Crunchy Quinoa & Roast Aubergine Salad

Summertime calls for easy and fresh salads. Full of goodness and yumminess!  Here I bring you my new recipe made today.  Extremely healthy and incredibly tasty!  I am one happy lady!

INGREDIENTS

2 large cups quinoa cooked
1 aubergine
1 tin pinto beans drained
1 medium carrot grated
15 mini plum tomatoes quartered
Handful of coriander chopped
2 heaped tablespoons flax seeds

Dressing
6 tbsps olive oil
2 tsp whole grain mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
4 tbsp water

METHOD

I roasted the aubergine directly on the gas of my stove.  Very Indian style!  I kept the gas on low and kept turning the aubergine as it was slowly roasting.  When the skin wrinkled and the flesh was tender.  I removed it and let it cool down

Gently removed the skin and then cut the aubergine into small chunks

Placed in a large salad mixing bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients.  I then combined all thoroughly.  Lastly the dressing was added and infused in

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Purple Majesty Potato Salad

This is the first time I have cooked and tried the Purple Majesty Potato. I can see after eating it why it is classed as royalty! It really has an earthy taste and sweetness that makes it quite special!

It is extremely good for you and is naturally high in healthy anthocyanin, an antioxidant which gives blueberries and blackberries it’s intense colour. Bursting with flavour and full health benefits you can’t go wrong!

I teamed the steamed potato up with some raw white cabbage in an “Indiany lemony” dressing. This way you get a sharp tangy and refreshing taste yet a crunchy texture!

INGREDIENTS

Half cabbage sliced into strips
4 medium purple majesty potatoes steamed
pinch of turmeric
pinch of asafoetida
Salt to taste
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

METHOD

• In a large mixing bowl,  combine all ingredients and toss the salad to coat on the dressing

• Leave to marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes and then you’re good to go!

A Healthy Coleslaw?? Yes!!! With Yoghurt!

After I had my little one, I always fancied something different to eat. I was pleasantly surprised when my sister-in-law sent her healthy version of coleslaw. Not your typical slaw with mayonnaise but made with refreshing yoghurt and the coriander!!! Oh! the coriander! Gives it an Indian twist which makes it a great accompaniment with Indian food.

I loved it so much that I had to make it and share it! My husband wanted to have something masalafied with it, so requested a spicy chickpea and potato curry. All the flavour combinations married well. A beautiful dinner and most importantly a gorgeous coleslaw from my sister-in-law! Thank you x

INGREDIENTS

1 medium cabbage
2 peeled carrots
small bunch of fresh coriander
500g natural mild yoghurt
Salt to taste
1 Green chilli finely chopped (optional)
½ cup water

METHOD

• Grate the cabbage and carrots and put into a large mixing bowl, throw in the coriander

• Stir in the yoghurt and water. Season with salt and add chilli at this stage if you wish

• Combine thoroughly until you get a coleslaw consistency

• Chill in the fridge until your ready to serve

Inspired Tabouleh

I finally got my hands on some Quinoa and am so happy to have made it this year. As The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has officially declared that the year 2013 be recognised as “The International Year of the Quinoa.”

I also had to make it after seeing Sylvia @ Superfoodista version of Faes @ Twist and Tango tabouleh. Both these fellow gorgeous foodie bloggers inspire me everyday! And I just love their recipes!

I didn’t have mint or parsley so used fresh coriander in its place. I must say it worked splendidly! Gave the tabouleh more of an Indian feel. My husband and I have liked this so much that we’ve now had it two days in a row!

INGREDIENTS

50g Quinoa
200ml boiling water
3 spring onions chopped finely
1 tomato finely chopped
Handful of fresh coriander chopped
Fresh lemon to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of chilli powder
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar

METHOD

• Bring the quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan, then lower to a simmer and cover, cook for 15-18 minutes until tender

• Once cooked drain the quinoa and leave aside

• Combine the rest of the salad and seasoning together with the oil and lemon juice. Mix well and then add the quinoa

• Leave for 30 minutes to marinate and serve with some pitta bread or in our case we had some whole grain crispbread with golden bits of shallow fried halloumi cheese

Fae’s wonderful original tabouleh recipe
Superfoodista’s super healthy tabouleh recipe

Replace the cous cous, make it more diabetic friendly!

Cous cous and me ~ never really went together until very recently. I wanted to produce a healthy yet filling salad and needed quinoa in this recipe, but unfortunately my local store did not have any so I resorted to cous cous instead.

I was pleasantly surprised! I managed to dress it up with great fresh ingredients plus a tangy yet pungent mustard and olive oil dressing. The lemon in the dressing refreshed the simple cous cous, the mustard and garlic gave it that punch to vitalize all the salad ingredients!

I opted for QUINOA initially as I wanted to add this salad dish to Priya’s amazing sugarfree sweetheart blog as it is

Couscous is not an unhealthy food, but it lacks the fiber, B vitamins, and minerals found in whole grains such as barley, bulgar, and quinoa. These whole grain foods also have a lower glycemic index which is healthier for diabetics

So on that note I would replace the cous cous with the whole grains mentioned above as I first intended to make it diabetic friendly!

Is Couscous Healthy then? It’s has a decent source of thiamine and niacin – and is an excellent source of the antioxidant mineral selenium. On the plus side, it is fat-free and a decent source of protein, with a full cup of cooked couscous containing six grams of protein!

So either way still healthy with the vitamins from the salad ingredients plus the iron from the baby spinach

INGREDIENTS

12 cherry tomatoes halved
½ cucumber chopped into fine quarter chunks
2 big handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves
1 cup cous cous
1½ cups water

Dressing
4-5 tbsp olive oil
1½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove crushed
¼ tsp English mustard
½ tsp dried oregano
Pinch of salt

METHOD

To cook the cous cous ~
• Boil the water, add the cous cous grains and simmer on a medium-low heat for 5 minutes

• Turn off the heat, cover and let it cook in its own steam for a further 10 minutes

For the dressing ~
• Put all the ingredients together and combine well, making sure that the mustard especially has emalgamated with the olive oil

• Place all the chopped salad vegetables into a large mixing bowl, add the cooked cous cous and drizzle in the mustard and olive oil dressing