Quinoa confetti with feta, tahini yogurt and pistachio sauce

April 27, 2017 Published by Dina

I posted recipes for cauliflower “rice” before. It’s a useful method to add cauli to various dishes without the florets dominating the shape. Today I had a white and purple cauliflower and this dish evolved from it. Once I chopped and roasted both cauli and aded them to the cooked quinoa I needed more colour so into the processor went a few stems of broccolini, chopped into rice size pieces and roasted for a few minutes until tender. The three colours combined with the quinoa were so lovely I thought I’d share the recipe here.

To go with it I made one sauce with yogurt, tahini, cilantro and mint and the other with yogurt and toasted pistachios. The yellow sauce in the images is yogurt and mustard to which I added a little turmeric for flavour and colour but you don’t have to have this one. I am probably watching too many food channel competitions, hence the amateur attempt at saucing and plating. You can just as easily serve the quinoa confetti heaped on a plate with the sauce on the side. Serve it either warm or at room temperature.

NOTE: The recipe is large. If you don’t need it all either make half the recipe or use some of the confetti to make quinoa fritters by adding eggs and bread crumbs to the quinoa, form into patties and fry in oil. See image at the bottom of the post, will post the recipe next.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:

Quinoa confetti

1 cup quinoa

1 small white cauliflower

1 small purple cauliflower

8 stems broccolini

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, lightly chopped

1/2 cup currants, soaked in lemon juice for 15 minutes

1/2 cup candied hazelnuts, finely chopped

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled (can have more for topping)

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Work with the cauliflower on at a time. Place white cauliflower into a food processor and process with a few pulses until the cauli resembles coarse rice grains.

Transfer to a foil line baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a large pinch salt.

Roast at 400ºF for 6-8 minutes until softened and remove to a plate.

Repeat with purple cauli, when cooked remove to a plate.

Next chop the broccolini in the food processor and roast on the same sheet for 5 minutes or so.

Combine some (about half or less) of the quinoa with all of the vegetables. You decide when there is enough quinoa and use the rest for something else.

Drain the currants and add to the quinoa along with the hazelnuts and thyme.

Add the feta cheese. don’t be shy with the feta, this is not a strongly flavoured dish and the feta adds a nice saltiness and creaminess to it.

Taste (feta is salty) and add salt and pepper as needed.

Make the sauces (recipes below).

To serve

Spoon the confetti into bowls and serve with the sauces on the side or pack the confetti into metal ring on a serving plate and smear the sauces around the plate.

Garnish with pistachios and mint leaves.

Serve on its own or alongside other foods.

Roasted cauliflower rice

Tahini-Yogurt Sauce

1/3 cup tahini

1/4 cup water or more

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salt

1 cup plain yogurt

A small handful mint leaves

A small handful cilantro leaves

Combine tahini, water, lemon juice and yogurt in a small food processor and process until smooth, adding more water or yogurt to achieve a sauce consistency.

Add the mint and cilantro and process until smooth.