Moroccan Salad

Moroccan Chicken and Black Quinoa Salad

The health benefits of any variety of quinoa are amazing. It is a complete protein, with a protein profile of similar to that of dairy milk, so it is really great news for vegetarians. It contains 8 grams of protein per 1 cup serving, which is almost twice that of barley, rice or corn, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams unsaturated fatty acids, 5 grams dietary fibre. It has all the 9 essential amino acids for tissue growth. It is gluten free and very friendly to digestion.

Check out the salad I cooked up for dinner last night- it was delish!!!

Moroccan chicken and black quinoa salad.
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups black quinoa, rinsed, drained
-1/4 cup rice bran oil (or half walnut oil)
-4 tablespoons lemon juice
– 4 anchovies, drained, finely chopped
– 2 garlic cloves, crushed
– 2 stalks celery, halved, thinly sliced
– I medium avocado
-150g Greek-style fat-reduced fetta, crumbled
– 2/3 cup roughly chopped walnuts, toasted
– 2 large truss tomatoes, drained, chopped
-1 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
– 1 large chicken breast
– Moroccan spice mix

Instructions:
Place the black quinoa and 2 1/2 cups cold water in a medium saucepan over high heat.

Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Transfer to a large plate to cool.

2. Mix the chopped anchovies, lemon juice and other ingredients together with the cooked quinoa, and season to taste (remember anchovies themselves are packed with plenty of flavour and quite salty, so you may not need to add further salt).

3. Fry the chicken with a small amount of rice bran oil in a stick free pan, sprinkle with Moroccan spices during the cooking process. Remove from the heat and add to your finished salad along with the avocado.