Scarlet Quinoa
Pre-soaking grains allows the sprouting process to begin, releasing nutrients and making them more digestible. Quinoa is one of my all time favorite foods, it has more calcium than milk, boasts the highest protein content of any grain and is ready in 20 minutes!
This is a versatile dish. It can be eaten alone or enjoyed as a colorful side. In summer I stir in capers, chopped fresh herbs and a drizzle of good olive oil and serve it as a room temperature salad.
Place quinoa in a bowl and cover with plenty of water, swish around with your fingers for a minute and then pour into a strainer to drain. Return to bowl and cover with 1 inch of filtered water and soak 6 hours or overnight.
Drain quinoa and discard soaking water. Place in a pot with boiling water over high heat. Add a pinch of salt. Once quinoa is boiling, cover, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 10 to 15 minutes.
Warm oil in a skillet, add shallots and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in beets and a pinch of salt, continue cooking for about 8 to 10 minutes. Pour 1/2 a cup of water into the beets and cook for about 5 more minutes or until they soften. Remove from heat and add quinoa. Gently stir until beets are well combined and the quinoa is pink. Sprinkle with parsley and sesame seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Amy Chaplin
Amy Chaplin is an Australian living in New York City by way of Amsterdam and London. She grew up in rural New South Wales in a family and community of gourmet vegetarians; cooking and eating meals from her family’s biodynamic garden sparked her passion for fresh ingredients and hand-made food. It can be said that Chaplin’s career as a chef began while making bread with her father and peeling apples for her mother’s crumble. Chaplin’s upbringing also helped inspire her philosophy, that how and what we eat directly affects the world in which we live, as well as our own well-being. To this day the food she cooks features local, organic and plant-based ingredients. After 5 years as executive chef of the world-renowned vegan restaurant Angelica Kitchen, Amy now consults, cooks and teaches privately, her clients include Natalie Portman and Anna Devera Smith, among others. Chaplin finds herself dispensing recipes and answering queries about the health benefits of ingredients on a daily basis. This whole foods chef is always happy to share her passion for the natural culinary arts and loves inspiring others to cook and eat well too.