Shanthi Krishnakumar's cook book: Quinoa

Showing posts with label Quinoa. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

QUINOA VEGGIES SOUP / CHUNKY VEGETABLE AND QUINOA SOUP / QUINOA VEGETABLE SOUP / VEGETABLE QUINOA SOUP

This soup, a meal by itself is an easy, healthy one-pot soup loaded with veggies like zucchini, squash and quinoa which has protein and high nutrients. A best soup for all, irrespective of age, and an easy to make healthy soup which can be taken during postpartum period.

INGREDIENTS:

Cooked quinoa - 1 cup
Zucchini - 1 (chopped into chunks)
Yellow pumpkin - 1 cup (chopped)
Spinach - fistful
Coriander leaves - fistful
Vegetable broth / water - as needed
Dried thyme / ajwain - 1/2 tsp.
Oregano / dried herbs - 1 tsp.
Black pepper powder - to taste
Chilli flakes - 1/2 tsp.
Bay leaves - 2
Tomato - 1
Lime juice - 2 tsp.
Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
Salt -to taste

METHOD:

Cook quinoa as instructed in the pack. Chop veggies to bite-sized chunks. Blanch tomato, peel the skin and puree. Roughly chop and blanch spinach, keep aside.

Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add bay leaves and chopped pumpkin and saute for a while. Add tomato puree and saute for a minute. Now add vegetable broth / water. When it comes to a boil add cooked quinoa, salt, thyme, chilli flakes and oregano. Reduce the heat and cook until the pumpkin is tender. It should not be overcooked. It should be crunchy. Now add spinach and zucchini and allow it to boil for a couple of minutes. Switch of the stove and add lemon juice. Stir well. Season with black pepper powder, mix well and serve warm.

NOTE:
The veggies should be cooked but crunchy. Do not overcook veggies. You can use any summer/ winter/fall vegetables of your choice. Veg.broth/ water can be added more or less to get the desired consistency.
Variation: Onion, garlic can be added.

Thursday, April 28, 2016

QUINOA AND SWEET POTATO SANDWICH TOAST / QUINOA AND SWEET POTATO TOASTED SANDWICH / QUINOA SANDWICH TOAST / QUINOA TOASTED SANDWICH

QUINOA AND SWEET POTATO TOASTED SANDWICH, QUINOA AND SWEET POTATO SANDWICH TOAST, Quinoa sweet potato sandwich recipe, Sandwich with quinoa sweet potato filling,

Sweet potatoes have enormous health benefits. Many studies have suggested that increasing consumption of sweet potatoes decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Sweet potatoes have a low glycemic index scale. Quinoa cooking and benefits can be seen here. So, instead of the usual potatoes for a sandwich, I made this healthy sweet potato and quinoa filling.

More quinoa recipes can be seen here.

The above picture is pretty much self-explanatory. Anyway, the recipe also follows:

INGREDIENTS:

Whole wheat bread OR any bread of your choice - 10 slices
Melted ghee to spread - as needed

For the filling:
Cooked Quinoa - 1 cup
Boiled, peeled and mashed sweet potato - 1 cup
Carrot - few slices
Organic cucumber - few slices
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp.
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp.
Chat masala - 1/2 tsp.
Salt - to taste
Lemon juice - 3 tsp.
Coriander leaves - few

METHOD:

Cook quinoa as per instructions given in the pack.

Spread a generous coating of melted ghee on one side of all bread slices. Keep ready.

Combine cooked quinoa, mashed sweet potato, salt, chilli powder, pepper powder, lime juice and mix well. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and mix again.

Take a slice of bread, spread the quinoa, sweet potato, mixture on the side without ghee, place sliced carrots and sliced cucumber on top of it. Add a generous pinch of chat masala on the carrot, cucumber slices. Now cover it with another slice of bread. The ghee-spread side should be on the outer side. Toast these slices in a tawa on both sides until golden brown or in a sandwich toaster. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or tomato sauce.

Thursday, March 31, 2016

QUINOA BIRYANI / QUINOA VEGETABLE BIRYANI

How to make Quinoa biryani?, How to make Quinoa vegetable biryani?

A change of pace from rice. Quinoa Biryani is an amazing way to combine veggies and spices to make the protein-rich Quinoa flavorful.

INGREDIENTS:

Quinoa - 1 cup
Mixed vegetables (beans, carrot, shelled peas) - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Curd - 2 teaspoons
Ginger paste - 1/2 teaspoon
Slit green chili - 1 or 2
Onion - 1 (optional, I didn't use)
Mint leaves - fistful
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - 2 tablespoons
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 2
Bay leaf - 1
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Biryani masala - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/4 teaspoon
Lemon juice - from half a lemon

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tablespoons
Melted ghee - 2 teaspoons

METHOD:

Cook quinoa as per the instructions given in the pack. (OR)
Wash quinoa a couple of times, preferably 3 or 4 times. Combine 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water or vegetable stock in a saucepan or vessel. Bring to a boil. Turn heat on low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Switch off the stove, keep it covered and after 5 minutes, fluff with a fork. Keep ready.

