Kale and Mushroom Toasted Quinoa Pilaf

SERVES: 4

Ingredients:

120g (4.2oz) quinoa
600ml (1.05 pint) hot chicken or vegetable stock
200g (7oz) sliced mushrooms
2 large handfuls of kale (woody stems torn out)
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed (or you can use dried garlic granules or ready made paste)

To season:
1tbsp lemon juice
2tbsp parmesan cheese (or for a diary free version, try nutritional yeast)
Black pepper to taste

Recipe Summary

Here’s a warming, super healthy, arthritis friendly dish to start your New Year with. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a small seed that is cooked and served like rice or couscous. It is gluten free with a nutty, mild flavour and is unusual in that it is a complete plant protein source, containing all 9 amino acids. It’s quite widely available in supermarkets and health food stores nowadays. I find the flavour best if it’s lightly toasted first in the pan before you add any fluid. If you struggle to find it or want a substitute this recipe will also work well with brown rice but you will need to adjust the cooking times accordingly.

Enjoy vegetables at their seasonal best.  Kale is available in abundance in the winter and is a wonderful source of vitamin K which some studies suggest can slow cartilage deterioration in osteoarthritis. It also contains sulphurous compounds that have an anti-inflammatory effect. Mushrooms add a good dose of healthy fibre and folate.

A good tip for using lemon juice when you have arthritis in your fingers, is to pop the lemon in the microwave for 10 seconds before cutting open to squeeze. This makes it much easier to extract the juice. If you don’t have a microwave you can also just roll it on a board firmly a few times before slicing.

Method:

Put the quinoa in a pan over a medium heat. Let it sit and toast until it begins to pop, then remove from the heat and stir in the olive oil, garlic, hot stock, mushrooms and kale.

Cover the pan and simmer until all the stock has been absorbed and the little white edge of the quinoa seed has separated from the grain.

Fluff up the quinoa and season with the lemon juice, parmesan and pepper. Serve immediately or allow cooling at room temperature. Enjoy as a warm salad.