Serves 4
· 80g quinoa
· 1 handful of sunflower seeds
· 1 handful of pumpkin seeds
· 1 handful of cashews
· 1-2 tablespoons of small seeds such as poppy seeds, linseed, chia, hemp or camelina
· Nutritional yeast
· Smoked paprika
· Garlic powder
· Salt
· Pepper
For the salad:
· Salad leaves
· Lemon juice
· Good olive oil
1. Cook the quinoa according to packet instructions (usually 1 cup of quinoa, 2 cups of water. Cook on a medium heat with the lid on for around 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. The quinoa will absorb the water and ‘unfurl’). Leave to cool completely.
2. Roughly chop the sunflower, pumpkin seeds and cashews with a knife or in a food processor (or leave whole). Cover with cold water and soak* for at least 30 minutes.
3. Heat the oven to 180°C
4. Spread the quinoa onto a large baking tray (that has sides). Season liberally with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway.
5. After 15 minutes, drain the nuts and seeds and mix into the quinoa. Return to the oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring a few times to make sure it bakes evenly.
6. After a total of 25-30 minutes the quinoa should be dry and crispy (it will sound like sand/gravel when its stirred). When it’s crispy add the seasoning.
7. Seasoning: mix 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast, 2 tsp of smoked paprika and 3 tsp of garlic powder. Use a sieve to sprinkle evenly over the quinoa & seeds and mix in.
8. Also add the smaller seeds at this point.
9. Bake for further 3-5 minutes. Then taste and add more salt and pepper as necessary. If adding more seasoning, bake for another minute or two.
10. Leave to cool then use to sprinkle on salads, pasta bakes, tacos or risottos- anything. Any mix of nuts and seeds can be used, as well as any mix of spices and herbs.
For the salad:
1. Wash the salad leaves and roughly chop (clean scissors can be used) into bitesize pieces.
2. Add the juice of ½ lemon and mix in (add the acid before the oil).
3. Drizzle with a little good olive oil.
4. Mix in a few tablespoons of quinoa & seed mix. Serve!
* Soaking is a common step when using seeds or nuts. The soaking softens the seeds and is purely done to get a better texture. However, soaking can remove minerals. To preserve the minerals, either skip the soaking step or use the soaking water in a stew, risotto, soup etc.!