Prawn and Avocado Quinoa Salad
Quinoa is a lovely soft textured seed that cooks like rice. It is a beautifully healthy food and combined here with prawns and avocado makes a deliciously tasty salad. It looks impressive too and even more so if you substitute peeled prawns for those still in their shells. For a great summer dish, throw unpeeled prawns on the barbeque before using in this salad.
Preparation time: During cooking time
Cooking Time : 25 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Energy: 378 calories per serving
Equipment:
Sharp knife
Saucepan
Large frying pan
Mixing bowl
Serving platter
Ingredients:
100g quinoa
15g butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
350g raw peeled king or tiger prawns
250g cherry tomatoes
6 spring onions
1 large ripe avocado
50g Kalamata olives
Fresh dill
Fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Directions:
Place the quinoa in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes, until tender. Drain well and set aside.
Whilst the quinoa is cooking prepare the other ingredients:
Chop the garlic cloves
Half the cherry tomatoes or quarter if they are on the large side
Roughly chop the herbs
Slice the spring onions
Chop the olives if required but they are good left whole
Once everything is prepared and while the quinoa is till cooking, heat the butter in the frying pan and add the garlic and prawns. Cook for about 3 minutes until the prawns are cooked through.
Place the prawns in a large bowl and add the tomatoes, herbs, spring onions and olives. Mix well.
Peel the avocado, halve it and remove the stone. Cut into chunks or slices.
Add the avocado to the prawn mixture along with the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.
Mix again.
Drain the quinoa and add to the prawns etc and combine.
Serve warm or cold.
This looks great piled on a serving plate with extra unchopped herbs added on top.
