Name: Quinoa Sizzle Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 as a main
Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander; 2 cups water; 1 medium cucumber, diced; 1 medium red capsicum, diced; 3-4 cups rocket or baby spinach; 1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley; ½ teaspoon fine sea salt; Freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 2 cups cherry tomatoes left whole; 1 teaspoon mustard seeds; 1 teaspoon fennel seeds; 1 teaspoon coriander seeds; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 3-4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 red onion, finely diced; ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar; 2 teaspoon honey; ¼ cup olive oil

quinoa sizzle salad

7/3/2025

When I think back to the 2010s, there were definite trends in my eating habits. Tortillas and quesadillas became weeknight staples. Friday nights regularly featured a Halal Snack Pack. Vegetables were snuck into desserts for my children (sweet potato brownies and chocolate beetroot cake are standouts).

But by far it was my embracing of hearty, vegetarian salads as a meal in themselves that really changed my repertoire and remains so today. Thanks to the introduction of satisfying, nutritious grains like quinoa, amaranth, freekeh and more, salads finally got their well-deserved Main Character Energy.

In recent years I've neglected quinoa in place of legumes and other grains. But I've recently come back to quinoa, and I'm bringing you all with me!

Now for why I call it Sizzle Salad. The dressing for this salad is made by toasting whole spice seeds in a frypan until crunchy and aromatic, adding vinegar and olive oil, then pouring the whole mixture over cooked, still warm quinoa so the dressing soaks in and imparts next-level flavour to the otherwise simple salad.

This salad is as great as a main as it is as a side, and it's suited to all seasons too!

tuscan bean & barley soup

7/6/2024

For the first recipe of Winter 2024 I wanted to make a soup. Something versatile that most of us could produce with a quick pantry raid.

And so we give you Tuscan Bean & Barley Soup. It's my spin on a classic White Bean Soup & involves a variety of dried beans and some pearled barley. It's a versatile recipe with wiggle room to incorporate the beans and grains you have on hand in whatever ratio you fancy.

The only caveat would be to stick to beans that hold their shape when cooked and don’t get too mushy. The reason this recipe works is because even though different beans and grains I use need different cooking times, the ones that cook the quickest don’t dissolve into the soup by the time the slower cooking pulses are done.

This is such a gloriously comforting soup. We look forward to you trying it out - let us know how it goes!

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quinoa sizzle salad

tuscan bean & barley soup

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