Quick recipes with Quinoa

Ingredients

• Roasted corn – 1 
• Boiled rajma – ½ cup
• Cherry tomatoes halved – 8 to 10
• Bell peppers cut into small triangles – 8 to 10
• Avocado – 1
• Jalapeno – 1
• Quinoa – ½ cup
• Iceberg lettuce leaves – 6
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lemon juice – ½ tbsp
• Extra virgin olive oil – 2 tbsp
• Tortilla chips – 6 to 8

Method

• Cook Quinoa as per packet instructions.
• Prepare the dressing – Blitz ½ avocado, jalapeno, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil in a mixer. Add the lemon juice and further mix everything.
• In a bowl mix corn and rajma.
• Add to it cherry tomatoes and bell peppers.
• Add the remaining half of the avocado cut into cubes.
• Scatter the quinoa on top and toss everything.
• Add the dressing. Toss again.
• On a serving tray keep the lettuce leaves.
• Fill each lettuce leaf with the prepared quinoa.
• Top it up with crushed tortilla chips and serve immediately.

Serving Suggestion

• Serve the Mexican quinoa in lettuce as a fancy meal for a special occasion.
• Corn can be roasted on the gas. Apply salt and butter after roasting to get a nice taste.
• Do not overcook the quinoa otherwise, it will not be scattered well.
• Tortilla chips can be store-bought or homemade.
• Add some salt while boiling quinoa.
• This dish can be paired with a good quality wine for the party.
• Heat can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the jalapenos.
• The prepared filling can also be served in the tacos. 
• Sour cream can be drizzled on top if filling in the tacos.

Ingredients

• Green beans – 5 to 6 cut diagonally
• Broccoli small florets – 6 to 8
• Carrots – 1 medium – cut into small diagonal pieces
• Black-eyed beans – soaked overnight, drained, and boiled – 1 cup
• Quinoa boiled – 1 cup
• Peanuts roasted and crushed – 2 tbsp
• Walnuts roasted and broken – 1 tbsp
• Baby Spinach leaves – 10 to 12

     Soy Ginger dressing 

• Light soy sauce – ½ cup, Rice wine vinegar – 2 tbsp
• Sesame oil – 2 tbsp, Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
• Minced garlic – 1/2 tbsp, Grated ginger – 1 tbsp
• Honey – 3 tbsp, Thai chilli – 1 to 2 cut into tiny pieces

Method

• To prepare the dressing, in a mixer jar mix everything given under the dressing ingredients. 
• Bring 2 cups of water to a rapid boil. Add a pinch of sugar.
• Blanch the broccoli florets, carrots, and beans.
• Drain the water and hold it under running water to stop the cooking process. Cool.
• In a mixing bowl first, add the boiled black-eyed beans.
• Next, add the prepared vegetables.
• Next, add in the dressing to coat the veggies and beans.
• Add the quinoa.
• Next, add the walnut and spinach. Toss the salad.
• Drizzle a tad bit of dressing on top.
• Garnish with crushed peanuts.
• Serve fresh.

Serving Suggestion

• This salad can be had on its own as it has all the essential nutrients.
• Use Kikkoman soy sauce for this recipe. It’s a natural sauce with no artificial ingredients.
• No salt has been added to this recipe as soy, rice vinegar and lemon juice are there to take care of it.
• The black-eyed bean should be pressure cooked with salt.
• Dressing can be prepared and stored in the fridge for 5 days.
• The peanuts used are unsalted for this recipe and are roasted at home with the peel.
• Good for people who are on a keto or a vegan diet.
• You may adjust the level of heat by reducing or adding chilies.
• Quinoa should not be sticky and lumpy for salad recipes. It should be really fluffy.

Ingredients

• Boiled quinoa – 1 cup
• Boiled chickpeas – 1 cup
• Blanched peas – 1.5 cups
• Salt to taste
• Green chilies chopped – 2 
• Amaranth flour – 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice – ½ tbsp
• Oil for shallow frying 

Method 

• In a food processor drop the chickpeas.
• Blitz well. Add the peas and further blitz.
• Next, add the boiled quinoa. Further mix everything by pressing the pulse button.
• Next add the green chilies, salt, and lemon juice.
• Blitz well. Add the amaranth flour and mix again.
• Keep on using a spatula to scrape the sides.
• Take out the mix and shape it into patties.
• Keep the patties in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.
• Heat a nonstick pan and shallow fry the patties.

Serving Suggestion

• The patty can be had in a burger. Butter the sides of the burger patty. Put mayo followed by some salad leaves, tomatoes, onions, and the patty.
• Quinoa patties can also be had on their own.
• These patties can be sandwiched and had as a slider.
• If going for a  vegan burger avoid applying butter and mayo on the burger bread.
• Replace butter and mayo with hung coconut curd dip for vegan burgers.
• The quinoa used for this recipe will be slightly moist to help in binding the patty.
• These patties can be made ahead and frozen to use them up for a busy day after defrosting.

Ingredients 

• Cooked quinoa – 1 cup
• Potatoes – 4, Fried peanuts – 2 tbsp
• Khajur chutney – 2 tbsp
• Green chutney – 2 tbsp
• Onion – 1
• Curd – 1/3rd cup
• Pomegranate kernels – 2 tbsp
• Salt – to taste
• Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
• Chat masala – 2 tsp
• Roasted coriander cumin powder – 2 tsp
• Refined oil – for deep frying

Method 

• Cut the potato into cubes and deep fry in hot oil and drain them of excess oil.
• Sprinkle the salt, red chili powder, coriander-cumin powder, chat masala, and toss.
• Add the fried peanuts and toss again.
• Check the seasoning and adjust, if required.
• Add the quinoa and mix lightly.
• Beat the curd and drizzle it over the quinoa, potato, peanut mix.
• Put the seasoning and spices – salt, red chili powder, coriander-cumin powder, chat masala.
• Top it with chopped onion and pomegranate kernels.
• Drizzle the khajur chutney.
• Drizzle the green chutney. Serve.

Serving Suggestion

• Serve it for a kitty party. 
• For a healthy version, fried potato can be replaced with boiled potato and fried peanut can be replaced with boiled peanuts.
• If you have leftover quinoa, making chat is a good way to put it to use.
• Quinoa for this recipe would be fluffy.
• Onion can be avoided by people who do not eat onion. 
• Boondi can also be added for garnishing to make it more colorful.
• The chat can be served in eco-friendly bowls made up of leaves.
• Variation can be to add some crushed papdi on the chat.
• A good snacking option for the weekends.