Quick Lunch Series: Curried Quinoa, Roasted Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts Bowl

This recipe is loosely base on this one.

Ingredients:

1/2 head cauliflower
1/4 chopped onion
1 bag Brussels sprouts
1/2 cup quinoa
salt and fresh ground pepper
olive oil
1/2 cup coconut milk (I used lite)
coconut oil
red pepper flakes
curry powder
cardamon powder
Turmeric
Ginger
lemon juice
kale or other greens (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Trim and rinse cauliflower florets. Toss in oil, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes in an oven safe bowl.

Trim and slice Brussels sprouts. Toss in oil, salt and pepper. Transfer to an oven safe bowl

Bake for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp coconut oil, add onion and cook until translucent about 5 minutes. Add turmeric, curry powder, ginger and cardamon powder and fry for an additional 30 seconds. Add coconut milk, 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup quinoa. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until cooked. Season with salt.

Fluff the quinoa, top with roasted cauliflower, and  Brussels sprouts. Top with green onions, drizzle lemon juice and toss in some greens such as green onions and chopped kale!

Perfect for a guilt free, week day, office meal!

Bulgur Wheat Upma

I thought I will finish the list and add the Bulgur wheat upma as well. I decided to measure carefully and make this following the 21-day fix container method.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup bulgur wheat
1 shallot, chopped
1 carrot, chopped fine or grated
1 small potato, chopped
8-10 mini heirloom tomatoes, sliced
1 small jalapeno, chopped
1 tsp oil
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
8 cashews
a few curry leaves

In a small pan heat oil. Add cashews, dals, mustard seeds and let cook for a minute until lightly browned. Add jalapeno and curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. Add onions and potatoes and continue frying for 1-2 minutes.

Add carrots and tomatoes and mix well and continue frying for another minute. Add 1.5 cups water and salt to taste and bring to boil. Reduce flame and let simmer for 5-6 minutes until the vegetables soften.

Add bulgur wheat and mix well. Continue cooking until cooked and all the moisture evaporates.  I like to increase the flame to medium heat, add a little ghee and cook for a minute or two to let the bottom brown a little.  That’s the tasty part 🙂

Serve warm. Makes 1 serving.

I am not a 21-day fix expert, but I count this as 2 Greens, 1 Yellow,  1 Blue  and 1 tsp.

See Also:

Amaranth Upma
Millet & Beets Upma
Pearl Couscous Upma
Pearl Tapioca Upma
Red Rice Poha Upma
Quinoa Upma
Upma & Pesarattu

Honey and Sriracha Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I ate at BJ’s for the first time, while I was visiting Daytona Beach recently. I shared some Roasted Brussels Sprouts with a fellow student and they were so good, I wanted to try to make them,  the first chance I got. Here’s my variation of this side dish.

Ingredients:

1 lb Brussels Sprouts, rinsed and sliced in half
1 tbsp Olive Oil
salt and fresh ground pepper to season

Dressing:

2 tbsp sriracha
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp lime juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees,

Rinse and slice the Brussels Sprouts. Drizzle some olive oil, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Roast the Brussels Sprouts for 45 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile mix the dressing ingredients in a bowl.

Drizzle the dressing before serving. I think BJ’s also deep fries the roasted Brussels Sprouts briefly before serving, which I didn’t do.

Quick Lunch Series: Quinoa Vangi Bath

I am a great proponent of one pot meals. So Vangi bath is great! It is even better if I can replace white rice with Quinoa.   This makes 2-3 servings if you are on a diet.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa
1 Japanese eggplant, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small yellow onion sliced
1 jalapeno sliced
a touch of turmeric
a dash of asafoetida
1-2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1-2 tsp Vangi Baath mix or make your own
1-2 tbsp tamarind juice
1 tsp grated coconut
1-2 tsp toasted cashews or peanuts (optional)
Salt to taste
cilantro to garnish

Bring one cup water to boil and cook the Quinoa as per instructions. Set aside.

Meanwhile heat oil in pan. Add turmeric, asafoetida, cumin and fry for a minute. Add sliced onion and jalapeno and saute for 2-3 minutes until golden. Add chopped eggplant and fr for 10-15 minutes till cooked. Season with salt, add tamarind juice and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Season with Vangi bath mix or home made curry powder, grated coconut and mix well.

Combine with Quinoa, garnish with some chopped cilantro and top with some toasted nuts such as cashews or peanuts.

Serve warm.

See Also:

Vangi Baath

Best of 2014

This year I tried a whole host of new recipes. Unlike last year when I attempted A. Soup. A. Week. this year I was more flexible, trying new recipes I came across. In January, I tried the 21 Day Tummy Diet. While I liked some of the recipes, being vegetarian, it was hard to stay within the bounds of the diet. Several recipes I tried from this diet remain favorites and throughout the I year I have cooked them.

My patio garden was a moderate success. I tried planting from seeds this year and while some flourished, there were several that flopped. Still it is a lot of fun and I am looking forward to spring to start planting again!

It was hard to pick one recipe per month, and several months I had more than one favorite, but here are a list of some of my favorites from 2014.

MY TOP PICKS OF 2014:

January: Roasted Vegetable Soup

February: Tomato Quinoa

March: Mango Pullihora with Quinoa

April: Greek Chickpea Mango Pasta Salad

May: Mango Rissoto

June: Cherry Cake

July: Thai Baby Green Eggplant

August: Spicy Quinoa Vegetable Dum Biryani

September: Red Rice Poha Upma

October: Red Lentil and Cucumber Salad

November: Creamy Tomato and Basil Soup

December: Cardamon Flavored Persimmon and Orange Marmalade

As for you, my recipes using Amaranth continued to dominate 2014 with Amaranth Upma as well as Amaranth Dosa being the most visited posts.

