Spicy Basil Quinoa Salad

Down to day 3! It is starting to become a routine now. It was a long time ago when I last had quinoa. The box was lying far back in the pantry. I finally took it out and stared at it for a few minutes to come up with a recipe! Also, there was so much fresh basil blooming in my patio. So here it is, I came up with this recipe to use the fresh basil and also stick to my salad diet.

Let's learn little bit about quinoa since it is occupying the markets lately as a "healthy substitute" to rice and wheat. Quinoa, mostly referred to as a grain, is actually a seed native to Peru, Chile and Bolivia where it is consumed as a staple food. Of course, lately its production is increased in all of South America for all the good reasons. It is a good source of protein, fibre and vitamins. It is gluten-free and tastes slightly nutty when cooked. Many households are substituting quinoa for rice and flour in their traditional recipes and they are liking it. Because it has high protein, fibers, the right fatty acids, it is known to be anti-inflammatory, and beneficial for your gut and heart. Read more here

For me, Quinoa took some time to reach my kitchen because I could not develop the taste whatsoever. But I guess my brain just adapted well after reading about the amazing advantages. I feel you can pretty much do everything and more with quinoa as you can do with rice and pilaf. So here is the one I tried. Because quinoa has little taste of itself, I felt basil would really add that extra punch to the quinoa texture that would just go perfect. Honestly, I love basil in all the forms but this one particularly felt new and delicious. You can also store this sauce for 2-3 days and use it with your regular salads or pasta. Check it out below!

Prep time: 5 mins; Cook time: 15-20 mins; Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa - soaked in water for 5 mins

2 small sweet peppers or 1 red/yellow pepper - sliced

2 cloves of garlic - finely chopped

1/4 onion -finely chopped

1/2 tomato - finely chopped

2-3 tsp cumin seed powder

Handful of Basil leaves - finely chopped

For the sauce:

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves finely chopped

1/2 cup cashews - soaked in water for few minutes

1 tsp olive oil

1 green chili

salt and pepper

Method:

1. In a pot, heat 1-2 drops of olive oil (this is just for the garlic)

2. Add the garlic, onions, sweet peppers and basil leaves and saute for 2-3 mins

3. Add the uncooked quinoa

4. Add salt and cumin seed powder

5. Add water and cook the quinoa according to manufacturer's directions - usually takes 10-12 mins

6. For the sauce - blend all the ingredients and add water as needed (skip the green chili if you don't like spicy)

7. Serve the quinoa and the sauce and enjoy!