Vegan Lemon Quinoa Bean Salad

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Spring has sprung and along with frequent showers, blooming flowers and warm weather it has also brought back my craving for salads. Throughout the cold months of fall and winter, I crave soups and hot curries, come spring and summer and I want much more salads.And salads that combine protein, some veggies and are filling enough to qualify as a one dish meal, are my favorite kind.

This quinoa bean salad definitely definitely qualifies. It is hearty, filling, nutritious, oil free, low fat and even packs well in the lunch box. Cannot ask for more from your salad :)  This salad can be put together really quickly making it a great option for weeknight dinners. If you are looking for more ways to include quinoa in your diet, give this one a a try and as always would love to hear your opinions and ideas :)

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Ingredients and Method to make lemon quinoa bean salad

1 cup quinoa

1 cup corn

1 cup cooked pinto beans ( see notes for substitutions )

6 spring onions cut fine ( only the green part )

2 jalapeños cut fine ( or to taste )

Salt to taste

Handful cilantro cut fine

Juice of half a lemon (or to taste )

Rinse quinoa in cold water for a full minute. Place in large heavy bottomed pan, add 2 cups of water and place on medium heat. Cook until quinoa is cooked and soft. Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork and keep aside.

Cook corn in the microwave or the stove top with just enough water until soft. Keep the cooked corn aside. Make sure there is no water remaining in the cooked corn, if there is, drain the corn completely and keep aside to use in recipe.Allow quinoa, corn and beans to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, mix together quinoa, corn and beans gently. Add salt to taste and mix again. Add spring onions and jalapeños and mix.

Add lemon juice and mix well. Garnish with cilantro and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Notes:

If you do not want to soak and cook beans, you can substitute with canned beans. Just rinse the beans thoroughly in cold water, drain and use in recipe. Instead of pinto beans,  red kidney beans /rajma  or black beans can also be substituted in this recipe.

If you are looking for quinoa recipes here are a few more,

Quinoa Khichdi ~ Peanut flavored quinoa

Quinoa mung dosai ~ Savory crepes

Lemon Vegetable Quinoa

Quinoa Flax Uthappam ~ Savory quinoa crepes

Quinoa Oat Adai ~ savory quinoa lentil crepes

Quinoa Lentil swiss chard soup

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Lemon vegetable quinoa

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About once a week if not more often, I try and include quinoa in our diet.  One of the traditional rice dishes that was often made in our home when we were growing up is lemon rice or limbu saadam as it is known in Tamil. Lemon rice is simply seasoned with mustard seeds, chick pea lentil and curry leaves with a delicious lemon flavor, I hope to post that recipe in this space some time soon.

In the meanwhile, inspired by lemon rice, I made this version of quinoa with some vegetables. This easy and nutritious recipes has quickly become a favorite in our home. It works very well for weeknight dinners, and leftovers pack well in the lunch box too :)  Pair this with some raita (yogurt based salad ) or even some curry to make a filling meal.

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Ingredients and method to make lemon vegetable quinoa

1 and 1/2 cups quinoa

2 carrots cut into small pieces ( gajar) (1 cup of cut pieces)

1 red bell pepper / capsicum deseeded and cut into small pieces (capsicum/ Simla mirch) (1 cup of cut pieces) (see notes)

Salt to taste (namak)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder ( haldi) 

2 Tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / kadagu)

1 tsp chick pea lentil (chana dhal / kadalai parappu)

3 dry red chilies broken into small pieces ( or to taste) (lal mirch)

2 Thai or Indian variety green chilies cut fine ( or to taste) ( hara mirch)

8 to 10 large curry leaves  torn into small pieces (kadi patha)

3 Tbsp finely cut cilantro for garnish ( coriander leaves / hara dhania)
juice of half a lemon (or to taste) 

Rinse quinoa thoroughly in cold water and drain. Place in a heavy bottomed pan with 3 cups of water and cook until soft. Keep this quinoa aside.

Heat oil in the same pan, add mustard seeds to it. When the seeds splutter, add chick pea lentil/ chana dhal and stir until it begins to redden. Add red chilies, green chilies and torn curry leaves and stir a few times.

Add carrots, bell pepper , turmeric powder and  salt to taste. Stir a few times. Sprinkle a little water if required, cover with a lid and cook until the veggies are tender crisp.

