Quinoa with Zucchini, Currants & Dill

One of the many reasons why I love summer is dragon boat.


There's nothing like being on the water after a long day at work, paddling out your frustrations. The gravy on top is gliding into the sunset with the city skyline visible. Golden hour, indeed.


I am also quite fond of my team because we all know what's important: the potluck meal on race days. Sure, we take our competitions seriously, but it's the food that is of utmost importance. We have our priorities straight.


My contribution this year was this dish, which is vegetarian friendly and gluten-free. It does have a bit of feta in it so it's not dairy-free, but you can easily omit the cheese. I doubled this recipe to feed my 20+ team members.

Quinoa with Zucchini, Currants & Dill
Slightly adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3/4 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup dried currants
1 lemon
2 medium zucchini, grated
4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
Feta cheese, crumbled - as much or as little as you like

To make the quinoa, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add most of the green onions, a pinch of the salt, and cook until the onions soften, just a couple minutes. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring occasionally, until the grains dry out and toast a bit, roughly another 3 minutes. Add the water, the currants, the remaining salt; bring to a boil. Dial back the heat and simmer, covered, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is just cooked through - about 15 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, zest the lemon and squeeze 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into a small bowl.

When the quinoa is cooked, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the zucchini, lemon juice and zest, most of the sesame seeds and dill. Taste and adjust for salt.

Top with crumbled feta, and the remaining green onions, sesame seeds and dill.