Quinoa with Broccoli and Spring Onions

If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour.

-          Victoria Erickson

Autumn season is in its full vigor these days in our neck of the woods. The parks and roadside trees have acquired lovely fall colors all across. The walks into parks have become even more interesting and refreshing.

I happen to take these pictures yesterday, thought of sharing it here.

I have been thinking of including Quinoa in our daily meal plans. I picked this tricolor Quinoa from our local grocers couple of days ago. These are available very readily over here. I was more looking for a warm bowl of Quinoa cooked with some veggies. This Quinoa with broccoli, spring onion and potato stir/fry is a very satisfying meal when it comes to variations. Quinoa can easily be replaced with rice and pastas and are high in fiber and protein contents. So, when I no longer crave for rice, I can always skip it and replace it with Quinoa. Broccoli and spring onions are stir/fried with turmeric and red pepper powder which adds up to the flavor of this dish. This recipe is Diabetic friendly as well as Quinoa is whole grains (actually it’s a seed) in itself. You can replace Potatoes with orange sweet potatoes for a diabetic friendly recipe.

Now to the recipe

 Quinoa with Broccoli and Spring onions

Recipe requirements (serves 2)

• ½ cup of Quinoa
• 2 cups of broccoli florets
• 1 medium size potato/or 1 medium size orange sweet potato
• 1 bundle of spring onions
• ½ tsp of turmeric powder
• ½ tsp of red pepper powder
• 2 dry red pepper
• 1 tsp of salt+ ¼ tsp of salt for Quinoa
• 2 tsp of cooking oil

Method

• Chop potato into small bite size pieces. Cut spring onion and separate broccoli florets.
• Wash them well in water.
• Put a fry pan over cooking flame. Add in cooking oil. Now add dry red pepper, potatoes, stir/fry them for 1-2 mints.
• Add in broccoli and chopped spring onion. Keep on stir/fry for about 2-3 mints.
• Add in turmeric powder, red pepper powder and salt.
• Cover the lid and cook vegetables for about 7-10 mints or till the potatoes are soft enough.
• Meanwhile the vegetables are cooking. Put a pot with ample water to cook Quinoa. For every quarter cup of Quinoa, add in 1 cup of water. Ratio should be 3:1. Add in salt as well.
• Let the quinoa slowly cook in water for about 15-17 mints. Once cooked, drain the excess water.
• Now place the cooked Quinoa over serving plate. Now assemble the stir/fried broccoli, potatoes and spring onions over it. Serve and enjoy.

Other Post on Quinoa- Quinoa with Scrambled eggs

Happy Cooking Friends

Orange Avocado and Mint Salad

Now that Ma Durga has gone back to Shiva’s abode with her children, leaving behind us with heavy hearts, the routine life for most of us has started whether you are living in New York, London or Kolkata or for that matter, any part of the world. Each and every year, we so look forward to spent these 4-5 days with loads of enthusiasm and zeal. But once those days are spent, the longing to spend, few more days keeps on coming back. I haven’t yet wished Vijayadashami to my readers. Let me wish everyone a Shobha Bijoya and Happy Dussehra.

I have been receiving few messages for Bijoya and Dussehra greetings. Couple of them got my attention, so thought its worth mentioning here. Dussehra festival is celebrated in India and abroad by Hindu people and it’s a very inclusive festival, where everyone is encouraged to participate and celebrate irrespective of their choice of religions. The community food distribution during these days is open to all sects of the society, where ever you can go and join in. The ethos implies in ‘Vasudhev Kutumba-kum’ in Sanskrit meaning -"Entire cosmos is our family". 

In today’s context Dussehra implies in these few lines.

“The demon is always within.

The Goddess is always within.

The battle too, is always within.

And so is the triumph of one, over the other.

Which one, over which one?

That choice is also, somehow always within.”

Everyone is capable of making good choices for themselves, no matter how much adverse circumstances can be. As The headmaster of a wizard world ‘Hogwarts’- Albus Dumbledore once said to Harry Potter in the famous Book- Chamber of Secrets.

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” The choices made by us defines our personalities as well.

Now to the recipe for this post- Orange Avocado and mint salad. We have been getting fresh oranges over here and since autumn and oranges go hand in hand, thought let me share a very simple salad recipe. After eating out all sorts of rich and festive food items, now its time to detox a bit. This salad is healthy and very diabetic friendly recipe. It is also good for people who wants to keep a watch on their blood pressure levels.

Now to the recipe

Orange Avocado and Mint salad

Recipe requirements

• 2-3 oranges
• 1 avocado
• 1 large carrot
• 1cup of mint leaves
• ½ cup of grated paneer
• For dressing
• 1-2 tsp of olive oil
• Salt as per taste
•  ¼ tsp of Crushed black pepper

Method

• Peel oranges and separate pieces. Cut and chop avocado, carrot into bite size pieces. Separate mint leaves from its twigs.
• In a big salad bowl, put all the above – oranges, avocado, carrot and mint leaves.
• Now grate a big block of paneer to get about a quarter cup.Add to the salad bowl.
• Now add in olive oil and seasonings- salt and freshly crushed black pepper.
• You can add red chilly flakes for an extra kick in the salad.
• Tip- to make it even more filling, can add cooked black beans or rajma as well.

Happy Cooking Friends