Quinoa halloumi

Pronounced as 'Keen-wah', it is one of the most nutritious grains with a very high protein content. The ancient Incas called it the "mother grain" and it was traditional for the Inca leader to plant the first quinoa seed every year using a "gold" shovel !

The grain has to be rinsed well before cooking. Otherwise, the coating which protects the growing seeds from the birds and the sun, can make the quinoa taste bitter.

For this dish, you need to have..
Quinoa
Olive oil
Green peas
Corn
Red capsicum
Zucchini
Carrot
Cucumber
Tofu (if possible, marinate in lime juice for an hour)
Halloumi cheese
Lime
Salt
Pepper

Cook the quinoa as per the instructions on its packet. Peel off the outer skin of the carrot. Then peel thin pieces (lengthwise) off the zuchinni, carrot and cucumber. Also slice the capsicum into nice and thin pieces. Heat a frying pan and dribble some olive oil. Toss in vegetables, green peas and corn. Your pan will have a lovely blend of colors. Spice vegetables with salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat and stir occasionally.

A handy tip : Sprinkle oil and spices on vegetables in a bowl and stir around, a few minutes before you transfer them to the hot pan. This helps because you will use less oil, spices will merge well with every piece and vegetables will turn out to be more crunchy and crisp as you cook them.

Cut the halloumi cheese and tofu into very small chunks. The tofu crumbles easily, but that is okay. If you have time, marinate the tofu in lime juice for about an hour. Toss the halloumi and tofu in a little bit of olive oil, a little bit of salt and some pepper. Fry them until they are lightly browned on all sides and then drain on kitchen paper. Halloumi is a chewy cheese and is one of the tastiest ingredients in this recipe. Once vegetables are cooked, add in cooked quinoa and tofu and halloumi. Give the whole lot a gentle toss. Drizzle the juice of half a lime (I sometimes roll the lime if it is a bit hard; makes it easier to juice). This adds a wonderful flavour to the dish.