Quinoa with Aubergine & Peppers in Indian & Middle Eastern Spices

I tossed together a mid week dinner and pretty much worked with whatever was in the fridge and a few leftovers too.  Presenting my delightful vegan and gluten free quinoa with aubergine and peppers cooked in a fusion of Indian and Middle Eastern spices.

What you will need-

4 tomatoes

1 onion

Small piece of ginger

1cup quiona, washed & prepped 

1 aubergine

1 red pepper

Garam masala

Cumin seeds

Curry powder

Sumac

Paprika

Stock cube

Salt

Pepper

Lemon juice

Dried mint

I had some leftover butterbeans and chickpeas cooked in tomatoes which I threw in as well.

I peeled the onion and then cut it into halves and then put the onion chunks, whole tomatoes and the piece ginger into a blender to make a smooth puree.

Cut the aubergine and pepper into bite size chunks and place them in a baking tray. Add some extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, 1-teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds or powder and 1-tablespoon of sumac. Give everything a nice rub and then put the baking tray in the oven at 220 degrees Celsius for about 30-35 minutes.

Meanwhile put the pan onto the hob and eyeball in some extra virgin olive oil.  As the oil heats add the tomato puree in. Let this simmer for a couple of minutes on high heat.  Add a dash of salt and pepper and then 1-teaspoon garam masala, 1-teaspoon sumac, 1-teaspoon cumin seeds or powder and 1 teaspoon curry powder as well as the stock cube. Also add 1-teaspoon of dried mint and 1-teaspoon of paprika. Keep stirring this on a medium heat.  Once the tomatoes get a bit of colour, add quinoa to the pan.  Let the quinoa cook.  The juice from tomatoes plus 1 cup of extra water should be enough to cook quinoa. Add the extra water in when everything seems to be drying up.

Once the veg is nearly done in the oven, transfer it to the pan. At this point I also threw in my leftover butterbeans and chickpeas. Cook everything together for approximately 10 -12 minutes and it will come together very nicely. At this point take a call; bite into some quinoa and depending on how you like your quinoa, you might need to add some more water.

I served mine with some salad and pumpkin seeds cause it was missing some greens and garnish. You could also garnish it with coriander, raisins and/or pumpkin seeds. The idea is to go with whatever you have in your cupboards and fridge.

I am happy to report that this fusion of Indian and Middle Eastern spices was a massive success. Each bite of this vegan & gluten free dinner was healthy, packed with nutrients and simply DELICIOUS. If you try this, let me know. I would love to hear from you!

See you next time! xox