Black Quinoa takes longer to cook than the other varieties so you will have to vary the cooking time according to how tender you would prefer the quinoa to be. You can use whichever quinoa you prefer. The recipe calls for black quinoa because the contrast of the blank against the vibrant red of the beetroot looks wonderful.

YIELD  6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 red onions, chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small knob ginger, grated to make about 1-2 tablespoons
• 2 lb 4oz/1kg fresh beetroot, peeled and chopped
• Few sprigs of fresh thyme
• Zest of 1 lime
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 8 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 2/3 cup black quinoa, rinsed and drained
• Lime juice, to serve
• Natural Greek yoghurt or sour cream, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and saute the onions until soft.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add the beetroot, thyme, lime zest and cloves and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about 40-45 minutes until the beetroot is tender.
5. Puree the soup, bring back to the boil then add the quinoa, reduce the heat and simmer on low heat, covered for about 20-25 minutes until the quinoa is cooked. Serve garnished with a good squeeze of lime juice and a dollop of yoghurt or sour cream.

Source – EVERYDAY QUINOA – RENA PATTEN