Quinoa, Soul Food of the Andes
Last night I had a lovely dinner with friends and learnt a good recipe using Qunioa. Called a supergrain, quinoa is highly nutritious and can supply us with all of the body's requirements: carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Quinoa is gluten free and considered an ideal food for those prone to food allergies. Common allergens include grains from the grass family such as corn and wheat. Quinoa, a leafy grain, is not in the grass family, making it beneficial for people who cannot tolerate common grains like wheat, corn, rye, barley, and oats.
For more information on Quinoa click here

Quinoa and Cashew Nut Pilau
Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium
onions
4
cloves garlic
15 ml
cooking oil
1 each
red and green pepper
10 ml
ground cumin
10 ml
ground coriander
200 gms
Quinoa
400 ml
water
10 ml
basil
200 gm
frozen sweetcorn
salt and pepper
50 gm
Cashew Nuts

Method
Preparation
Top, tail and chop fine the onions and the garlic.De-pith, de-stalk and chop small the peppers.Rinse the quinoa under cold water in a fine sieve for 2 minutes or more.In a small bowl, cover the frozen corn with boiling water from the kettle.
Cooking
Put the cashews in the oven on a tray, and toast at Gas Mark 3 for about 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown.In a le Creuset pan, saute the onions and garlic in the cooking oil until the onions are translucent.Add the peppers, cumin, and coriander and continue to stir fry for a few minutes.Add the rinsed quinoa and water to the pan, bring to the boil, turn down and simmer for 15 minutes.Drain the corn and add it to the quinau with the basil.Continue to cook until all of the water has been absorbed.
Assembly
Turn the quinoa out into a serving dish and sprinkle with the toasted cashews.
To serve
Often served as a side dish (e.g. to a curry) but we had it last night as the main course, accompanied by a salad that had avocado and chickpeas in it (very yummy!).