Quinoa With Peanuts & Yogurt

This is a dish I cook only for myself for the simple reason that the introduction of Quinoa as a part of everyday food still hasn’t sunk in for the rest of my family. Usually, I give in and just go along with what everybody else is eating in the house but after having come to know of the health benefits of Quinoa, I make it a point to cook it for myself atleast twice a week.

This recipe is pretty basic but packs in a lot of flavor and nutrition. The crunch of the peanuts and the smoothness of the yogurt give this dish a good balance. Whereas, the green chili adds a delicious zing and of course a contrast of color to the dish.

Ingredients

Quinoa – 1 cup

Roasted peanuts – ¼ cup

Blended yogurt – ½ cup

Water – 2 cups

Green chilies – as tolerated

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Curry leaves – a few

Chopped cilantro – 2 tsp

Olive Oil – 1 tsp

Salt & Pepper

Heat the oil in a skillet and add cumin seeds to it. When the seeds start to crackle add curry leaves, green chilies, chopped cilantro, roasted peanuts and give it a quick stir. Mix in the quinoa and cook for 2 minutes on medium flame stirring constantly. Then pour in water and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and cook for 15 minutes or so until the quinoa is nearly done. Fold in the blended yogurt and cook on slow flame for 7 minutes or so. Turn the heat off and cover for a few minutes before you transfer it to a plate. Garnish with roasted peanuts and a green chili and help yourself!

Serving suggestions

·         With Ghee/more yogurt/curry

Tips

·         Go easy on the salt as the yogurt also adds a little bit of a salty flavor to the dish.

·        Vegetables like carrots, corn, potatoes or even bell peppers can make a good addition to this basic recipe.

  Interesting fact

·         Quinoa is high in protein content, gluten-free and easy to digest.

·         Quinoa is a healthier alternative to white rice. 

This simple dish that I cooked for myself goes to:

http://vegetariansurprises.blogspot.com/2012/03/cooking-for-myself.html

&

http://rasoithekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/02/announcing-cooking-with-whole-foods.html
http://kiranjay.blogspot.com/2010/06/cooking-with-whole-foods-and-future.html

Veggie Hot Dog

A Hot dog may seem extremely tempting to children I suppose, especially if all their friends are having one. My daughter’s annual barbeque party from school last summer had swings, slides, lemonade and hot dogs. After a whole lot of running around and playing, she was super excited to eat with her friends and the veggie hot dog with soy looked as good as the real deal, but one bite and my daughter could eat no further.  Of course, being an adult I realize the health advantages of soy, but for a hungry kid it was not what she wanted to eat.

I forgot all about the hot dog until last week when she brought up the subject again and said, Mom, I like to look at it, but don’t like to eat it. Point taken. I set to work and in about 20 minutes a delicious veggie hot dog was on its way.

Ingredients

Red kidney beans – 1 can

Boiled potato – 1 small

Red chili flakes – as tolerated

Cumin powder – ½ tsp

Oil – as needed

Diced pickle (dill) – 1 tsp

Diced onions- 2 tsp

Mustard – ½ tsp

Tomato ketchup – lots and lots

Hot dog buns – as required

Drain the kidney beans and wash with cold water. Transfer to a bowl. Mash them well. Mash the boiled potato and add to the kidney bean mixture. Add salt, pepper, cumin powder, red chili flakes and mix well. Heat a skillet and grease with 1 tsp oil. Roll the kidney bean and potato mixture in shape of a hot dog. Grill them two at a time on the skillet, flipping sides. The veggie hot dogs are done when a crispy layer is formed through out.

Now take an open hot dog bun, layer it with diced onions. Put the hot dog in the middle and top it with mustard, diced pickle and ketchup. Enjoy the hot dog without the meat!

Serving suggestions

·         With iced tea/lemonade

Tips

·         Pickled dill has been used in place of relish here, which would have been an original choice.

  Interesting fact

·         Baseball games and hot dog stands go hand in hand.


This Veggie fast food goes to:

http://eq-myblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Events%20N%20Happenings
http://priyasnowserving.blogspot.com/2011/04/fast-food-not-fat-food-march-april.html

Garlicky Cheesy Potatoes

If you decide to serve these potatoes as an appetizer, let me warn you, there will be no room for dinner. For one they are filling and two it’s almost impossible to stop at a half or two.

Ingredients

Red potatoes – five

Readymade garlic spread – 6 tsp

Garlic butter – 2 tsp

Salt and pepper

Grated cheddar/mozzarella cheese – half a cup

Cut the potatoes into halves and cook them either in the microwave or the stove top. Let them cool. Dig out the potato pulp from each half leaving just a thin border around the skin and place it in a separate bowl. Add garlic spread, salt and pepper. Mix well. Now brush the outside of all the potatoes with garlic butter (see earlier recipe on the blog) and fill each of them with the mixture from the bowl. Sprinkle grated cheese on top of each half and bake them in the oven at 350 F for 20-25 minutes until the cheese melts. Garnish with more grated cheese if you aren’t counting calories and serve. Till then, food and more food..

 

Tips

*You can use any kind of potatoes

*Garlic spread can be made at home using garlic, cheese, herbs and mayonnaise

*Can be made lighter by cutting down on the quantity of cheese in the recipe

*This is a very convenient recipe for large groups as you can prep the

  Potatoes beforehand and simply bake them when the guests arrive.