Here is something a bit different for Clever Muffin – it’s savoury and has two things never before featured: quinoa and pomegranate. Pomegranate is fun, quinoa is…
I have ‘issues’ with quinoa. When I first started this blog I had this conversation about 18 times with various people:
Well-meaning individual (WMI): Oh, you have a food blog, have you tried keeeenwaah yet?
Me: You mean quinoa?
WMI: Oh, it’s actually pronouced keeeenwwaaaah.
Me: You mean quinoa?
WMI: No, keeeenwaaaah…. It’s very healthy and *insert text here about how healthy and fab it is*.
Blah.
I refuse to do research on how to pronounce keeeennwaaah. You can show me links till your fingers are raw from typing. I don’t care. It’s a South American food, I believe, and Spanish is a phonetically written language. So, I will say it as written. I think it’s like people who go to Italian restaurants and suddenly start ordering food in a thick Italian accent. I’m so puzzled when my non-Italian friends who have never spoken Italian start saying: ‘si, I would like the marga-ritah piszzah’, I mean, WTF?
But now I have to hang my head in shame, as the other day this happened while eating out with a celiac friend:
Friend (looking at menu): What’s quinoa, is it gluten free?
Me: It’s keeeeeenwwaaaa, and yes it’s gluten free. *pause* Oh my god I’m so sorry, I hate people who insist on pronouncing it that way.
For those who have missed the gravy train quinoa is gluten free, it’s a grain, it’s healthy. You cook it one part quinoa, three parts water/stock. It’s also very trendy right now and is pronounced keeeeenwaaaahhhh.
Wow. Aren’t I a little catty today? This is why I should stick to baked goods. No one fights over how to pronounce chocolate. They just eat it.
Ingredients
600 mls vegetable stock
200 grams quinoa (I used black, it comes in various colours, use the one you wish)
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
75 grams toasted flaked almonds
Seeds of 1 pomegranate
50 mls olive oil
Method
- Place the stock and quinoa into a saucepan and cook over medium high, with lid partly on, for 12 minutes or until stock is absorbed
- In a large bowl place quinoa, lemon zest, flaked almonds and pomegranate seeds.
- Drizzle over olive then fluff up the quinoa with a fork. Season to taste, serve with your favorite meat dish.
Serves: 4-6 as a side dish.
Healthy? 280 calories if divided into six serves.
Gluten free? Yes.
Storage: Cover with cling film, will keep for a day or two in the fridge.
