Mediterranean Quinoa with feta, zucchini, pumpkin and olives
In case you haven’t noticed by my blog, I’m quite a fan of quinoa. It’s easy to cook, it’s versatile and it’s super nutritious, providing a source of vitamin B6, magnesium and iron. Quinoa provides slow release carbohydrate and is also source of protein.
This quinoa salad is inspired by the Mediterranean with olives and feta cheese. These add a little saltiness and flavour boost that make this recipe one of my favourites. Now it’s warming up zucchini is in season too. Zucchini is a summer favourite of mine – yummy taste, versatile and it’s a fantastic source of potassium. They are also a source of folate.
Pumpkin provides this salad with a boost of vitamin A. It’s also a source of B vitamins, potassium and vitamin C. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, meaning there must be fat present in order to absorb it. That’s why cooking it in a good dose of healthy oil is recommended – and makes it taste amazing too.
This dish is a perfect accompaniment to fresh fish and the left overs make a yummy lunch the next day. It’s also something yummy and healthy to take along to a BBQ – beats a stodgy pasta salad any day.
Ingredients:
1 cup of quinoa
1/2 cup vegetable stock + 1/2 cup of water (you can use just water if you don’t have stock)
1 wedge of pumpkin, peeled and chopped into small cubes
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 zucchini, sliced into rounds
Olive oil
4 spinach leaves, thinly sliced.
1/2 cup black olives (in my opinon, the best supermarket brand is Pellon which are imported from Greece)
Feta cheese
Rinse quinoa under running water and drain. Place in a pot with the stock and water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed.
While the quinoa is cooking, boil the pumpkin cubes in a pot of water until they are soft, but not mushy. Around 5-10 minutes, depending on how big your cubes are. Drain well.
Heat the oil in a fry pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and zucchini. Stir fry until cooked. Set aside the zucchini in a bowl. Add a little more oil to the pan and then add the pumpkin. Heat over a medium heat to slightly crisp the outsides. Near the end of cooking, add the chopped spinach and heat until the spinach is slightly wilted. This will only take a couple of minutes.
Now for the assembly: Place the cooked quinoa in a bowl. Stir through the zucchini, pumpkin and spinach. Cut some feta cheese into cubes and also add to the mixture, along with the olives. Drizzle over a little olive oil and mix to combine.
Eat and enjoy!
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