TEN MOST  POPULAR POSTS VISITED BY YOU:

Amaranth Upma
21 Day Tummy Diet
Amaranth Dosa
Valor Papdi or Indian broad bean snagged the fourth spot.
Spicy Chickpea and Brussels Sprouts
About me
Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling
Mango Madness: Mango Carrot Muffins
Quinoa Upma
Recipe Index

Stay Safe and Have a Very Happy New Year and I hope to see you back here next year!

Summer Squash Gratin

Here’s another one from the 21 Day Tummy Diet…

Ingredients:
2 yellow squash sliced
2 zucchini sliced
3/4 cup 1% milk
1/3 cup almond flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp oat bran
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Pre heat oven to 450 degrees.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add sliced squash and salt and fry lightly for 6-7 minutes. Add milk and continue cooking until the milk almost halves about 3 minutes.Transfer to a baking pan.

In a separate bowl mix together almond flour, oat bran and cheese. Top the squash with the mix. Sprinkle some fresh ground pepper and bake for 15 minutes or the crust slightly browns.

Enjoy warm!

Chickpea Ratatouille

I had picked up some Eggplant this week to make some Ratatouille. The recipe in the 21 day Tummy Diet was the Ratatouille Frittata which I was reluctant to make. I scoured several of my favorite food blogs (Eat, Live, Run being one of them) for something different. I had this vague idea of roasted eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes… and then I found one that was just perfect here. Here is my version with very slight changes.

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant cut into chunks
1 zucchini cut into chunks
1 yellow onion cut into chunks
2 bell pepper cut into chunks (I used 1 green and 1 yellow)
2 medium tomatoes cut into chunks (or used 1 can)
5 garlic cloves chopped
0.5 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 can chickpeas (drained and washed)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper
a little lemon juice (optional)
dash of paprika (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Toss the first 6 ingredients in olive oil, salt and pepper in a large oven safe dish. Roast for 40-45 minutes, mixing halfway through. Add chickpeas, and fresh parsley, toss lightly and continue roasting for another 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve warm. Drizzle a little lemon juice, add salt and pepper as needed. Serve stand alone or with some brown rice couscous. Makes about 4-5 servings.

Quick Lunch or Dinner: Tomato Quinoa

Tomato is one of my favorite vegetables. I always stock up on all the different varieties of tomatoes I can find in the grocery store. Summertime is especially fun, when the grocery aisle overflow with fresh local produce. This recipe is filled with luscious tomatoes and was so yummy, I wished I had made more. But no worries, I am sure I will make some again very soon 🙂

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa
8-10 mini multi-colored heirloom tomatoes sliced
1 shallot chopped fine (use green onions if on 21 day Tummy Diet)
1 jalapeno (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
cilantro to garnish
lemon juice (optional)

Bring 1 cup water to boil and add quinoa. Reduce flame and let simmer until the quinoa is cooked, adding water if necessary. Set aside.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a pan. Add turmeric, chopped shallots and chopped jalapeno and fry lightly for 2 minutes. Add sliced tomatoes, salt, cayenne pepper, and continue to cook in medium low until most of the juices evaporate.

Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork and add to the tomato mix. Toss lightly, garnish with cilantro, drizzle with some lemon juice if desired and serve warm.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

More from the the 21 Day Tummy Diet…. slightly modified by me…

Ingredients:
1 red potato cut into 1 in cubes
1 turnip (used this instead of parsnip) cut into 1 in cubes
1 large carrot cut into large pieces
4-5 scallions chopped
3 medium tomatoes cut into 1 in cubes
0.5lb green beans trimmed and cut
2 cup water or broth
juice of 1 medium tomato
1 tsp chopped fresh or dried basil
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lightly toss all vegetables in some olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for about 30 minutes.

Transfer to a large bowl, along with the juices if any. Add  juice of 1 tomato, 2 cups water, and 1-2 tsp chopped fresh basil (or dried). Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add salt and pepper as needed and serve warm. Makes 2-3 servings.

Sprinkle some chia seeds and sliced almonds or I sprinkled some hemp and enjoyed mine for lunch!

Stuffed Eggplant

This is loosely adapted from the 21 day Tummy diet. While the original recipe uses ground beef, this is a vegetarian version.

Ingredients:
1 Japanese eggplant
1/2 cup quinoa (I used rainbow quinoa)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 medium tomato chopped
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp olive oil
Touch of turmeric
Salt to taste
cilantro to garnish

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the eggplant in half. Using a paring knife, scoop out the eggplant pulp, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Place the eggplant with the cut side down in a baking pan. Add 1/2 cup water and bake for 15 minutes or until the eggplant softens.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Add a dash of turmeric. Chop and add the eggplant pulp and fry for a minute. Add chopped tomato and peas and continue frying for another minute. Add 1.5 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce flame, add 1/2 cup quinoa, cumin and garam masala and let simmer for 25-30 minutes or until cooked.

Scoop the quinoa mix onto the eggplant and bake for 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm.The stuffing is sufficient for 2-3 eggplants or use as a side.

Turned out quite tasty, although if I were to make this again, I would definitely season the eggplant with some salt and maybe paprika. But definitely a delicious, diet based, main dish 🙂