Quinoa comes from the amaranth family, a gluten-free grain rich in Vitamin B, protein, magnesium, iron, and fiber. It is considered a superfood that is widely used in salads and porridge. It has a plain nutty taste and can be both cooked and baked. There are three types of quinoa; white, black, and red. Some people find it better than rice as it is considered to be great for weight loss. Here are some ways to use Quinoa to feed your family the superfood.
Table of Contents
Recipe 1 – Mexican Quinoa in Lettuce
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.
Recipe 2 – Quinoa and Blackeyed Peas Salad
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.
Recipe 3 – Quinoa Patties
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.
Recipe – 4 Quinoa and Potato Chaat
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.
Recipe – 5 Quinoa Chicken Khichdi
Ingredients
- Quinoa – 1 cup – soaked for 2 to3 hours
- Chicken boneless – 200 g – cut into fillet
- Jalapenos – 1 tsp
- Garlic minced – 1 tsp
- Tomato – 1 roasted and chopped very fine
- Roasted corn – ½ cup
- Avocado – ½ cut into slices
- Olive oil – 2 tsp
- Butter – 1 tsp
- Chicken broth – 2 cups
- Roasted cumin powder – 1 tsp
- Fried Onions for garnish – 1 tbsp
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- Heat up a pan and put 1 tsp oil and butter. Saute the chicken fillets by adding some salt and pepper to them till browned.
- Cut the prepared fillet into big slices.
- In a heavy pan, heat up the remaining oil.
- Add garlic and jalapeno and saute.
- Add to it chopped tomatoes, saute.
- Quickly add the corn and quinoa.
- Add the cumin powder, salt, pepper, and chicken broth.
- Cook covered for about 15 minutes and drop in the chicken fillets.
- Cover and cook till quinoa is done. Add the lime juice and stir.
- Serve with fried onions placed on top.
- Serve avocado slices on the side.
Serving Suggestion
- Serve this healthy khichdi with cucumber and mint yogurt.
- If corn on the cob is not available for roasting, sweet corn can be replaced.
- Vegetarians can replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock and chicken pieces with boiled rajma. Then please skip the line of sauteing the chicken. Just add the boiled rajma to the quinoa khichdi with the corn.
- Salt to be added when boiling rajma for the vegetarian version.
- Black pepper used to be freshly crushed.
- To roast a tomato, apply a little oil and roast it in the oven at 200 degrees.
- To roast on a gas, apply oil and roast till black specs are seen.
Some tips for making the perfect Quinoa. Rinse well before use to get rid of dirt and bitterness. Use ratio of Quinoa to water or any beverage of 1:2. So if you are using one cup of Quinoa, use 2 cups of water or any stock. Add salt to taste. Cook for almost 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff up with a fork. Use further in a recipe. This can be added to salads or as a filling of bell peppers or can be had with curd or just prepare the above recipes. Please do leave us feedback for the above quinoa recipes. Which one did you try and which one you liked the most? If you have further questions you can always ask in the comment section.