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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Aloo Baingan Sabzi ~ Vegan Eggplant and Potato Curry

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Every time I travel, I find that  food choices at airports or rather the lack of choices quite frustrating.  I mean yes,  I do find the occasional salad at some restaurant, but for most part the choices are either unhealthy or unappetizing or both :-(  As a result, I find that by the time I reach my destination, especially when I take long haul flights, I start to crave simple comfort foods. Some phulkas/ Indian flat bread and a simple curry or some khichdi and some kadhi feels just blissful after all the unhealthy choices we encountered in our journey. 

Curries such as this aloo baingan are perfect not only for such days but also for weeknights or pretty much anytime you are looking for an easy, healthy and quick side dish for phulkas or even some plain steamed rice and dhal. It is easy enough for anyone to make, even newbies to the kitchen and it is consistently satisfying and delicious :)  

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Ingredients and Method to make aloo baingan

1 large eggplant cut into 3/4 inch cubes ( baingan / katrikai )

1 large potato  peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes ( aloo/ urilakizhangu) ( or 3 medium potatoes )

1 large onion peeled and cut fine (pyaaz / vengayam )

2 medium tomatoes cut fine ( yielded 1 cup of cut pieces) ( tamatar / thakkali)

1 and 1/2 Tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera / jeeragam)

1 tsp ginger garlic paste ( adrak lehsun) 

1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi/ manjal podi)

3/4 tsp red chili powder ( or to taste) ( lal mirch/ molagai podi)

1 tsp coriander powder ( dhania powder)

Salt to taste ( namak/ uppu)

Garnish

2 to 3 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro ( coriander leaves/ hara dhania/ kothamalli)

Prep all the vegetables and keep aside. Place cubed potatoes and eggplant in a bowl of cool/ room temperature water so that it does not discolor. 

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan on medium heat, add cumin seeds/ jeera to it, when the seeds sizzle add onions and sauté until the onions turn translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and stir a few times.

Add tomatoes and stir until it softens. Add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder and stir a few times. Add drained potatoes and eggplant, salt to taste and mix well. Cover with a lid and on low heat cook the vegetables. You don't need to add any water as the veggies cook in the steam.

When the veggies are cooked until soft yet retain their shape, remove from heat. Garnish with chopped cilantro/ coriander leaves.

  Serve hot with phulka / rotis / Indian flat bread or even as a side dish with plain steamed rice and dhal. 

 If you are looking for recipes with baingan/ eggplant, here are a few more

Baingan Bharta ~ Vegan Roasted Eggplant Curry

Baingan ki sabzi ~ Eggplant in coconut milk gravy

Methi Baingan  ~ Eggplant with fenugreek curry

Baingan Simla mirch sabzi ~ Eggplant bell pepper curry

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Rajasthani style Aloo ki sabzi ~ Dahiwale Aloo ~ Potatoes in yogurt gravy curry

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Rajasthani cuisine has  been on my " to try" list for some time now. When we travel to India, our family likes to frequent a restaurant that serves Rajasthani food and we always enjoy the experience. When we get home, I always think this is something I would love to make myself , but somehow I never got around to doing it,  that is, until recently.  

This creamy potato curry is one of my first experiments with making Rajasthani cuisine in my home. This is a super simple curry that is perfect for weekdays or whenever you are short of time. Once the potatoes are cooked and cubed, it takes just a few minutes to get ready. The combination of seeds used in this recipe along with the spices impart a delicious flavor that tastes pretty amazing. If a quick, flavorful curry sounds appealing to you give this one a try and enjoy :)

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Ingredients and Method to make Dahiwale Aloo (adapted from this recipe )

3 cups of cooked, peeled and cubed potatoes ( aloo) ( about 8 medium sized potatoes)

I cup fresh plain yogurt ( curds/ dahi)

1 Tbsp chick pea flour ( besan)

2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds ( rai)

1 tsp cumin seeds ( jeera)

1 tsp fennel seeds ( saunf)

1/2 tsp onion seeds ( kalonji / nigella)

1 clove (laung)

1 inch thin piece of cinnamon (dalchini)

1 bay leaf ( tej patta)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder ( haldi)

1/2 tsp red chili powder (or to taste) ( lal mirch)

1/2 tsp cumin powder ( jeera pwd)

1/2 tsp coriander powder (dhania)

Salt to taste

2 to 3 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro ( coriander leaves/ hara dhania)

Cook, cool a little, peel and cube potatoes and keep aside.

Place chick pea flour/ besan in a small bowl. Add a little water and make a smooth paste making sure there are no lumps in it. Add plain yogurt/ dahi to it and whisk together until well blended. 

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat, add mustard seeds to it. When the mustard seeds begin to splutter add cumin, fennel, onion seeds, clove, cinnamon and bay leaf and stir for a few seconds. 

Add yogurt + chickpea flour mixture to it. Then add one cup of water, then add turmeric powder, chili powder, cumin powder and coriander powder.  Cook this mixture on low  heat , stirring frequently until the mixture heats through.

Add cubed potatoes, salt to taste and simmer on low heat stirring frequently for a couple of mins for the flavors to mingle.Remove from heat, garnish with cilantro and serve hot with phulkas/ rotis/ chapathis.

