Un:Guilt Your Food | Butterfly Blue Pea Quinoa

I combine my understanding of ingredients and international cuisine, and my own exclusive technique to create gourmet dishes Butterfly Blue Pea Quinoa that is truly healthy (vegan, gluten free, almost no oil) that would be relished by Indian palates. I have been using this unique combination to create dishes that look spectacular and taste fabulous for my family for over 20 years and will share some of these treasures with you through a weekly column on HealthyGoodies Blog.

This week’s innovation is Butterfly Blue Pea Quinoa!

Such bountiful produce of flowers and fruits are accessible to us, we are spoilt for choice. Their beneficial properties just add so much to one’s health, and of course one can get creative making use of them!
I thought of using up the butterfly blue pea flower which gives such a vibrant color to the dish. Blue pea flowers are a rich source of antioxidants, which are known to minimize the damage to the cells of the body!

Quinoa is a flowering plant in the amaranth family. Its seeds are rich in fiber and protein, and are a fortified food!

Taste Bhi, health bhi: Fortified gluten-free, dairy-free meals are highly beneficial for our gut health !!

I have enjoyed creating this recipe and hope you all will enjoy it as much as I did!!

Recipe
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 tsp butterfly blue pea flower powder ( or 4-5 flowers )
Salt
2-Star anise

Topping
1 tsp oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in halves
1 Red pepper chopped into small squares
2 green chilies / jalapeños
2 tbsp Walnuts chopped
2 stems Spring onions chopped
1/2 tsp chili flakes
Salt

Method

• Boil the water in a small pan and add the pea flower powder /flower to it
  Add the star anise and the salt
• Now add the quinoa and let it cook for 2 mins and then lower the flame and close the lid and let it simmer till all water is consumed!
• Let it cool !
• In another pan heat the oil and toss the chilies and the tomatoes and the chopped red pepper
  Add the walnuts and lastly the spring onions
  Sprinkle in the salt and the chili flakes !

Platting
On a serving plate mould into a ring of heaped cooked and cooled quinoa, and top it with a generous amount of the tomatoes and pepper !!

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