The rice salad is usually a must that is proposed every summer, both for a quick and tasty lunch and as an idea for a picnic or as a lunch to take to work / school.
Why not try something different?
What we are proposing today is a quinoa salad with vegetables, to be enriched with colors and tastes according to your preferences.
A completely customizable dish!
It is a healthy and tasty single dish made with fresh summer vegetables , aubergines, courgettes and peppers, dried tomatoes in oil or sautéed tomatoes if you prefer and mixed seeds that give the dish crunchiness and additional flavor.
Quinoa is a pseudocereal, like buckwheat and amaranth, which comes from the Andes where it has been a staple of the local diet for centuries, so much so that in 2013 it was proclaimed food of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). year.
It is a versatile and highly appreciated food, even by those who cannot consume gluten .
INGREDIENTS
- 200 g of quinoa
- 2 green courgettes
- 1 long eggplant
- 1 yellow pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons of cherry tomatoes in oil
- 1-2 tablespoons of mixed seeds to taste (flax, sesame, poppy, sunflower)
- fresh basil
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
METHOD
To make the quinoa, start rinsing it several times in cold water and let it drain very well in a colander. Place it in a fat-free pan and toast it, stirring often for 3 minutes.
Transfer it to a saucepan and cover it with double by volume of hot water. Place on the heat and cook, covered and over low heat, for about 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. If, on the contrary, it gets too dry, you can add more water during cooking. Transfer it to a bowl and let it cool. In the meantime, cut the zucchini, eggplant and pepper into cubes and sauté them in a pan with oil.
At the end of cooking add salt and pepper and then let it cool.
Add the cooked vegetables to the quinoa which have reached room temperature, the dried tomatoes well drained from the oil, the mixture of seeds and season with oil, salt and pepper. Complete with a few basil leaves and immediately serve the quinoa with vegetables.
A dish that will please everyone!