Quinoa with Stir Fried Veggies

A good gluten-free source of protein, iron, and fiber, Quinoa is a quick and flavorful way to get in a serving of whole grains.It's light and fluffy in texture but has that whole grain ability to fill people up. Its only a great alternative to traditional rice but its much more healthier too.
After learning about the great nutritional value of this magical grain,I decided to bought a packet of Quinoa and was looking for recipes to cook with it. I ended up making the same old tired quinoa recipes like Quinoa upma,quinoa salad over and over again, getting bored with this magical grain.I do make Veggie Stir Fry occasionally and one day,ended up adding cooked Quinoa to it as well. The experiment was a success and my husband loved this version of the Quinoa. Here is the recipe...

Time:Making Time (20 mins)

Difficulty level:Easy

Ingredients:

• Quinoa - 1 cup rinsed or pre-washed
• Extra-Firm Tofu - 1 cup cubed
• Bell Peppers (Red,Green,Yellow,Orange) - 1 cup cut into bite-sized strips
• Spring Onions - 1 tbsp finely chopped
• Garlic - 2 tsp finely chopped
• Olive Oil - 2 tbsp 
• Green Chili sauce - 1/2 tsp
• Soy Sauce - 1/2 tsp
• Siricha Sauce - 1/2 tsp
• Black Pepper - a pinch
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Bring water and ½ teaspoon of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Rinse the quinoa well and stir into boiling water. Return to a boil and simmer until water is totally absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool, stirring occasionally. 
2. Meanwhile in a wok, add 2 tbsp olive oil,chopped garlic and sauté for 2-3 mins.Add the chopped spring onions and saute for few mins.
3. Now add the cubed tofu, strips of Bell peppers and saute for 2-3 mins on medium flame.
4. Mix all the 3 sauces along with black pepper powder and salt. Add this to the veggies in the wok and saute them well till the raw smell goes away.
5. Add the cooked quinoa to the stir fried veggies and tofu and toss it well. Cook for 2-3 mins.
6. Switch off the flame and serve it topped with some lemon juice.

Chef's Tip:

- The only special handling required with quinoa is to give it a good rinse before cooking; otherwise, the grains can be bitter.
- I used multi colored Bell peppers for this recipe. You can use Brocoli,Zucchini or Squash etc as well
- Paneer can also be used instead of Tofu in this recipe.

Quinoa with Stir Fried veggies

Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta with homemade sauce

Pasta is generally a simple dish,but can be customized to a large extent as well.To be honest,I never liked eating pasta the first few times i tried it.But I developed a great liking for it eventually.Most Pasta sauces are rich and very creamy with lots of cheese in them. I always use the store bought Pasta sauce as i dreaded making the sauce at home.
I bumped into this healthy recipe from the Betty Crocker website and customized it a little according to my tastes.Believe me, this recipe tastes great!

Time:Making Time (30 mins)

Difficulty level:Medium

Ingredients:

• Fettuccine - 1 lb
• Whole Milk - 2 cups
• All-purpose flour - 1 tbsp
• Garlic - 2 tsp finely chopped
• Olive Oil - 2 tbsp 
• Cayenne (Red) pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese - 2/3 cup
• Fresh Parsley - 1 tbsp chopped (optional)
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Cook the Fettuccine pasta as directed on the package with a drop of olive oil. Drain the water and keep aside.(Take care not to overcook the pasta.Run the pasta through cold water to avoid it being sticky.)
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl stir milk,flour,salt,black pepper and red pepper with a whisk until the ingredients are mixed well and there are no lumps.
3. In a sauce pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil,chopped garlic and sauté for 2-3 mins
4. To this,stir in the milk mixture and cook over medium heat for 8-10 mins or until the mixture starts to thicken and boil.
5. Now add the parmesan cheese to this and cook until the cheese melts.
6. Add the cooked Pasta and mix well till the pasta gets coated well in the sauce.
7. Garnish it with fresh parsley,if available. . Yummy,hot pasta ready :)

Variations :

- I like to keep my Pasta simple and not very cheesy.
- I used Parmesan Cheese,you can use Romano cheese as an alternative or both,if you need extra calories ;)
- I prefer to use Olive Oil for my pasta. You can use butter,if you prefer
- I didnt have fresh parsley,hence i used the dried one.

Fettucicne Alfredo Pasta

Paneer Fried Rice

Back to blogging after a long hiatus! Spending time with my Toddler after work seems to have taken precedence over my cooking interests these days :)
Hence I tend to look for simple recipes that does not take too much effort and cooking time. Paneer is one of our favorite and I always look forward to trying exciting recipes with it.This recipe is very close to the restaurant style Fried rice.If you have the veggies cut and the rice pre-cooked, this can be made in less than 15 mins.

Time:Making Time (15 mins)

Difficulty level:Very Easy

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice - 1 cup
• Mixed Vegetables (Carrots,Grean Peas,Cabbage,Beans,Capsicum) - 1 cup finely chopped
• Spring Onions - 1/2 cup finely chopped 
• Ginger,Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Garlic Cloves - 3-4 finely chopped
• White Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
• Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander - Chopped
• Oil/Butter - 3 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Soak the basmati rice in water for 10-15 mins,drain the water and keep aside.
2. Cook the rice separately in a pressure cooker in the ratio of 1(rice):1.5(water) cups and keep aside.Once cooked, spread the rice in a plate and let it cool down.
3. Cut the paneer into small cubes and fry it in a tsp of oil till it starts turning brown.Drain it in a paper towel and keep aside.
4. In a pan, add 3 tbsp butter/oil,ginger-garlic paste,spring onions along with garlic and saute for 2-3 mins
5. Add the mixed vegetables and fry until the vegetables are half-cooked, and the raw smell disappears.
6. Then add white pepper powder,black pepper powder and salt to taste and stir well.
7. Add the fried paneer cubes along with the cooked rice and stir well.
8. Cook for 2-3 mins and switch off the flame.
9. Garnish it with Chopped Coriander leaves.(optional)
10. Serve with Raita or Side Dish like Manchurian.

Paneer Fried Rice