Quinoa beetroot salad | insimoneskitchen.com

I have this love – hate relationship with being on my own at home. While I am writing this I have just brought Tom away as he is going fishing with friends for a week in Norway. And in case you’re gonna ask that question; no, I would not want to come along. Not in a million years… It’s guys and beer and fishing and lots of dude food probably. Not something I would want to do. Plus, let’s face it, they do not want me there either. Which is totally fine. Seriously. O and when you’re reading this he is on his way home..

Quinoa salad with beetroot leaves | insimoneskitchen.com

Back in the day when we were young and in love (we’ve been together for 22 years! ) it was different. We also went our separate ways on rare occasions and that was always kind of fun for the other person. I mean, I love being alone. From time to time that is. And it used to be those days when you would watch endless episodes of whatever romantic series you had lying around that you just knew Tom wouldn’t ever want to watch. And I still do that. I am already looking forward to watching endless episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. I might just start all over at season one! (but first finishing series 9!)

But it’s also lonely at times. I guess after almost 23 years I am so used to having someone around to talk to, it gets very quiet when Tom is not around. The cats don’t really say much more than the occassional miauw and that’s not really a good conversation. Lol. It may have changed since I started working on my own 7 years ago. Before that I would just go to work and talk to colleagues endlessly during the day. Coming home would than be nice and relaxing, the evening short and before you knew it, it was bedtime.

Quinoa beetroot salad | insimoneskitchen.com

And that has changed; I do not have colleagues anymore. Well I do, but I see them on rare occasions and on shoots but that is not really every day.

Plus – and I can’t believe I am saying this – it might have something to do too with getting older…. (no, no, you did NOT say that out loud!!) Tom is like my best friend. I can tell him anything, everything and always. So now I have to wait for a week to tell him everything.. Lol… O and of course when he gets home, he will be soooo full of stories I will not be able to say anything more than ‘Ok’, ‘ wow’ ‘what an enormous fish’, ‘NOOO, where did all that laundry come from??’ and something more along those lines.

But for now, I will enjoy having the bed all to myself (well, again except for the cats that is.. but they can sleep on Tom’s side of the bed) and not having to worry about snoring men, eating cheese all week (he doesn’t like cheese), watching all the romantic comedies I have kept for these days and o fun, cook whatever I want.. πŸ˜‰ (Not that I don’t do that when Tom’s around… it just feels different)

How is that for you? Do you miss the other half when he/she is not around? Fun yes, but weird too?

Quinoa beetroot salad | insimoneskitchen.com

Quinoa salad with feta and beetroot

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4

Ingredients

  • 100 gr 1/2 cup red quinoa
  • 250 nl 1 cup of water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • cracked black pepper
  • 150 gr baby beetroot leaves
  • 80 gr 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 300 gr white radish halved or quartered
  • 150 gr feta crumbled
  • 2 passionfruit optional
  • Pickled onion
  • 190 ml 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 90 gram 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tsp seasalt
  • 2 small red onions or one large one sliced thinly

  • First start by making your pickled onion. Add the vinegar, honey and seasalt in small saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to the boil and cook for about 2 minutes or until the honey has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add your onions in. Leave to stand for 15 minutes.
  • Cook the quinoa according to package instructions and leave to cool completely.
  • Take about 1/4 of the pickling fluid from the pan and make a dressing with the oil and pepper and whisk to combine. Add the quinoa, beetroot leaves and pumpkind seeds and toss to combine.
  • Make plates by dividing the salad between the plates and adding the pickled onions and radishes and crumble the feta on top. I also added a bit of passionfruit seeds as I had some leftover and the acidity of that works well with the salad but you can easily leave that out if you want

Disclaimer

The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.

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Simone van den Berg

Food- and travel blogger from the Netherlands. Loves good food. Loves to taste good food the world over. She also loves to share travelstories, delicious recipes and ok, cat pictures too. She sometimes feels the need to get really healthy for a while, always mingled with periods of insanely delicious sweets and other decadent treats. Lives in the Netherlands with her two cats; Humphrey and Buffy. Profession: Food photographer, food blogger, recipe developer and nutritionist