"There are lots of little bits to this salad – but, oh my God, it’s so good." says gluten-free foodie and author Finn Ní Fhaoláin.
I use this quantity either as a main event at a summer lunch or I keep it portioned in the fridge to take out with me.
Serves two or three ravenous humans:
1 cup (185g) uncooked quinoa
2 cups (470ml) GF vegetable stock
1 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp lemon juice – more if you like extra zip!
2 bell peppers, sliced – I use yellow mostly, for some reason I can’t stand the green ones
1 cup (170g) green seedless grapes
300g cooked tikka masala chicken – I get Green Farm as it uses certified GF seasoning!
½ cup (25g) fresh coriander leaves, chopped
3 tbsp craisins – dried cranberries, not crazy raisins
4 tbsp toasted seeds – I use sunflower and pumpkin
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Give the quinoa a good rinse with cold water to stop it getting a bitter taste as it cooks (due to a coating on the outside of the grain). I do this in a sieve, since the quinoa grains are itty-bitty and they fall out of a colander.
- Add the quinoa, water, stock and bay leaf to a pot and bring to the boil. I don’t tend to add salt as I find the stock cube/pot is usually salty enough by itself. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on. After this, I take a teeny bit out and have a nibble. If it’s done (cooked through and no gritty feeling) I take the quinoa off the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes with the lid on to fluffy-ize itself.
- Slice the onion in super-thin strips and soak them in the lemon juice. This takes the raw-onion-esque whack off them (and colours the lemon juice pink, which looks cool in the salad). Slice the peppers into long thin strips. Cut the grapes in half lengthways.
- Find a lovely big salad bowl – I love the turned wooden ones – and layer up the salad: quinoa first (don’t forget to take out the bay leaf), then chicken, grapes and veggies. Chuck the lemon juice on with the onions and sprinkle over the coriander, dried cranberries and toasted seeds. Follow with the olive oil and a little salt and pepper to taste.
Finn Ní Fhaoláin’s food journey began when she was diagnosed as a coeliac and became determined to recreate all her favourite dishes - this time without gluten. She lives, surfs and cooks in Bundoran on Ireland’s northwest coast. Her brand new book, Finn's World is packed with incredible recipes such as Danish Breakfast Brød, Mother Hubbard’s Bare Cupboard Granola, Moroccan Surfer’s Breakfast and Disco Barbie Beetroot Soup.
