Quinoa Risotto with Courgettes, Tomatoes, Black Olives & Toasted Hazelnuts

A simple and easy way to spruce up your quinoa. This works as a light lunch or as a side dish.

INGREDIENTS

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 1 Onion roughly chopped

• 4 cloves Garlic sliced finely

• 2 cups Quinoa

• 3 cups Veg stock

• 1 tbsp Tomato paste

• 4-5 medium to large tomatoes chopped roughly

• 3-4 small to medium courgettes cut into rounds

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• Juice 1/2 Lemon

• Black olive slices

• 1-2 tsp sea salt (to taste)

• Black pepper

TOPPINGS

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Toasted hazelnuts

• Rocket

• Fresh herbs (Parsley or Thyme work well)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add the oil to a large frying pan and heat to a medium heat. Add in the onion and fry until it is soft and browning. Add in the garlic and fry for another minute.

2. Add the spices, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and courgette, stir for 30 seconds before adding the the quinoa and vegetable stock. Simmer on a low heat until the stock has absorbed- stirring occasionally. Aprox 15 minutes.

3. When cooked, turn off the heat, squeeze a bit of lemon juice and add in the black olives and stir through.

4. Season really well and top with lots of toasted hazelnuts*, a good drizzle of olive oil, fresh herbs and rocket.

* To toast hazelnuts

Turn oven on to 180C with fan and place the hazelnuts on an oven tray - roast for 6-8 minutes, or until you see that the skin has started to peel.

Bring them out of the oven and place them on a kitchen towel. Rub the hazelnuts in the towel and the skin should all come off.

Add Ons

• This is delicious with spinach too - add in right at the end - stir in and allow the greens to wilt down.

• If you want to pad this out a bit serve with sauteed mushrooms on top and maybe some flakes of parmesan or nutritional yeast.