Cooking with quinoa means caring about your body health. Its high nutritive value might come from the fact that quinoa isnt actually a grain, but a member of the same plant family that contains beets, spinach and Swiss chard. High content of protein, minerals (like Manganese, Magnesium and Zinc), anti-inflammatory antioxidant phytonutrients and even two flavonoids (with a higher concentration than in cranberries) all these make quinoa a real superstar of the healthy food industry. You can add quinoa in your diet by using it in desserts, in breakfast puddings, in salads or an appetizer like these savoury muffins.

Ingredients

Makes 8-10 muffins
1 cup quinoa
1 bunch scallions, finely diced
1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 organic eggs (for a vegan version, use 2 tbsp flaxseed water soaked for at least 30 minutes)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup silken tofu
2 garlic cloves, crushed
tsp pink Himalayan salt
freshly ground pepper

Method

=> Boil quinoa over low heat, in plenty of water for 15-20 minutes, until tender, but still firm.

=> Drain well and set aside to cool. Preheat the oven at 175C/347 F.

=> Heat the olive oil over low heat in a cast-iron skillet, add the onion and garlic, fry for a few seconds, just to flavour the oil, then add the spinach leaves.

=> After spinach softens and releases its liquid, start stirring occasionally until all the liquid evaporates. Remove from the heat and let cool.

=> In a big bowl, combine quinoa, spinach mixture, tofu, chopped parsley and eggs, and mix well until all the ingredients are incorporated.

=> Line a muffin tray or muffin cups and evenly distribute the quinoa mixture among all the cups.

=> Bake for 30 minutes, until tops become golden brown.

=> Remove form the oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes, before removing them from the tray.

=> Serve hot with vegan yogurt sauce, or cool, as an appetizer.