Crock Pot Quinoa and Veggie Stew.

This dish is very healthy and nourishing, perfect for the winter.

Quinoa is a plant that can be used as a grain, in fact it is quite similar to couscous. It takes 15 minutes to cook, usually it’s boiled and added to the dish, however here I cook it together with the vegetables at end of the preparation of the recipe.

Quinoa is considered a superfood because it contains important amino acids and it’s gluten-free. As a matter of fact it’s not a cereal, but it can be used like one in many recipes.

Cooking tips.

To cook this stew I used an eco-friendly crock pot. Some crock pots can release harmful chemicals contained in their paint, when they are used at high temperatures for slow cooking recipes. There are specialised shops that sell these eco-friendly crock pots, painted with harmless natural paint, they are a little bit expensive, but you’ll only need one….Although, a crock pot is nice, but it is not strictly necessary, you can also use a normal stainless steel pan or a slow cooker to prepare this recipe.

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 large onion

2 cloves of garlic

2 medium carrots

2 stalks of celery

2 large potatoes

3 zucchini / courgettes

1 red bell pepper

300 g (10.6 oz) sweet tomatoes, like cherry tomatoes

1 can of cannellini beans (or baked beans)

150 g (5.3 oz) quinoa

3 bay leaves

700 ml (23.6 oz fl) water

extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel and cut all the vegetables into small pieces.

2. Fry the onion with plenty of olive oil, then add the garlic after a few minutes.

3. When the onions are golden, add all the vegetables with the bay leaves and 700 ml of water.

4. Stir and continue to cook over a low heat for 1 hour and 20 minutes (but add the beans after 40 minutes of cooking time).

5. Wash the quinoa, using a strainer, under running water for a few minutes.

6. When the vegetables are cooked add the quinoa, then stir and cook for another 10 minutes.

7. Turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Season with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and serve after 5 minutes.

Zuppa di quinoa con verdure.

Ingredienti

4 persone

1 cipolla grossa

3 zucchini

2 spicchi d’aglio

2 carote medie

2 gambi di sedano

2 patate grosse

1 peperone rosso

300 g di pomodorini piccoli e dolci

1 scatola di fagioli cannellini

150 g di quinoa

3 foglie di alloro

700 ml d’acqua

olio extra vergine d’oliva, sale e pepe q b

1. Mondate e tagliate tutte le verdure a dadini.

2. Mettete a soffriggere la cipolla, aggiungendo l’aglio dopo qualche minuto per non farlo bruciare.

3. Quando il soffritto sarà dorato, aggiungete tutte le verdure con le foglie di alloro. Innaffiate con 700 ml d’acqua, poi coprite con il coperchio e fate cuocere lentamente.

4. Mescolate e continuate a cuocere a fuoco molto lento per 1 ora e 20 minuti (aggiungete i fagioli dopo 40 minuti di cottura).

5. Lavate la quinoa, usando un colino, sotto il getto d’acqua del rubinetto per qualche minuto.

6. Poco prima di spegnere il fuoco aggiungente la quinoa (circa 10 minuti prima), spegnete e coprite con il coperchio.

7. Lasciate riposare per 5 minuti. Condite con un po’ d’olio, sale e pepe e servite.