Simple suppers: spring quinoa

I am so happy that quinoa entered my life. The stuff is amazing. It is hearty without being heavy, and tasty in a subtle way, making it extremely versatile. Oh, and it's a superfood, or in lay man's terms, very good for you! Its status as a superfood is making it extremely popular in developed countries, but the high levels of protein mean it could be an important factor in resolving the global food shortage crisis. The increase in demand is having a hugely beneficial impact on South American quinoa farmers, lifting many out of proverty. One can only hope that increasing prices don't incentivise famers to eat less quinoa, an important part of their diet. Whatever happens, it's popularity and prevalence will no doubt increase. The spotlight is on quinoa with 2013 being the International Year of the Quinoa so if you are not a lover already, get into it.

It was just me at home tonight so I made this easy quinoa dish with spring greens that is super fresh tasting.

Recipe

1/2 cup quinoa

small bunch of asparagus

1 zucchini thinly sliced

1/2 cup peas

teaspoon chopped red chilli

1 clove garlic chopped

feta

olive oil

zest and juice of a lemon

handful of mint

salt + pepper

Thoroughly soak and wash quinoa then cook in boiling water (15-20 minutes). Drain and set aside.

In a wide pan bring to the boil an inch or two of water. Add asparagus and after a minute or two add zucchini and peas. Don't cook for too long - you want them to be just cooked and still bright green. Drain.

At the same time heat olive oil in a pot and add garlic. Shortly after add the chilli and the the quinoa. Add vegetables, lemon zest and juice and combine. Taste as you go with the lemon so you add the correct amount according to your tastes. Crumble in the feta, add the mint and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 1.



Winter colour

It's nearly the end of March and winter persists here in London. It is relentlessly grey with only a few cherry blossoms here and there that managed to forge their way into the freezing world. So I got just a little excited when I came across some beautiful blood oranges at Borough Market. I've never had blood oranges before and I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of oranges - copious amounts of orange flavoured paracetamol after I had my tonsils out as a child tainted them for me. Blood oranges may have just restored my faith! They look amazing. They can vary in colour from deep red (hence the blood) through to a much paler peach colour, so it's like a lucky dip. Mine were deep orange with veins of red giving a similar effect to when red dye is dropped in water. The flavour is sweet; much less tart than the ordinary orange.

I decided to make a winter salad with my oranges - something to provide a little colour and freshness to this dreary Sunday. Fennel and orange is a classic Italian pairing which I thought would go nicely with the fish we were having.

Olives add a saltiness which seemed to balance the whole thing out. The finished product was a deliciously fresh, sharp salad that was the perfect complement to the fish. Even Dave, previous fennel sceptic enjoyed! It certainly brightened up my Sunday.

Recipe:

2 or 3 blood oranges

1 fennel

handful of pitted black olives

lemon

olive oil

salt + pepper

Cut the top and bottom off the oranges and slice off the peel and pith. Run the knife in between the segments to separate. I took the skins off each one but this is quite fiddly so alternatively you could just thinly slice.

Chop the fennel into very fine slices. Arrange fennel, orange segments and olives on a platter and squeeze over the juice of half a lemon. Drizzle over olive oil and give it a pinch of salt and pepper.

Done - how easy is that?!

Serves 2

What is the point?

Why write a food blog? It's nothing new, hoards of people do it.

I'm obsessional about food and cooking. I wouldn't say I'm an amazing cook but I have an insatiable desire to learn more and every day I improve. Growing up, our family had dinner at the dinner table every night; I think that's important. I also love writing. This is an outlet for me to be creative which does not exist in my day job.

I am particularly interested in healthy food and discovering new foods to add to my diet. The levels of obesity around the world scare me and the economist in me thinks that more needs to be done to educate people on how to eat. Of course, everything in moderation - I'm partial to a greasy burger on a hungover, or a Friday night for that matter!