I thought it was about time I shared my liking for this little grain called quinoa. I know it’s all the rage in the health food blogging sphere and I’m not about to preach about it’s health benefits. It’s not what this blog is about. I’m not vegetarian - I’m a meat eater. What I do believe in is honest, tasty food even if it may have 500 calories per serving. But I do eat healthily on a regular basis. Every now and then, I think it’s ok to have a slice of cake or a burger. Everything in moderation, I say.

My first introduction to quinoa was in Cusco, Peru in 2011. I had just started my 4 month back tripping around South America. At the time, I was staying with a Peruvian family in the town of Urubamba who harvested quinoa. The mother cooked this simple dish with quinoa. Simple but tasty. I’ve been hooked since then. It’s now a staple in my house and it has replaced rice as the number one grain.




On another note, I added this post recently about my afternoon spent with bees. I was thrilled and honoured when Life & Thyme announced they would like to publish the story on their website. You can check out the article here. Being a huge fan of the magazine, it meant a lot to have them acknowledge my work. Thank you so much Life & Thyme!

And if you happen to be free in London this Sunday, 14th June at 2pm, I’m co-hosting a Steller Meet-Up at the Barbican Conservatory. For more details, you can check out the story on Steller . It will be a fun afternoon of photography and a chance to meet new people, some whom you may know already if you’re a Steller user. I hope to see you there.




Makes around 15 patties

FOR THE HERB CRÈME FRAÎCHE

1 cup Crème Fraîche
Juice half lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs - dill and coriander
Salt & Pepper to season


FOR THE FISH CAKES

500g sweet potato
1 1/2 cups quinoa
400g salmon fillets
1/2 cup spring onions, finely sliced
1/2 cup dill, finely chopped
1/2 cup coriander, finely chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp hot English mustard
1/4 cup plain flour
1 egg beaten
Juice 1 lemon
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt & Pepper to season


METHOD

To make the herb crème fraîche, combine all the ingredients, in a bowl and set aside in the fridge until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. Roast the sweet potato for about 30-40 mins until cooked. Cooking time will vary depending on size of the sweet potatoes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and remove the flesh and discard the skin. Allow to cool.

Place the quinoa in a pan and boil for 10-15 minutes until cooked. Allow the water to drain as much as possible and cool.

Place the salmon fillets, season with salt and pepper, and also place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until cooked. Remove the salmon from the oven. Using a fork, break the salmon up, making you don't break up the salmon into too small pieces. Discard the salmon skin.

Gently combine sweet potato, quinoa, salmon, flour, egg, mustard, ginger, coriander, dill, spring onions, lemon juice in a bowl to prevent the salmon from breaking up too much and season with salt and pepper. Roll into patties. If the mixture is too wet, add more flour.

Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat and cook for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Continue to add more vegetable oil as you cook in batches. Serve with crème fraîche.