Gluten free Summer Salad

Today my brother Francesco and I found a nice gluten free mix of rice, quinoa and buckwheat from the fair trade market. We decided to use it to make a summer salad for lunch with all the vegetables we picked up at our dad’s garden earlier on.

Start cutting the eggplant in small cubes. Put it in a colander with a pinch of salt and let it rest for 30 minutes. It will lose part of its water.

In the meantime cut the zucchini, the peperoni and one half of red onion in small cubes.

Take a large pan, put 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, add the zucchini, and start cooking over medium heat. When the zucchini turn golden, add the onion and the green peperoni. Add a pinch of salt. Stir gently for 5 minutes.

Once ready put them into a large bowl.

In the same pan, add put 4 tablespoons of extra virgin, add the eggplant and start cooking it over medium heat. When the eggplant turns golden like in the picture below, turn off the heat and put it into the same bowl with the zucchini. Add half clove of garlic.

Peel the tomatoes, cut them in small cubes and put them into the same bowl with the other vegetables.

Let’s cook the rice+quinoa+buckwheat mix.

Take a large pot. Add water and start cooking it over medium heat.

When the water starts to boil, add a pinch of salt and then the mix. Ours took 15’ to cook and become “al dente”. Rinse it under cold water and put it into the same bowl with the other vegetables.

Add 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the oregano, the fresh basil and grate the skin of one fresh lemon.

Add the black olives.

Enjoy !

pS to vary you can also add some feta cheese and fresh chili. It’s definitely a fantastic recipe for summer ;)!