Green Quinoa

You might have heard of green rice? Well, when you swap out the rice for quinoa you get this green quinoa that is bright and verdant with fresh, citrusy Mexican flavors.

If you've followed for a while, you'll know that I love any herb-forward sauce that can be whizzed up in the food processor and stashed in the fridge to enliven dishes all week. Give me a chimichurri, an Italian salsa verde, a chermoula or zhug and it will be used in exuberant abundance. I like to drizzle it over soups, eggs, grain bowls and smashed crispy potatoes. I also like tossing it into salad dressings and grains like in this recipe.

The herb sauce below has a base of spinach and cilantro and is rounded out with lime zest and juice (yes, the zest is necessary here), garlic, jalapeno and olive oil. Don't be alarmed by its brightness directly out of the food processor. It needs to be a little over the top so it still shines through once tossed with the quinoa.

This green quinoa makes a great base for the Roasted Beets, Avocado and Pistachios with Apple Dressing. It's also great in these Mexican Street Corn Bowls or tossed with black beans, roasted sweet potato, apple (why not?), avocado and some feta or queso fresco.

I hope you’ll make a batch of this on the weekend and explore all the ways it can support you throughout the week.

Green Quinoa

Makes 3 cups

• 2 cups spinach (80 gr)

• 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro (55 gr or 1/2 large bunch cilantro)

• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 jalapeno, roughly chopped

• Zest of 1 lime

• Juice of 2 juicy limes

• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 3 cups cooked quinoa, warm

1. Add spinach, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, lime zest and juice, olive oil and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth.

2. Toss with warm cooked quinoa.