Ingredients

200 g black chickpeas, soaked in cold filtered water for at least 9 hours, or overnight, then washed and drained
150 g quinoa, washed under cold running water
half a red pepper, cleaned and cut into cubes
half a yellow pepper, cleaned and cuto into cubes
8-10 cherry tomatoes, cleaned and cut into quarters
1 carrot, cleaned and cut into cubes
2 hanfuld black pitted olives, chopped
a handful of fresh parsley, cleaned and finely chopped
a handful of fresh basil, cleaned and finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
whole sea salt, just enought to taste

Makes 4 servings.

Directions

Cook the chickpeas in unsalted water (add the salt to the pot when the chickpeas are almost completely cooked as salt hardens the outer layer). Cook the quinoa al dente in lightly salted water in a separate pot. Drain well and let cool. When the chickpeas are cooked, rinse them under cold, running water, drain well and let cool. Once the quinoa and chickpeas are cold, transfer them into a sald bowl the stir in the red and yellow pepper, tomatoes, carrot, olives, parsley, basil and toss. Season with the olive oil and salt, mix well and serve.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked quinoa, cold (here’s how to cook quinoa)
1-2 chilled nectarines, sliced
1 banana, sliced
2-3 handfuls of chilled blueberries
a squeeze of lemon juice
2-3 pinches of vanilla powder
rice malt syrup, to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Combine the cooked quinoa, nectarines, banana and blueberries in a bowl (or use two separate serving bowls). Add the lemon juice and vanilla and toss gently. Top with the rice malt syrup and enjoy.

Ingredients

200 g fair trade dark chocolate (70% cacao)
90 g quinoa flour
a pinch of whole sea salt
a pinch of cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
115 g rice malt syrup
55 g maple syrup, grade B or C
4 tablespons powdered flax seeds, mixed with 12 tablespoons filtered water
50 g hazelnut butter
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon hazelnut oil
6 tablespoons almond milk, unflavoured and unsweetened

Makes 30-35 brownies.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 170° C. Lightly oil and flour a 20 cm square (stainless steel) baking pan. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie.
Combine the quinoa flour, salt, cinnamon, cream of tartar in a medium bowl and stir. In another bowl, combine the rice malt syrup, maple syrup, flax seeds, hazelnut butter, olive oil, hazelnut oil and almond milk. Fold the wet into the dry ingredients, stir well then add the chocolate as soon as it has melted. Stir again until combined and spread evenly in the baking pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick plunged into the center comes out slightly moist with batter. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then unmold the cake and transfer onto a cutting board. Cut into squares and let cool a bit more before serving.

Ingredients

100 g quinoa flour
200 g semi-whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
a pinch of whole sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
half a teaspoon cardamom powder
200 ml plain (unflavoured) and unsweetened rice milk
70 ml extra virgin olive oil
80 g rice malt syrup
20 ml maple syrup (grade C)
100 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), broken into pieces
3 handfuls of dried sour cherries

Makes 10-12 muffins.

Directions

Preheat oven to 180° C. In a large bowl,  combine the quinoa flour, wheat flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, cardamom powder and stir to blend well. In another bowl combine the milk, olive oil, rice malt syrup, maple syrup and whisk well. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir gently until the ingredients are combined but make sure you don’t over mix the batter. Add the chocolate and cherries and give another stir just to make sure they’re evenly incorporated into the batter. Fill the muffin cups or muffin tray with the batter, using a spoon. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for a couple of minutes, unmold the muffins and place them on a wire rack to let cool.

Thoughts, tips, ideas

If you want to enjoy the bits of melted chocolate, eat the muffins while they’re still warm. Or whenever you fancy one, you can always warm it up. Anyways, they’re equally good cold. 

Ingredients

half a cup quinoa, rinsed under running water
filtered water and a pinch of whole sea salt (to cook the quinoa)
1 medium zucchini, trimmed, peeled and sliced
half a head of Romanesco broccoli, washed, broken into bite-sized florets and cooked in salted boiling water for 3-5 minutes (they should stay crunchy)
a large handful of green olives, stones removed and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 small fresh red chilli, seeds removed and chopped
2 handfuls of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
a handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
zest of 1 lemon, grated

Makes 2-4 servings.

Directions

Place the quinoa in a heavy bottomed saucepan and pour water over it (2 parts water,1 part quinoa). Bring to a boil, add a pinch of salt, cover then turn down the heat to a low simmer. Let the quinoa cook for 15-20 minutes, until amost transparent and a bit fluffy. Remove from the heat then transfer into a large salad bowl or a serving tray.
Let cool a bit then add the zucchini, the broccoli, the olives, the garlic, the chilli, the parsley and the basil. Season with the olive oil and salt, mix thouroughly then garnish with the poppy seeds end the lemon zest. You can serve it either warm or cool.