Seriously, carbs, I love you, but we need some time apart. Don't get me wrong, I love all carbohydrates - your sugars, your starches, your fluffily refined and chewily wholegrain. I've never met a pasta, bread, cake or pastry I didn't like. Which, right now, is kind of the problem. I've had the kind of week where I forget to bring lunch in to work and end up eating oily pressed sandwiches out of paper bags, and then I've had pasta with hastily constructed puttanescas every night, and if I continue I think my pancreas might just start petitioning Gwyneth Paltrow for refuge, which is kind of a disgusting image, but what can I say? My blood sugar is all over the charts because I've been living off nothing but wheat and it's making me a touch strange.

I need protein, and a great mass of something leafy and green, and maybe a B vitamin in there, too. I need quinoa! We all know about quinoa by now, right? It's a tiny grain which, when cooked, unfurls an endearing (or spermy, depending on your mood) little tail. It's insanely healthy, full of nothing but protein and vitamins and so on, but the important thing is it is fluffy and delicious, curiously fresh-tasting. I had a click through my recipes-to-try folder for anything with quinoa to stave off the impending diabeetus, and found this chard-and-mushroom number.

Truth be told, as I was stirring it all together in my big cast iron casserole I was a bit skeptical. I thought it might have been one of those healthy meals I make in a fit of uncharacteristic virtue but barely finish due to either taste or texture or a combination of both. But this is dish, of wilted chard, panfried mushrooms, thyme and quinoa is more than the sum of its parts. Big leafy greens, like chard and silverbeet, can be so substantial and satisfying when cooked, and the mushrooms were meaty and delicious. But it was the thyme and parmesan that really elevated this to Proper Dinner status. I ate the leftovers at my desk the next day, and it even improved a little with standing. Give it a red hot go, you won't be disappointed.

Chard & Mushroom Quinoa
Adapted from Serious Eats. Serves 2-3

A bunch of chard or silverbeet, stems removed, leaves sliced
4-5 mediumish Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp dry sherry, optional
1/2 cup quinoa
3-4 stalks thyme, leaves removed
Fat pinch dried chilli
Olive oil
Parmesan. I used the naff bagged kind, but you are far more sophisticated than I and will shave some off the properly stored artisanal block you keep on hand at all times.

Put the quinoa into a small saucepan with a cup of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a slow simmer and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Set aside.

Rinse the chard well. Heat a large pan over high heat, then add the chard. You can use a little oil, but I used an enameled cast iron pan so cooked it in the water clinging to the leaves. Let cook for a minute or two until reduced in volume, then add the sherry if using, salt and pepper. Reduce heat a little and cook for 4-5 minutes until willted. Remove to a colander to drain, and wipe out the pan with a paper towel.

Heat a slug of olive oil in the pan, then add the mushrooms. After a minute or two add the chilli flakes and a little salt and pepper. When the mushrooms are cooked return the chard to the pan along with the thyme. Combine and heat through for a minute, then stir in the quinoa.

Serve with a drizzle of your good olive oil and a decent amount of parmesan. Feel wholesome.