Healthy Festive Recipes – India Gate

Family get-togethers, outings, lavish dinners and parties are the best part of the festive season. The one common aspect to it is the delicious food that we just can’t get ourselves to refuse.

Maintaining a healthy diet during this time is nearly impossible, but we all do understand how important it is to eat healthy and stay healthy, irrespective of the season, time or occasion. .

This festive season let’s strive to eat healthy and serve healthy food. India Gate shares with you festive recipes using quinoa that not only are healthy but tasty too.

Curry Quinoa & Chickpeas Buddha Bowl

Ingredients

• 1 cups cooked quinoa
• ¼ Kitchen king masala
• ¼ cup coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

Chickpea curry

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 lemon (juice)
• 1 onions
• 1 carrots
• 1 cup broccoli
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cup boiled chickpeas
• 1 green chilly sliced
• 2 tsp oil
• 3 pods of garlic
• Pinch of sumac
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup salad leaves

Method

• Add ¼ tsp kitchen king masala, coriander leaves and salt to boiled quinoa and keep aside
• In a pan heat oil, add garlic and onions and saute till translucent. Add tomatoes, saute for 2-3 minutes. Add your veggies and cook till done but firm. Add chickpeas and dry spices. Stir, turn off the gas and set aside
• Take a bowl and in your mind split it three parts.
  Add curried quinoa in one part, the chickpeas curry in another and your salad greens in the last

Quinoa and zucchini risotto

Ingredients:

• Garlic finely chopped – 2
• Onion chopped – 1 tbsp
• Quinoa (pre-boil for 7-8 mins) – 1/2 cup
• Vegetable stock- 1 cup
• Yellow and green zucchini (cut half pieces each)very small diced (brunoise)
• Salt to taste
• Pepper optional
• Butter – 1 tsp
• Feta cheese – 3 tsps (or as much as you like)
• Vegetable oil 2 tsp

Method:

• Take oil in a hot pan, sauté the onions and garlic for 2 minutes, making sure it doesn’t get any colour.

• Add the quinoa and one ladle of the stock, stirring it constantly, cooking till all the stock is used up and the quinoa is completely cooked( u might need more or less stock depending on how well your quinoa is cooked).

• Add the finely chopped zucchini, cook for another minute and finely finish it with butter and served garnished with feta cheese on top

Note- you can make this with pre boiled quinoa as well to save time.

Tri-colour Quinoa bake

Ingredients

Quinoa- boiled- 400 gm

Pineapple chopped- 100-120 gm

Boiled Broccoli purée (with very little water same which was used to boil the broccoli)- 200 gm

Boiled Carrot purée- 200 gm

Mozzarella – 100 gm

Cheddar- 100 gm

Pepper – pinch (optional)

Method:

Mix the chopped pineapple into the boiled quinoa with some salt and a little bit of pepper(optional).

Grease a baking dish lightly with butter and Layer with half the quinoa and pineapple mixture.

Mix 1/3 cheese in the carrot and broccoli purée each and reserve the rest.

Spoon the broccoli mixture on top of the quinoa mixture, then the remaining quinoa on top, then the carrot mixture and finally top with remaining cheese.Bake for 15 – 20 minutes it in a hot oven at about 200°C till warm through and the cheese gets a nice color on top.

Sticky Soy Quinoa with Sesame & Garlic Scallions

Ingredients

• Quinoa – 60g
• Soy Sauce Dark 1 cup
• Lemon grass – 1 stick
• Thai chili – 1
• Ginger – 10g
• Corn flour – 30g
• Honey – 30ml
• Olive Oil – 50 ml
• Chopped garlic – 20g
• Thinly sliced Scallions – 30g
• Cooked Edmame beans– 10g
• Blanched Snow peas – 30g
• Sesame seeds to garnish.

Method:

• Cook the quinoa in stock and set aside.
• Add the chopped lemon grass, Thai chilli and ginger with a bit of water. Add corn flour mixed in water and bring to boil. Chill. Pass through a sieve.
• Slightly sauté the scallions in butter with the chopped garlic & chill.
• Whisk it with a bit of olive oil and honey. Check seasoning.
• Fold in all the ingredients and drizzle with the dressing.

To Serve:

Plate it in a small round dish using a plating ring and garnish with cress and a drizzle of the dressing.