Red quinoa is my favorite shade of this superfood. A little more depth than the run-of-the-mill variety. But whatever, you use the plain jane stuff, poseur.

This is somewhere between a cold salad and some freakish pilaf derivative. Hence its crazy namesake. Besides, quinoa is full of maniacal protein and calcium.

Tonight, we served this with some baked tofu. Great – quinoa and tofu. I can see you already – rolling your eyes and writing this off as some vegan cliché, dreamed up by a long-haired man-child with tastebuds eaten through by LSD – but I promise, this is some seriously savory stuff, dude.

• 6 oz. (red) quinoa
• 11 oz. h₂0 or broth
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 yellow/red pepper, diced
• 1 celery rib, thinly sliced
• a big handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon of coriander, chopped
• salt, pepper to taste
• 1 half lemon, juiced
• splash of the most virgin olive oil

1. In a small saucepan, bring salted water/broth to a boil.
2. Add quinoa. Cover and simmer.
3. After a few minutes, add the pepper and celery.
4. Cook until the water’s absorbed (about 20 minutes).
5. Transfer the steaming pile to a mixing bowl.
6. Add the rest of the ingredients, seasoning to taste.
7. Mix it.
8. Sure, you can eat it right away, but if you let it sit for a bit, it just gets that much better.

Lots of exciting derivatives. Add some chile peppers partway through cooking. Mix in some garbanzo beans. Go crazy.

Made while listening to: Stevie Wonder – Talking Book.