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Quinoa is a nutritious and healthy food. It is loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals and various antioxidants. Also, it contains a small amount of omega-3 fatty acid which is an essential fat you get from your diet. Hence, quinoa is organic gluten-free cereal which is gaining potential all over the world as a superfood.
The United Nations declared 2013 as “The International Year of Quinoa” for its rich antioxidant and nutritional values.
Health Benefits of Quinoa–
Flavonoids are antioxidants which are generally found in fruits and vegetables. Quinoa contains two flavonoids in a high amount which include quercetin and kaempferol. Moreover, these antioxidants make quinoa to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous and anti-depressant properties.
Quinoa is a rich source of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber means what your body digest easily and support bowel movement. Also, soluble fiber reduces high blood pressure, high cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Since quinoa contains all essential amino acids, so it is a rich protein source of diet. Due to its high magnesium content, it can fight insomnia. Furthermore, being high in antioxidant, it neutralizes free radicals and helps fight aging and many other diseases. Also, it boosts metabolism. Being a rich source of fiber, it reduces appetite. In this way, it is also helpful in losing weight. (It provide you feeling of fullness). Hence, you can add quinoa as your healthy weight loss diet which has no harmful effects.
6 Delicious Recipes of Quinoa
1. Quinoa stuffed tomatoes
Evening hunger! You want to make something tasty and healthy for children. Let us try baked tomatoes stuffed with quinoa and a variety of delicious spices and cheese.
Recipe:
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
10 tomatoes
2 cups water
1-2 cup quinoa
oil/ ghee/ butter
1 tablespoon ginger–garlic paste
2 cloves
3 cardamom
Black pepper
Cheese
Turmeric
Some chopped parsley
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut each tomato from the top end in a circular motion. Also, remove the seeds from inside with a sharp knife so that it could be stuffed easily. Keep aside. Boil quinoa with water in a saucepan for 15-20 minutes in a low-medium heat.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Add cloves, cardamom and ginger-garlic paste. Sate well. Season with salt, turmeric, and pepper. Cook for two minutes. Also, add a little water to fry. Divide evenly so that all the tomatoes get filled with the mixture. Cover with foil and bake the tomatoes for 20-25 minutes. Decorate with mozzarella cheese.
Serve.
2. Quinoa- Broccoli Almond Slaw
Let us share healthy broccoli slaw Almond recipe with quinoa. You can eat it for breakfast, evening snacks, or can be packed in the lunchboxes.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
4-5 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 cup sliced almond
1 medium sized broccoli
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
2 cloves
3 cardamom
pepper, salt
Instructions:
Rinse the quinoa in a colander under running water. Continue rinsed quinoa with water and boil in a saucepan. Also, keep it in medium heat, let the water boil and simmer the heat until quinoa absorbs all the water. Set it aside to cool.
Roast almonds for 2-3 minutes to fry them in low heat. Slice the florets of broccoli into small pieces. Heat the oil in a pan. Add cloves, cardamom, pepper, ginger-garlic paste and lemon juice. Add broccoli and stir well.
Cook for 10-15 minutes with a little water. Add quinoa and mix it. Heat for 2-5 minutes.
Serve.
3. Veggie Beet- Quinoa salad
The best food for quinoa I prefer! It is healthy, colorful and nutritious. You can also make this dish with leftover Quinoa.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup Quinoa
1 medium sized raw beet
1 medium-sized carrot
1 avocado
1 tablespoon vinegar or lime juice
2 tablespoon honey syrup
Salt
Pepper
Instructions:
Rinse the quinoa in the colander under running water. Boil quinoa with 2 cups water and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Set it aside to cool. Roast the almonds in alow heat and stir frequently for 2 minutes until it turns golden brown and aromatic. Peel carrot and beet and chop them into small pieces or grate it on a box grater.
Take a large bowl and combine the roasted almonds, chopped beet, carrot, spinach (cubed), avocado. Add quinoa to the mixture and heat for 5 minutes. Season it with salt and sprinkle black pepper. Serve.
4. Quinoa Chicken
It is easy to prepare and quite delicious food for chicken lovers!
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cup chicken broth
1 cup quinoa
2 onions
2 cloves
Garlic
Ground chicken
Oil, salt, pepper
Instructions:
Take chicken broth and quinoa to boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to simmer. Add manageable water to it ( 2-3 cups). Also, heat until the chicken broth and quinoa becomes tender and absorb all the water. Set it aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Saute chopped onion and garlic paste in hot oil until it becomes golden brown, 5-10 minutes.
Add ground chicken to it and deep fry for 10 minutes. Stir cooked quinoa into the chicken mixture, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Serve.
5. Quinoa vegetable soup
Since this homemade soup is full of veggies, it is quite healthy for you and your family!
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
4 carrots
2 onions
Ginger-garlic paste
2 cloves
2 tomatoes
1 Bell pepper
3 Sweet potato
Squash
Kale
Beans
Celery
Lemon juice
water, salt
Instructions:
Chop onions, carrots, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, celery, squash, kale, beans and a pinch of salt and mix them in a bowl.
Warm oil in a pan. Add chopped vegetables and ginger-garlic paste. https://whitespools.com/ Saute in a low flame and add diced tomatoes.
Bring quinoa and add 2-3 cups of water to it. Cook for 25-30 minutes in the low heat and sprinkle black pepper.
Stir well. Add one tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Add some cheese to decorate it.
6. Corn quinoa
The best quinoa recipe I prefer for dining halls and lunchboxes!
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 medium onions
1 red pepper
1 celery
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups vegetable stock
1cup quinoa
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Instructions:
Chop onions, red pepper, celery, and vegetable stock and mix them in a bowl. Set aside. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add all the chopped vegetables. Then cook and saute for 5-10 minutes. Boil corns in a pan. Stir in quinoa with it. Also, simmer the heat for 15-20 minutes. Let quinoa and corn absorb all the water. Add more water if until quinoa becomes soft. Add cilantro, heat, and stir occasionally. At last, sprinkle black pepper.
Quinoa is a gluten-free super grain, rich in protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It also contains a small amount of omega-3 fatty acids which is a protective layer against many diseases including cancer. Being super healthy food, quinoa fight with many diseases and helps in weight loss. Other than these recipes of quinoa, you can make hundreds of dishes with it. Furthermore, it is quite tasty and mixes well with many foods. Although it depends on the type of quinoa, always rinse it in running water to remove the natural coating called saponin which can make it taste bitter.
Quinoa is found in almost every part of the world. Also, you can buy it from food stores and supermarkets.
You can add quinoa as your breakfast meals, lunches, and dinners. It may improve your blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Consequently, it is a versatile and delicious food. Quinoa contains lysine which is essential for tissue growth and repair. Being rich in manganese, quinoa is a super antioxidant. Hence, it helps to protect red blood cells and other cells from getting injured. Also, it boosts metabolism and helps in the production of energy.
