Healthy Gourmet....Lemon Quinoa and Coriander Chickpea salad

At this time of year, with summer fast approaching, most of my friends are frantically trying to diet. Healthy food can often be monotonous and boring, but not always. In fact, with a little inspiration you can turn the most boring and plain 'diet foods' into a gourmet feast. I thought I'd start by sharing one of my favourites....

First let me tell you about Quinoa-

While quinoa is usually considered to be a whole grain, it is actually a seed, but can be prepared like whole grains such as rice or barley. Quinoa is great for three reasons: First, it takes less time to cook than other whole grains – just 10 to 15 minutes. Second, quinoa tastes great on its own, unlike other grains.  Add a bit of olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice and - yum! Finally, of all the whole grains, quinoa has the highest protein content, so it's perfect for vegetarians and vegans. Quinoa provides all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Quinoa is a gluten-free and cholesterol-free whole grain.

Lemon Quinoa and Coriander Chickpea Salad

Adapted from: The Diva-Dish

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dry quinoa

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1 cup rosa cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 avocado, sliced and diced

2 cups of baby spinach

1 handful of coriander

1/4 cup red onion

2 small cloves garlic

For the dressing:

Juice of 2 lemons

zest of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon cumin

dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Make your quinoa first. Soak the quinoa in a pot in the stock for about 15 minutes. After that, turn on the heat to medium high and let the quinoa come to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to medium/low and let quinoa simmer. Stir every so often, and cook quinoa for about 20-25 minutes just until the liquid is absorbed.

2. In a food processor, blend the baby spinach and the coriander until they are finely diced. 

3. Add the greens to a bowl, and set aside. Next take your onion and garlic and finely dice those, and add to the greens mixture. Next add your chickpeas and stir until everything is combined and coated. If the quinoa is cooled, you can add it to the chickpea mixture next.

4. Make your dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Pour over salad, and mix until combined. Add in tomatoes and avocado. Leave to cool in the fridge before serving.

Delicious!

Serve with an uncomplicated chardonnay- I like the KWV Classic Chardonnay or Graham Beck 'Waterside'