Add cooked quinoa, mix well, adjust salt to taste if needed and allow to heat for a few minutes until flavors mingle.Add juice of half a lemon or according to taste and mix well. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with any curry on the side , or some raita. 

Serves approx 2 to 3 

Notes:

The vegetables above can be substituted with 2 cups of any combination of vegetables like green peas/ matar, cauliflower/ Gobi,  green beans, carrots, capsicum, etc.

If you are looking for Quinoa recipes, here are a few more

Quinoa Khichdi ~ Peanut flavored quinoa

Quinoa mung dosai ~ Savory crepes

Quinoa Cashew Kheer ~ Indian pudding

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Quinoa Khichdi ~ Peanut Flavored Quinoa ~ With Stepwise Pictures

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This sabudana/ sago pearls khichdi is something I make about once a month, usually for weekend breakfast. The last few times I made it,  it struck me that it would be awesome if I could make something similar with quinoa. I have already mentioned in the past how super healthy quinoa is, so I will not get into that again. But the idea of using quinoa in a familiar khichdi type preparation was both exciting and tad bit intimidating. The latter because the khichdi I mentioned earlier is a favorite of ours and I was afraid that the quinoa version would not measure up.

In any case, one day when I was looking to make something quick and nutritious, I decided to make a version of khichdi with quinoa. Along with peanut powder, I also added some shredded coconut to it as well for additional flavor and used both green and red chilies for some heat. Much to my surprise it turned out delicious. I have made it quite a few times now and even R who usually likes his quinoa disguised in dosas keeps asking me to make this version of khichdi more often :)

If you are looking for recipes with quinoa, check out some of the other quinoa recipes in this space,
Quinoa dosa ~ Multi grain savory crepes with quinoa
Quinoa oat adai ~ Dhal dosa
Quinoa Uthappam
Quinoa Kheer ~ Indian pudding

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Ingredients and Method to make Quinoa Khichdi
1 and 1/2 cups of quinoa
3/4 cups raw or roasted peanuts
salt to taste

Seasoning
1 and 1/2 Tbsp oil
4 Thai or Indian variety green chilies cut fine (or to taste) (hari mirch/pachai molagai)
2 dry red chilies or to taste torn into small pieces (lal mirch/ molagai vathal)
3/4 tsp mustard seeds (rai/ sarson/kadagu)
3/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera/ jeeragam)
1/2 tsp finely grated ginger (optional) (adrak/inji)

Garnish
1/4 to 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut (see notes)
3 to 4 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves/hara dhania/kothamalli)

Roast raw peanuts on the stove top, or in the microwave until roasted. If you have roasted peanuts skip this step. Powder the peanuts coarsely in a mixer/blender/ food processor using short bursts of power and keep aside.

Place quinoa in a sieve or a fine meshed colander and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Allow to drain. Place the quinoa in a heavy bottomed pan and fill with 3 cups of water and cook until quinoa is cooked. The packet I purchase recommends 1 and 1/2 cups of water for 1 cup of quinoa but I prefer 2 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa, I feel it cooks better this way.

In a separate small pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, add cumin seeds, when the cumin seeds sizzle add both green and red chili  and grated ginger if using, stir once or twice and pour the entire seasoning on the cooked quinoa. Mix well.Add coarsely powdered peanuts, salt to taste and mix well.

Finally garnish with grated coconut and cilantro and serve hot just by itself or with some ketchup/ or chutney of choice or some yogurt/ pickle or raita.

Serves approx 2 to 3

Notes
You can use grated frozen coconut instead of fresh,just thaw the coconut to room temperature. For this quantity you can use 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup according to your taste, it tastes good both ways, I prefer a little more coconut because it gives additional flavor.

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Simply Seasoned Dhal (Maharashtrian style dhal/ varan)

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After all the parties, sweets and traveling that I have done in the past few weeks, I have been craving something simple ever since I got back. And dhals like this one, define comfort food in my book :) Varan is a Maharashtrian dhal, that is served with rice. "Varan bhaat" is a famous combination in Maharashtrian food.Varan= dhal and Bhaat= steamed rice, this is usually served with a tad bit of ghee. This combination always reminds me of the tamilian parappu saadam, which is essentially the same thing, parappu= cooked dhal and saadam= steamed rice.

