Recipe of the Month - The Perfect Way to Cook Quinoa.

Quinoa is something that I love to eat. It truly is a superfood. Full of protein, healthy fats and low in carbohydrates, its a great addition to many meals to ensure you are getting a good nutritional variety. However, I used to hate cooking it. 

Whenever I ate out and had quinoa I would enjoy it so much that I would plan to recreate the same dish at home. Despite my best efforts and following the instructions on the packet, it would never quite achieve the same consistency that i’d previously enjoyed in the restaurant. Not content with this and never one for giving up I decided to trial some different cooking techniques to try and perfect my quinoa skills. 

Because this was such a issue for me, I'm guessing other people may have had the same problem when cooking quinoa too. So I have decided to share my technique with you. Alongside a little dressing recipe to make it extra yummy. 

It can be a real shame when the sloppy, soggy results of poor quinoa cooking put you off this wonderful, nutritious grain. So give this little recipe a go and see if you get better results like I have. 

Method:

• When cooking quinoa double the quantity of water used to the amount of quinoa. So if you use one cup of quinoa, cook it in two cups of water.
• Cook the quinoa until all the water has disappeared, but be careful that it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Do not cook the quinoa with a lid on the pan.
• Once all the water has gone, turn off the heat, add a lid to the pan and let the quinoa steam for around 5 minutes (a little longer for large quantities).
• Once the quinoa has finished steaming add the dressing below and mix thoroughly.
• This will keep well in the fridge for up to three days. 

Dressing Recipe:

• A two table spoons of garlic rapeseed oil and 3 table spoons of natural rapeseed oil to a bowl.
• Add 4 table spoons of lemon juice and and one tea spoon of dijon mustard (or more if required).
• Mix together thoroughly and add to the cooked and steamed quinoa. Mix the dressing in well. 
• Add any flavour combination ingredients that you like, but we like to add spring onions, pomegranate and feta.