I had recently a big Sunday lunch with my family in law and some of them are vegetarian and were going vegan for January. I had brought a few kilos of quinoa from Bolivia in my suitcase last trip there; so this was the perfect occasion to cook some of it: a vegan feast!
I’m not very good at following recipes so I just improvised a bit and, maybe I was just lucky, but it was a great success! They all said I should share the recipe and it was a bit late to take a picture so there you go, that is why the pictures are not the best. But if I make it again soon I will add some better ones 🙂
I hope you will try the recipe and if it works for you please let me know and share!
Adriana
Ingredients (serves 8)
A few threads of saffron
One medium size onion
3 garlic cloves
Two celery sticks
One leek
Two carrots
1 sweet pepper
Olive oil
Two medium tomatoes
200 gr of mushrooms
Spices: Paprika, pepper, chilli flakes, curcuma, turmeric, bay leaves, and salt
About 800ml of homemade vegetable stock and one dry vegetable stock cube
1 red sweet pepper for decoration
8 Turkish green peppers
Some coriander, parsley and green onions to serve
Some lemon in slices to serve
3 cups of quinoa
Extra virgin olive oil
For the aubergine caviar:
Two large aubergines
Half garlic clove
Extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper
Preparation
Put the two aubergines in the oven at 180 C, cut in halves with some salt, pepper and olive oil for about 35-40 minutes. Put a few saffron threads in a cup with some warm water before starting with the rest of preparation. Finely chop the onion, garlic, leek, celery, carrots and sweet pepper. Heat a paella or large pan and add all these vegetables. Fry until tender and until it starts to get golden. Add the spices and continue frying for a minute; then add the tomatoes (chopped) and the vegetable stock and saffron. In a separate very hot pan fry the mushrooms and then add them to the paella (or large pan). Boil the quinoa until the centre is still white and rinse well. Only a few minutes before serving, add the quinoa to the paella and mix all ingredients and re-heat. Put the Turkish peppers on a very hot pan with little oil and cook them until the edges are a bit burnt, and salt and pepper them. Chop the red pepper in long strips and chop the herbs.
When the aubergines are less hot, peel and discard the skin and shred the meat in long bits, not need to make then too small. Finely chop the half clove of garlic and mix it with the aubergine and salt pepper it with some extra virgin olive oil.
To serve add the red peppers from the centre out in a circle as well as the Turkish peppers on top of the quinoa. Sprinkle abundantly the herbs on top and add some lemon in slices on the sides. The aubergine can go in a different bowl for people to serve themselves.
Enjoy!
Adriana
Adriana M Yoga 