I have seen various versions of varan, some with just cooked dhal with only seasoned cumin and salt for taste and some that add onions, tomatoes and goda masala (Maharashtrian style curry powder) My version of this dhal is on the simpler side, just some seasoning and a few spices. This time I made this with this Maharashtrian style spring onion curry. Along with some phulkas and some steamed rice, this turned out to be exactly what I was looking for, a nourishing, hearty and healthy meal :)



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Ingredients and Method to make Simply seasoned Dhal
1 cup split pigeon peas/ tur dhal/ arhar dhal/ tuvaram parappu
salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Seasoning
2 tsp oil
3/4 tsp mustard seeds (rai/ kadagu)
3/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera/jeeragam)
3 Thai or Indian variety green chilies slit lengthwise (or to taste)
pinch of asafoetida (hing/ perungayam)
sprig of curry leaves (kadipatha/ karvapillai) (about 8 to 10 leaves)
3 tbsp finely cut cilantro (coriander leaves/ hara dhania/kothamalli) for garnish

Rinse dhal a few times and soak in 2 and 1/2 cups of water for 30 minutes to an hour. Pressure cook until soft, usually with my pressure cooker that is about 3 whistles and then I turn down the heat and allow it to stay on low heat for another 3 to 4 minutes before switching off heat. See notes if you want to cook this on the stove top. After the pressure subsides, remove dhal from cooker and mash thoroughly.

Add salt, sugar and turmeric powder to it and mix well. In a small pan heat oil, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Add  cumin seeds, when it sizzles, add green chilies. Stir a few times, then add asafoetida powder and curry leaves. Keep away a bit, as curry leaves can cause oil to splatter a tad bit. Remove and pour entire seasoning on the dhal mixture.

Add water as required to achieve required consistency and allow this mixture to simmer for a few minutes until all the flavors mingle. Garnish with cilantro and remove from heat.
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Serve hot with some plain steamed rice and a curry on the side. This time I served it with rice and this spring onion curry/ zunka. Sometimes I also make this with rice and this Maharashtrian style cabbage curry on the side. Or this dhal can be served with some phulkas/ Indian wheat flat breads too :)

Notes:
If you want to cook the dhal on the stove top. Soak for at least an hour, place in a heavy bottomed pan with water and simmer until soft. Add some more water if required and stir often to ensure evenly cooked lentils and to make sure the lentils do not stick to the bottom of the pan.

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Cracked Wheat Vegetable Upma ( Dalia Upma) - With Stepwise Pictures.

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Upma, as I explained in this post is a savory snack usually made with semolina and vegetables. This is traditionally served at breakfast or as a "tiffin" a snack that is served in some south Indian homes in early evening hours or as a light dinner.  In the recent past I have been experimenting with various ingredients in a bid to make more healthier varieties of upma. After trying upma with  steel cut oats , quick oats and buckwheat, recently I also tried making upma with cracked wheat.



Cracked wheat / broken wheat or dalia as it is known in India is just grains of wheat that have been crushed/ powdered into coarse smaller pieces. Since cracked wheat has both the outer bran and the germ of wheat this has quite a lot of health benefits and fiber. A 1/4 cup of cracked wheat has 5 gms of fiber and it is also a low fat food with no saturated or trans fat or cholesterol. This healthy upma is perfect for a hearty breakfast or can even be served as a snack or for dinner.



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Ingredients and Method to make cracked wheat Upma
1 cup cracked wheat (broken wheat/ dalia/ fada)
1 medium onion cut fine
2 heaped cups mixed vegetables like cauliflower, peas, potatoes, beans etc cut fine.
I used  2 medium carrots cut fine
1/3 cup frozen green peas thawed to room temperature
2 small potatoes peeled and cut fine
1 green bell pepper ( capsicum/ Simla mirch/Koda molagai) deseeded and cut fine

1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
4 Thai or Indian variety green chilies ( or to taste) cut fine
1 thin sliver of ginger cut into fine pieces

3 cups of water
3 to 4 tbsp finely cut cilantro (coriander leaves/dhania/kothamalli) for garnish.

