Quinoa with Feta, Black Olives, Pine-nuts and Mint

 

This is a lovely, Primal-approved addition to a summer lunch. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) isn't a grain but a chenopod, related to spinach and beets. Quinoa contains twice the protein of wheat or rice and 7 times the iron and calcium of grains such as brown rice and it's gluten-free so is an excellent substitute for pasta and rice salads. It has a lovely nutty taste which goes well with the feta, olives and mint in this recipe. It is still relatively high in carbs so although it's infinitely better than grains, if you're trying to keep your carbs down, have this in moderation.

The preparation is similar to rice. I use a quality vegetable stock  (such as Swiss Marigold Bouillon) to cook the quinoa but you could use just water. If you do use stock, check the seasoning before adding extra salt as the reduction can make the quinoa quite salty, depending on the stock you choose.

I found a lovely multi-coloured quinoa in Aldi which I used for this photo, but any quinoa will work just as well.

For a vegan version, just substitute a good vegan cheese for the feta.

 

Ingredients  Serves 6

150g quinoa

300ml quality stock or water

 

1 150g pack feta cheese cut into 1cm cubes,  or a tub feta cubes

150g pitted black olives

50g pine nuts

A really good handful of fresh mint, chopped

 

For the dressing

75ml extra virgin olive oil

1 tblsp sherry or red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Salt and black pepper to taste.

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