Luscious Quinoa Comfort: Vegan And Gluten-free!

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 230 g hazelnuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 fennel, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 orange
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa
• 3 cups vegetable broth or 3 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 150 g raisins

Recipe

• 1 to chop the fennel, remove the leaves (you will use them later) and chop the bulb. you can also chop up the stalks, or just munch on them as you cook ;) grate the orange for zest, but keep the flesh and tear it up into small pieces, removing the ' bits' where possible.
• 2 toast hazelnuts if they are raw - heat them in a pan over medium heat stirring constantly until they start to smell nutty, about 5 minutes. (you can also bake them on a baking sheet for 5 minutes at 250f if you prefer). immediately remove from pan once they are toasted to prevent burning. remove their skins and coarsely chop them.
• 3 heat the oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat, and add the onion and fennel. saute until soft, and then make a well in the middle. add garlic, paprika and zest. saute them for a minute in the well, then mix them into the onion and fennel. continue stirring over heat for five minutes, or until well mixed and aromatic.
• 4 add the quinoa to the pot and stir it until coated and slightly toasted, about a minute. add 1 cup of liquid, bring it to boil and then reduce to simmer. add the raisins, salt and pepper. when the quinoa has absorbed the water (about 8 minutes), pour in the other cup of liquid, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and again cook it for about 8 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.
• 5 take the pot off the heat and stir in the hazelnut pieces. cover and let sit for five minutes. garnish with fresh fennel and orange. serve immediately.