The Hunger Struck - Confessions of a Food Fanatic.

There are many things I love about quinoa but the best thing by far is that it fills you up for a long long time. I’m not sure exactly why that is, someone mentioned to me recently that they thought quinoa contained more protein than other grains, I’m going to run with that theory as it makes perfect sense to me.

So I’ve gradually started to make quinoa in the place of other grains and pastas. I never thought it would stick for more than maybe a few dinners as I was anticipating serious opposition from my husband. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s to never take rice away from an Indian! Not that I was actually trying to make him stop eating rice, I was just trying to find something that we could occasionally replace the all the basmati rice with.

Have you ever had basmati rice at an Indian restaurant? Or maybe you have a fabulous Indian cook in the family too? Ever wondered why the rice is so freaking never-want -to-eat-anything-else-EVER-again good? I’m talking about the kind of rice that makes you completely forget about that incredible piece of naan bread laying next to your plate AND the butter chicken you ordered.

Can you guess the answer?

Butter.

Obviously.

Lots and lots and lots and lots of butter.

It’s actually sort of funny because when we make Indian food at home, my husband always makes the rice. And I gladly let him. It’s no secret to anyone who knows cooking when there is a large amount of butter in a dish. I just prefer to ignore it. It’s much more fun to think of Sat as an amazing rice making genius. It’s also easier on my conscious. Trust me.

Believe it or not it’s actually not the butter that inspired me to find a healthier substitute. It was starting to get a bit perplexing that even after completely pigging out on huge amounts of rice at dinner, I would still find myself a few hours later in the pantry with a strong desire to eat something.

I find that quinoa really stops me from needing to do this. It keeps me full for an incredibly long time and it tastes good. I’m not an advocate of depriving oneself of food, but my evening snacking was completely out of control and was starting to disrupting my sleep. Another benefit of this grain for those of you who like me eat more than recommended portion size, is that it digests easily so basically even if you overeat its not likely that you will feel it. It’s the perfect situation really.

I found this recipe in Bon Appetit and was immediately won over with the smoked paprika dressing. I did alter the recipe slightly by adding a bit more dressing and a few other things. You can find the original recipe here if you would like to compare.

Ohhh and it’s Gluten Free!

Quinoa, Garbanzo, and Spinach Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing – Serves 6, Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

2 cups quinoa, rinsed

1 cube of good quality vegetable bullion

4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

2 small cans garbanzo beans

2 Asian style cucumbers, diced

2 medium sized tomatoes, diced

1 cup of fresh mint leaves, minced

10 ounces of feta cheese, divided

1/3 cup sherry wine vinegar

3 teaspoons smoked paprika

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pour your quinoa into a medium sized pot along with the cube of bouillon and cover with water by about 1 inch and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to a simmer and cook for approximately 15  minutes or until quinoa is tender. If there is water left drain it off and set the quinoa aside to cool down.

In a large serving bowl combine spinach, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, mint and half of the feta.

In a small bowl assemble the dressing by combining the vinegar and smoked paprika and slowly drizzling the olive oil over in while whisking to emulsify. Season to taste.

Once the quinoa is cooled down either completely or still a bit warm toss it into the serving bowl with the vegetables and top with the dressing. Mix to combine. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve topped with the remaining feta.