Protein-packed quinoa & chia seed bread

Guest Recipe by Veronica Shah

Quinoa is a grain that is becoming more and more popular, and for good reason. It is highly nutritious, being a source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein and fiber. This makes it one of the best foods that you can eat, especially if you lead an active lifestyle.

There is definitely no shortage of quinoa based recipes available out there, however this is one you may not have seen before. Besides quinoa, this bread also contains chia seeds, dried fruit and nuts, which means that it provides your body with pretty much most of the nutrients required for overall well-being. You can eat the bread for breakfast, have it as a snack in between main meals or even after working out.

Ingredients

The ingredients required are:

2 cups of raw quinoa, 1/3 cup of chia seeds, 1/4 cup of coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of soda bicarbonate, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, a pinch of sea salt, 1 cup of chopped nuts, seeds & dried fruit and 1 cup of water

Preparation

You will need to prepare the quinoa the day before, by soaking it in lots of water overnight. Drain it the following day using a fine strainer. The quinoa should be soft and fluffy at this stage.
Add the chia seeds to half a cup of water, stirring the mixture every 5 minutes or so. After 15 minutes, the chia seeds and water will have combined to form a thick gel like substance.
Next you need to combine all of the ingredients besides the nuts, seeds and dried fruit. You can do this using any suitable equipment, such as a compact food processor or bread / cake dough stand mixer. The overall goal here is to combine the ingredients thoroughly, which will usually take 5 – 10 minutes to do.
Once combined, pour the mixture into a baking tray that has been greased with coconut oil or lined with parchment paper. Add in the nuts, seeds & dried fruit and mix everything together with a spatula or spoon.
Bake the mixture in an oven that has been preheated to 160 °C for approximately 80 – 90 minutes. After the first hour, check every 10 minutes to ensure that the top of the bread has not been burnt.

You can eat this bread either on its own or with a whole range of healthy toppings; the choice is entirely up to you. Be sure to share it with friends & family, I am sure they will enjoy it as much as you will!