My first encounter with Quinoa was eight years ago when my daughter, Michelle, and I went to Peru and stayed at the beautiful ”Wilka Tikka” , a sanctuary in the Sacred Valley of the Inka below Machu Picchu. We ate quinoa in our breakfast muesli, in soups, main courses and baked into delicious desserts. With its abundant healing gardens in the Andes, all meals were vegetarian, with organic home grown vegetables, colorful edible flowers, wholegrains , legumes, and samplings of the 365 varieties of potatoes native to the Andes, including camote (sweet potatoes).
Quinoa has been grown for five thousand years and has a reputation as being a source of strength for those working in high altitudes, and it is called the “Mother Grain” in Peru because of its sustaining proporties. Nutritionally it is quite unique in that it provides all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. It is rich in vitamins and minerals, and provides almost four times as much calcium as wheat, plus extra iron, B vitamins and Vitamin E. It is a gluten-free and cholesterol-free whole grain, and is about as close to a perfect food as you will come across.
This salad is a great combination of quinoa, fresh salad leaves, and sweet potatoes, topped with salty delicious Haloumi Cheese.
- Dressing:
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- pinch of sugar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp natural yoghurt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Clove of garlic crushed
- Pinch of cracked black pepper and salt to taste
- Salad ingredients:
- 4 Sweet potatoes wedged
- Coconut/vegetable oil for cooking
- 1 sliced jalapeno chilli
- 250g Haloumi, sliced thin
- 1½ cups quinoa, cooked
- baby spinach leaves, basil and mint leaves
- Handful of walnuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
- Handful of pomegranates
- 2 Spring onions/shallots
- Salad Dressing:
- Place all ingredients into a container with a sealed lid . Shake to combine.
- Salad:
- Preheat oven to 200ºC .
- Place the wedged sweet potatoes, oil and chili peppers into a bowl and toss lightly.
- Place the potatoe mixture onto a baking tray and roast for 30minutes or until golden brown.
- Toast the walnuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds .
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the haloumi in batches for 2-3 minutes on either side or until golden. Drain on paper towels.
- Cook quinoa according to packaging. It usually just requires bowling water poured over it and left for 5minutes to allow the quinoa to absorb the water. I like to add a teaspoon of chicken stock powder for extra taste.
- Assemble the salad by placing baby spinach, basil and mint in a bowl, add quinoa, nuts and seeds and pour salad dressing over, and toss lightly.
- Top with pomegranates and haloumi.
- Plate the potatoes and add the salad for a healthy lunchtime treat.
This is another outstanding salad recipe adapted from Mindfood