingredients:
1 head broccoli
water
1 package quinoa (or about 50 g per person)
100 g spinach
1 package halloumi cheese
olive oil
1 tsp dried mint

Instructions:
1. Wash the broccoli, break it into smaller pieces, and boil it in the water for 8-10 minutes, until tender but with a bit of crunch.
2. Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package. When it’s ready, add the spinach and the broccoli and keep it all warm.
3. Meanwhile, slice the cheese, then fry it in olive oil and mint, until lightly golden.
4. Serve the quinoa and vegetables topped with slices of cheese.

Quinoa and Lentils with Spinach

I love those Merchant Gourmet packages of quinoa and lentils. They’re so easy to make (you boil the bag) and you can vary them in many ways. Quinoa is protein-rich and very tasty, so I love to use it in my cooking. A simple dish I often make is to cook quinoa and lentils and make it with spinach and yogurt. That’s enough for M, but I add plenty of Tabasco to my bowl.

Ingredients:
1 package quinoa
1 package lentils
1 package baby spinach (about 100 g)
1 tsp salt
1 cup yogurt

Instructions:
1. Boil the quinoa and lentils according to the directions.
2. Wilt the spinach with the salt over low heat.
3. Open the packages and pour the contents in with the salt. Add the yogurt and stir.

Quinoa Salad with Pine Nuts and Goat’s Milk Cheese

I really like quinoa, but my usual recipe is to cook some, mix it with lentils, spices, and thick Greek yogurt. That’s tasty, but sometimes you need to change it up. So I thought it was time to try something new. I read a tabbouleh recipe in a vegetarian magazine and that inspired me. Tabbouleh is the Middle Eastern salad made of bulgur, parsley, and tomatoes. I figured I could make a sort of tabbouleh with quinoa rather than the bulgur, and since I didn’t have tomatoes, I decided to use pine nuts and goat’s milk cheese, which made for a more filling salad as well. Quinoa is a complete protein, so it’s one of the best grains to eat, whether you’re vegetarian or not. And the salad is great the next day, too.

Ingredients:
250 g quinoa
1 onion
olive oil
1 tsp sugar
50 g pine nuts
2 tsp parsley
75 g goat’s milk cheese

Instructions:
1. Boil the quinoa.
2. Dice the onion and fry it in the olive oil. Add the sugar to carmelise it (this is not necessary, but I prefer the taste this way).
3. Add the pine nuts and toast them in the pan for a minute or two.
4. Add the quinoa and stir.
5. Add the parsley.
6. Remove from the heat and add the cheese after the salad has cooled down.
7. Serve lukewarm or cold.