Bring the Action

Apart from my son reciting the words of the latest Britney Spears song (his favourites are ‘bring the action’ and ‘I wanna get lucky’ from Daft Punk…), this title refers to the fact that I have resumed  excercise.  I have rejoined my pre natal classes and after class 1, I could hardly move let alone pick up my children.  Never fear, a couple of days later I was almost good as new and having participated in a few classes, now the body has remembered that I have muscles and they are capable of a bit more than lying on the couch and sleeping.

So in line with being active, I have decided to try to eat a more well rounded diet.  I thought  I should post one of my favourite salads that also doubles as a meal.  It has a rainbow of colours and plenty of green so even just the sight of it makes you realise it is something tasty and good for you all at once.

The body of the salad is quinoa (pronounced keen wah), an ancient Peruvian seed that is higher in Protein and Iron, Magnesium (the list goes on) than any other grain.  It is full of essential amino acids and is closely related to Spinach, Rhubarb and amaranth and not any wheat based grain.  It is wheat free, and is considered gluten free.  For me, it is a nice change from rice, pasta, or any other grain and knowing it is full of so much goodness is a plus.  I also find it a very light addition to a substantial salad but still provides enough bulk to make it feel like a decent feed.

This salad is a great dinner meal and makes the perfect lunch the next day.  You can omit the feta or add some other low fat cheese, but I find a small amount goes a long way to adding the salty tang and depth to the salad.

It might seem like there are a few ingredients but essentially its just a matter of chopping up salad and mixing it up in one bowl.  Only cooking is the preparation of the quinoa and roasting the beetroot unless you use pre cooked (please not tinned – these should be reserved for hamburgers).  The dressing is what makes this salad delicious and little oil is required, as the quinoa and salad can handle a lot of lemon juice.  Feel free to adapt to please, but I promise you will love it.

Quinoa salad with Beetroot and Feta

Serves 8 as a side

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 2 medium beetroot trimmed, washed but not peeled
• 1 large cucumber diced
• 1 punnet of cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half
• 1 cup of chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
• 3-4 spring onions sliced finely
• 100g fetta crumbled or cut into small dice
• 1 packet of baby spinach

Dressing

• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon tahina
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• half a crushed garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons of a light olive oil

To Make

1. Wrap beetroot separately in foil and roast for about an hour in a moderate oven.  Leave to cool in foil (the steam will help to peel later).  Once cool, open foil and the skin should just pull off.  Dice the beetroot into bite sized pieces.
2. Place the quinoa in a small saucepan with 3/4 cup water (or use the packets instructions).  Bring to the boil on medium heat then lower to a simmer for about 15 minutes until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fairly dry.  Leave to cool slightly.
3. To make the dressing add all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.  The tahina and mustard will help to emulsify.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  It will be very lemony at this stage.
4. In a very large bowl, add the spinach, herbs, cucumber, tomatoes, quinoa, spring onions and toss.  Add half the dressing and toss again.
5. Add the beetroot and toss lightly to avoid spreading pink amongst the entire salad.  Dont worry if this happens, it will still taste the same.
6. Drizzle over more dressing and scatter the feta over the top and serve.

P S – I like to add cubes of grilled chicken or simply serve as a side with your favourite meat