I love a good bit of quinoa and quinoa with courgettes is a fab combination of flavours and texture. Now I don’t go for the superfood hype and instead subscribe to the Michael Pollan school of thought – Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
But I do think about how much protein I’m getting, particularly when training. Quinoa packs a lovely little punch with this and lots of other good stuff.
This makes a great meal or multiple lunches. For this one, to add a bit of vege goodness, I’ve used courgettes but feel free to experiment. It’s also lovely with chunks of cooked sweet potato thrown in, and thyme leaves. For a bit of extra protein if you’re doing some hard training, you might want to serve with a boiled egg or a couple of vege sausages on the side.
While not for freezing, it does last in the fridge for a good 3 or 4 days.
150 grams quinoa
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 or 3 medium to large courgettes, cut into chunks
A knob of butter
A good splash of cooking oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
A handful of roughly chopped parsley
Lemon juice
50g pine nuts, gently toasted
Salt and pepper
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Put the pine nuts on a flat tray and stick in the oven. Bake for about 5 minutes and then mix. They might need to go in for a few more minutes. Bake until brown but before they start to smoke.
- Melt the butter and put some oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Once the pan is hot, throw in the cooked onions and cook for a minute or two, and then add in the garlic and chopped courgettes. Cook for 20 mins or so, stirring from time to time, until the courgettes are tender (but not squishy). Take off the heat and let cool.
- Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa well, drain and then put in a saucepan with a couple of pinches of salt, cover with water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 – 12 minutes. Do the taste test to see if cooked. Tip into a sieve to drain and then cool.
- In a large bowl, add the quinoa to the courgettes, with the parsley and a good tablespoon or so of lemon juice. Adjust to taste with salt, pepper and more lemon juice.
Eat and enjoy! Let me know any tasty variations you try and how it works out.
Adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg Everyday