ROASTED VEGETABLE & GOAT'S CHEESE QUINOA

This recipe is so quick and delicious, that I have already made it several times but I am yet to blog about it….however I have promised my gorgeous friend Ceri I will do it tonight so she can cook it. It is another recipe from Pinterest and is the perfect accompaniment to a barbecue or fish dish or you can even eat it just as it is.

Ingredients for 4-6 people:

300g quinoa
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme or a tsp of dried thyme
1.2 litres of vegetable stock
1-2 aubergines, sliced
1 pepper, cut into chunks
1 red onion, cut into chunks
200g cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Olive oil
150g goat's cheese, sliced
Fresh basil, for decoration (optional)
Salt & pepper

I forgot to put the basil and aubergine in the photo - doh!

Anyway start off by preheating the oven to 190 C / gas mark 5. Put the quinoa in a sieve and rinse with cold water (sometimes the quinoa can taste bitter if you don't do this). Mix the stock with boiling water.

Then add to the quinoa in a saucepan along with the thyme (I used dry). Bring to the boil and then simmer and cover for 20 minutes until the stock is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.

While this is cooking, roast the pepper, garlic and red onion in the oven with some olive oil and salt for around 15 minutes (I like veg to have a crunch - if you prefer you can cook them longer).

Fry or griddle the aubergines in plenty of oil and salt. Each side takes about 5 minutes.

Once cooked rest on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.

Add the tomatoes to the vegetables in the oven and cook for a further five minutes.

 Mix all the the veg together with the quinoa.

Then add the goat's cheese and stir it in so it starts to melt.

Finally decorate with some basil leaves and tuck in.

This is an incredible dish and healthy too. You can even do it without the cheese if you fancy. It is great on its own but also delicious with a barbecue whether that is meat or fish….in fact I would say it goes with everything. It's like Pringles….once you make it, you can't stop!!!