 If you are looking for recipes with potatoes/ aloo/ urilakizhangu, here are a few more

Punjabi Aloo Gobi ~ Potato and cauliflower curry

Aloo ki sabzi ~ Potato Masala ~ Potato gravy curry

Aloo Palak ~ Baked Potatoes in Spinach Gravy Curry

Aloo Chana Chaat ~ Potato and Chickpeas Snack

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Kaddu ka Bharta ~ Vegan Butternut squash / Pumpkin curry

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Fall is officially here, although some days it is so warm here that it feels more like summer than fall. But the vegetable section at our local grocery definitely feels like fall with the variety of squash available there. I like all kinds of squash, but butternut squash and pumpkins are particular favorites of mine. Both of these are so versatile that they can easily be used in everything from curries to soups to baking. Usually when I feel like making curry with butternut squash curry, I tend to make something simple like this curry . But recently when I purchased butternut squash I felt like making something "different" for a change of pace.

A quick search online led me to this recipe of kaddu ka bharta on Tarla Dalal's site that sounded intriguing. The only kind of bharta I have ever tasted is one made with eggplants/ baingan ka bharta. She had made the curry with pumkins/ kaddu but I decided to adapt and make something similar with butternut squash. If you are watching your calories, here is a cool bit of info about the calorie content of both butternut squash and pumpkins. 1 cup of 1 inch pieces of butternut squash has just 63 calories and pumpkin has even less with 1 cup of 1 inch pieces of pumpkin having just 30 calories. This was such an easy and flavorful curry, the four kinds of seeds used in it gives it a very unique flavor. It is also very easy to make and works well with any kind of phulka/ flat bread/ roti. 

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Ingredients and method to make kaddu ka bharta (adapted from this recipe)

8 cups of peeled and cubed pieces of butternut squash (or pumpkin/ kaddu/ paringikai)

1 red onion cut fine ( pyaaz/ vengayam)

2 Tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds ( jeera/ jeeragam)

1 tsp fennel seeds ( saunf / sombu)

1/2 tsp nigella seeds/ onion seeds ( kalonji / karunjeeragam)

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds ( methi seeds / mendiyam)

3 Thai or Indian variety green chilies cut fine ( hari mirch/ pachai molagai)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder ( haldi/ manjal podi)

2 tsp dry mango powder ( amchur powder ) ( see notes )

Salt to taste ( namak/ uppu)

1/2 tsp red chili powder ( or to taste) ( lal mirch/ thani molaga podi) ( see notes)

3 - 4 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro for garnish ( coriander leaves/ hara dhania / kothamalli ) 

Peel and cube butternut squash/ pumpkin/ kaddu into 3/4 inch pieces. Cut onion and keep aside.

In a large heavy bottomed pan, heat oil on medium heat. Add cumin, fennel, onion seeds and fenugreek seeds and stir a few times. When the seeds begin to sizzle and the fenugreek/ methi begins to brown a little add green chilies and onions and sauté until onions turn translucent.

Add butternut squash / pumpkin pieces, all the spices, salt to taste, a little water. Mix well, cover with a lid and cook until the squash/ pumpkin is cooked and soft. Stir frequently to ensure even cooking and add more water if required. Once the squash/ pumpkin is cooked, mash gently with the back of a spatula until some of the pieces are mashed and some still hold a bit more shape. Add more water if required to achieve required consistency and simmer for a few minutes until the flavors mingle.

Garnish with cilantro/ coriander leaves. 

Serve hot with phulkas/ flat bread/ rotis.

Serves approx 4 

Notes:

If you scale down the heat from green chilies/ chili powder, do scale down the dry mango powder/ amchur powder a tad bit.

This recipe can be halved if required.

If you are looking for curries that go well with phulkas/ rotis/ flatbread, here are a few more....

Butternut squash/ Pumpkin curry  ~ Kaddu ki sabzi

Mixed Vegetable Kurma ~ Broccoli Peas Curry

Tomato Coconut Curry ~ Thakkali Kozhambu

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Penne pasta with veggies

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Ever since the first time I tried this pasta sauce, I have been wondering how it would turn out if instead of processing the veggies into a sauce, I sautéed the veggies and tossed them with cooked pasta. Each time I made the sauce I kept thinking I needed to try it with just sautéing the veggies. Since I do not make pasta very often these days, my plans to experiment kept getting deferred.

Finally a few weeks back , pasta was back on the menu and I got to try this version of pasta. This version definitely comes under the category of " winner" in my book, it was quick, easy and flavorful. I've made it a few times since and it turns out consistently good. If pasta is on your menu too, give this quick, easy version a try and as always let me know what you think about it :)

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Ingredients and Method to make penne pasta with veggies (adapted from this recipe)
4 cups multi grain penne pasta ( or any other kind )
1 large garlic clove or 2 small cloves (peeled and cut fine)
1 large red onion sliced lengthwise
2 cups of finely cut tomatoes (3 med large tomatoes)
1 zucchini cut into 1 and 1/2 inch matchsticks
2 green bell peppers cut into 1 inch piece long matchsticks about 1/4 inch wide
2 - 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 and 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried parsley
3/4 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper ( optional, or to taste) ( can be substituted with black pepper powder to taste)
salt to taste

Prepare pasta as per manufacturers directions, drain and keep aside. Prep all the vegetables and keep aside.

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan, add onions and garlic to it and sauté until onions turn translucent. Add tomatoes and stir until tomatoes are soft and mushy. 

Add zucchini and green bell pepper pieces, salt to taste, all the spices and stir until the veggies are soft, cooked yet firm.

Add prepared pasta and toss / mix with the vegetables. Serve immediately.

This quantity serves approx 4 to 5

Notes:

Recipe can be easily halved.


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

Mushroom Pasta with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce

Low fat Vegan Pasta Sauce

Thai Inspired Pasta

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