Meanwhile, in another pan, heat oil in a pan. Add whole spices and saute for a second. Add slit green chillies and ginger paste and saute well. (Ginger-garlic paste can be substituted instead of ginger paste. If using onions, add chopped onions now). Now add mint leaves and saute until it wilts. Add chopped vegetables and salt, sprinkle little water and cook it covered until 3/4th done. Add curd and masalas and saute again until done. Now add cooked quinoa and mix gently. Drizzle melted ghee, lemon juice and fluff gently with a fork. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Quinoa biryani is ready. Serve hot with any raitha of your choice.

PRESSURE COOKER METHOD:

Heat oil in a pressure pan. Add whole spices and saute for a second.
Add slit green chillies and ginger paste and saute well. (Ginger-garlic paste can be substituted instead of ginger paste. If using onions, add chopped onions now). Now add mint leaves and saute until it wilts.

Add chopped vegetables, salt and saute for a minute. Now add water, curd, masalas and cover the pressure cooker and pressure cook for 1 whistle and then simmer for another five minutes. Turn off the flame. When the pressure subsides, open the pressure cooker / pan, fluff it up with a fork. Drizzle melted ghee, lemon juice and fluff gently with the fork. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

QUINOA DRUMSTICK LEAVES ADAI

Unlike regular adai, this quinoa adai is very light on stomach and easily digestible. Adding drumstick leaves make this recipe highly nutritive.

INGREDIENTS:

Quinoa - 1 1/2 cup
Toor dhal - 1/2 cup
Gram dhal - 1/2 cup
Urad dhal - fistful
Drumstick leaves - 2 to 3 cups
Dry red chillies - 8 to 10
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs
Hing - a generous pinch
Salt - as per taste
Oil - to drizzle

METHOD:

Separate drumstick leaves from the stem, wash well, keep aside.

Soak quinoa separately. Soak dhals alongwith red chillies separately for 2 hours. Drain the water. Grind quinoa coarsely, add soaked dhals and grind further to a thick coarse paste, sprinkling little water alongwith curry leaves, hing. Add salt and drumstick leaves, mix well. The batter should be slightly thicker and coarse.

In a pan, pour the batter and spread it from centre. Drizzle oil on sides. Cook until golden brown and crisp and flip to the other side. Goes well with butter and avial( Aviyal recipe is here). Serve hot with molagapodi, jaggery, tomato sauce or any chutney of your choice.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

How to cook Quinoa

My son is in USA and they cook quinoa regularly. My DIL brought this for me when she came here. Nowadays, I substitute this for cereals and replace it for rice. It is quick and easy to cook.

What is quinoa?

Most of you would be familiar with quinoa. And, to those who want to know about it, Quinoa (pronounced as kinwa / keen-wah) is referred to as a 'supergrain'. It is a grain crop grown for its seeds, cultivated widely in South America. It is actually the seed which we cook. It is high in fiber and has high protein and a complete food in itself. Quinoa is also packed with calcium, potassium, dietary fibre and essential amino acids. The unsaturated fat and the lowest carbohydrates than any other grain makes it a 'superfood'. This makes it an ideal food for diabetics as it is gluten free. It is said to be beneficial for people suffering from migraine headaches also. To know more about quinoa, google about it or see wikipedia.

How to cook quinoa?

Not keen on quinoa yet? Try it out now. I will post some quinoa recipes in the days to come. And now the basics..

METHOD:

It is like cooking rice. Wash the seeds a couple of times, preferably 3 or 4 times, otherwise, the grains can be bitter. The ratio is 1 cup of uncooked quinoa to 2 cups of water / vegetable stock. Combine 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water or vegetable stock in a saucepan or vessel. Bring to a boil. Turn heat on low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Switch off the stove, keep it covered and after 5 minutes, fluff with a fork and serve. Quinoa is perfectly cooked when each grain is translucent and the sprout is visible. Alternatively, just follow the cooking instructions on the pack you buy. It comes out perfect. Quinoa can be pressure cooked and can be cooked in a rice cooker as well.

What is the tamil name for quinoa and where is it available?

No tamil name to my knowledge. Quinoa is NOT thinai. Quinoa is seed. Thinai is millet. Thinai is light yellow in colour and looks different from quinoa. Thinai and other millets are beads like grains, whereas quinoa is like a flat seed in appearance. Google and many people say different tamil names though. This is a foreign crop, and if you are so fond of tamil name, you can say it as 'seemai thinai' (சீமைத்தினை). Seemai in Tamil means 'foreign', thinai in English is 'foxtail millet'. 'Seemai thinai' means foreign crop similar to thinai. But organic shops say 'Quinoa' only. Quinoa is very expensive in India. White quinoa is available in all organic stores in India. White, red and black quinoa are also available.

How to cook millets can be seen here.
Scroll here for Millet recipes.

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