Prep the vegetables. Steam/ cook the vegetables on the stove top or in the microwave until soft. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add mustard seeds, when the seeds splutter, add cumin seeds. When the seeds sizzle add green chilies and ginger pieces and stir a few times.
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Add onion and sauté until the onions are transparent. Add water and salt to taste and allow the water to come to a boil. Add cracked wheat and allow it to cook on medium heat for a few minutes. When the wheat gets a bit softer and absorbs some of the water, add vegetables and allow the entire mixture to simmer on low to medium low heat until the grains are soft and fluffy and all the water is evaporated.

Garnish with cilantro, remove from heat, close with a lid and allow the upma to "rest" for at least 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve upma hot with choice of chutney, pickle or even ketchup.

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Mung Bean Curry ~ Whole Moong Curry

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Every where I see these days, the signs of spring are there. The grass all around my area is getting greener , trees with fresh new leaves, birds are out chirping and the days are  longer ....yep spring is definitely here. The only downside, rains!  We have been having one storm system after another dumping rain on us continuously for the last couple of weeks and it is enough to make me look at the sky each morning hoping for some sunshine.  The weirdest part about rains this past couple of weeks has been that  all weekend it rains, ruining any chances of outdoor activities and on Monday morning the sun finally makes an appearance when we are not able to enjoy it. A couple of days of some sun shine and right around the time the weekend is on the horizon so are the clouds, and we are faced with yet another wet weekend. Just when the weather's getting warmer and we are looking forward to spending time outdoors we are forced to stay indoors because of the rains. I am keeping my fingers crossed for this weekend, hope the trend changes from the last two weeks :-) 

Moving on,I make this style of  mung bean curry when I am looking for a change from the dhal/ usal type preparation using mung beans. This curry works as a great side dish with both roti and steamed rice. You can even use it as a filling in sandwiches or wraps.  The cinnamon, fennel and cardamom impart such a sweet and fresh flavor to the curry and the green chillies impart just the right heat. Try this when you are looking for a quick, healthy and low fat protein dish with a difference. 

 
  
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Ingredients and method to make Mung bean curry
1 cup dry mung beans/moong beans(Green gram/pachai payaru) soaked in sufficient water for at least 4 to 6 hours
1 medium red onion cut fine
salt to taste 
1/4 tsp red chilli powder (optional, or to taste) 
1 tsp sugar handful cilantro for garnish (cut fine) 

Masala Paste 
1/2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf/sombu) 
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera/jeeragam) 
1/2 tsp coriander seeds (dhania) 
1/4 tsp cardamom seeds (choti elaichi/ellakkai) 
1 inch piece of cinnamon (dalchini/pattai) 
1/2 tsp chopped ginger (adrak/inji) 
2 Thai or Indian variety green chillies (hara mirch/pachai molagai) (or according to taste) 
1 dry red chili (lal mirch/molagai vathal) (optional, or to taste) 

 For seasoning 
1 Tbsp oil 
1 tsp mustard seeds (sarson/rai/kadagu) 
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera/ jeeragam) 

Soak the dry mung beans in sufficient water for 4 to 6 hours.  Drain the mung beans completely,wash once with fresh water and place in a container with just enough water as to cover the beans and pressure cook until soft but not mushy. (usually takes me about 2 whistles in the pressure cooker) 

Alternatively you can cook it on the stove top with sufficient water on medium heat until it is soft but not mushy. Keep the cooked beans aside. 

Grind together the dry ingredients mentioned in the masala paste first in a small spice grinder until it is fine. Then add ginger and green chillies, and a little water and grind together until it becomes a fine paste. Keep this ground mixture aside. 

 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the mustard seeds, when the seeds begin to splutter, add cumin seeds. When cumin sizzles, add onions and saute until onions are translucent. 

Add the cooked beans, salt to taste, sugar and red chilli powder (if using ) and mix together gently. Add the ground mixture to this and stir until it mixes well with the beans. If you plan to use this curry in a wrap or want it to be on the drier side, do not add any water to this curry at this stage, just mix all the ingredients, garnish as below. If you plan to use this curry as a side dish for phulkas or chapathis/Indian flat bread, add water as required to achieve required consistency and simmer for a few minutes until all the flavors mingle.

Garnish with finely cut cilantro and serve hot with rotis/ phulkas/ chapathis or rice or use it as a filling in wraps or enjoy a bowl of this curry just on its own :)

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