Rhubarb season is in full force (in the Northern Hemisphere) and I've been itching to get my hands on some of these luscious ruby-red stalks.


If you're not familiar with rhubarb, it pops up briefly at the end of spring/beginning of summer, and the combination of it's beautiful color and tart, fresh flavor, makes it perfect for compotes, jams, crumbles, and all kinds of desserts.

Here I've made it into a compote, added some strawberries, and used it in a layered yogurt parfait together with another new favorite of mine–toasty, popped quinoa.


I recently discovered that you can pop quinoa much like popcorn, and you'll be seeing it in a number of upcoming recipes. It can be mixed into yogurt like granola, used to garnish soups, and sprinkled over salad for texture and crunch.

It's not hard to make, takes less than 10 minutes, and uses no other ingredients. Look at the difference in color between the raw and popped/toasted quinoa:


It also releases a lovely, warming, nutty fragrance as it toasts, and is fun to eat plain, fresh as it pops.


Together, the lightly sweet yogurt, tart fruity rhubarb compote, and toasty, savory, crunchy quinoa, create a harmonious breakfast parfait or snack bowl.

Ingredients:

  • 2 stalks rhubarb (approx 150 grams)
  • 6-8 strawberries, quartered
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • ginger powder
  • salt
  • vanilla yogurt
  • ¼ cup raw quinoa

Directions:

  1. Cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces. Place the rhubarb into a small pot with the sugar, water, ginger and salt. Simmer on low until rhubarb is soft, approximately 10-15 minutes. Add the strawberries, raise to medium heat and cook another 5-10 minutes. Chill.
  2. Rinse the quinoa 2-3 times. Drain. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and add the quinoa. Mix gently with a wooden spoon, shaking the pan occasionally (as you would with popcorn). First the quinoa will dry off. Then it will start to jump and pop, (much like popcorn). As the quinoa pops it will begin to smell fragrant and toasty, and will darken in color. Stand over the pan, moving the quinoa around the pan with the wooden spoon, to ensure it doesn't burn. When most of the quinoa is golden in color, transfer to a cold bowl.
  3. To assemble the parfaits, create layers of the rhubarb compote, your favorite plain or vanilla yogurt (Greek or not, either works), and the toasted quinoa. Serve immediately.