Mark Hix recipe: Quinoa, summer herb and Black Cow salad

Serves 4

Quinoa, summer herb and Black Cow salad (Jason Lowe)

It is often mistaken for a grain, but quinoa is actually a cereal seed – and one of great versatility, too. It serves as a good replacement for couscous or rice. It's only really been a staple of mine for a year, but it's certainly a popular item in the Hix household.

60g quinoa, soaked in cold water for an hour
80g peas, cooked
80g broad beans, cooked
10-12 green beans, cooked
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
A couple of good handfuls of parsley, chopped
A couple of good handfuls of mint, chopped
100ml olive or rapeseed oil
The juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1x 200g Black Cow cheese, cut into rough 1cm cubes

Cook the quinoa in simmering, lightly salted water for about 20 minutes, or until the seeds open up and are tender. Drain in a sieve and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, cut the green beans into rough ½cm pieces and remove the tough outer skins of the larger broad beans if you wish.

Once the quinoa has cooled, mix it with the beans, chopped onions and all the other ingredients and season.