I love salads as a main course, but I usually end up feeling hungry again a few hours later. By including a base such as freekeh, barley or couscous, you can add bulk to your greens while upping the meal’s nutritional value and taste at the same time.
This week's recipe uses quinoa, a gluten-free powerhouse of protein. It is a staple crop of South American countries such as Bolivia and Peru, where it is known as "the mother of all grains".
In recent years, however, its cost has more than tripled, meaning that it has become a luxury food, too expensive for everyday consumption by locals. In Lima it sells for four times as much as rice.
This surge in popularity has raised food security concerns, as it disrupts local access to food supplies. Also, quinoa requires a lot of water to grow.
On the other hand, there is a marked increase in revenue for the farmers who grow it, who are employing more people in order to keep up with the insatiable demand from westerners.
This knowledge has made me cut back on my quinoa usage, but I do still turn to it now and again as a healthier alternative to rice or pasta.
Quinoa can be quite trouble-free to grow in Ireland. If you'd like to try it for yourself, seeds are available from brownenvelopeseeds.com and irishseedsavers.ie.
I always cook one part quinoa to 1½ parts water. I sometimes add flavouring to the water. Recently I added grated turmeric and ginger root to create a highly flavoured golden-yellow mix that was divine in salads.
Family-run Irish business Dr. Coy's produces an organic vegetable bouillon that really makes quinoa taste great. It is composed from a mixture of herbs, vegetables and sea salt, with none of the sugar, yeast or starch that is usually found in stock cubes. Adding a teaspoon or less of this usually means I don't have to add any extra salt. I often add a few teaspoons of dry spice mixes, such as the garam masala spice blend from Green Saffron.
Not only does this salad have protein-rich quinoa, but it also has buttery wedges of avocado. Avocado has a large amount of monounsaturated fat and is a great source of vitamins. Its creaminess makes this salad filling and satisfying: the perfect vegan main course.
I’m obsessed with organic cucumbers. They taste so much better than non-organic ones, perhaps due to the high water content. Some cucumbers taste bitter, but I have yet to come across a bad-tasting organic one. I find them crunchier and more refreshing, and they are also very affordable and widely available in most supermarkets.
Because of the high water content of the cucumber and the oxidisation of the avocado. it is best to assemble this salad at the last moment.
CUCUMBER AND QUINOA SALAD: SERVES 4
The five ingredients
- 200g quinoa
- 1-2 cucumbers
- 50g coriander
- 2 avocados
- Juice of 1 lime
From the pantry
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Method
Place the quinoa in a measuring jug and tip into a medium-sized saucepan over a high heat. Measure out 1½ times the volume of the quinoa in boiling water.
The quinoa can gently toast for a few seconds while you measure out the water. Once you add the water, bring to the boil and then lower the heat to a minimum, place the lid on and leave to cook gently for 12 minutes. The water should all evaporate: you want the grains to be dry, not soggy. Fluff the quinoa up with a fork and tip on to a large dinner plate or a tray to cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
Peel the cucumber lengthways into wide strips and lay the strips on kitchen paper to remove some of the excess moisture.
Cut each avocado in half, remove the stone and cut into thick slices. Set aside.
Roughly chop the coriander. I use the stems as well as the leaves.
Once the quinoa is cool, dress it with a little olive oil and lime juice, and add salt and pepper to taste. To assemble this salad I like to gently layer everything on a big plate or platter minutes before serving, and then place it in the middle of the table.
- Every Thursday we'll tweet the five ingredients from @lillyhiggins and @irishtimeslife so you can have them ready for Friday. Email givemefive@irishtimes.com with your suggestions for recipes
