Vegetable Quinoa Spicy Patties with Mango Salsa – Light dinner and lunch box for the next day

A healthy outside starts from the inside. –Robert Urich 

There are so many grains that some of us have no clue about, but if  I can speak for all, Quinoa is not one of them.  Popular among the gluten free population, it’s a grain which looks simple and humble to being cute once cooked.  Packed with antioxidants and filled with fiber, these tiny grains gives a new meaning for power punch. If you want to learn about some new grains check out this LIST, it’s interesting.

I try to incorporate quinoa into our diets few times a week.   They are very adaptive. You walk around the web, browsing through recipes, and you can find that the uses for the grain is endless.  I wrack my brain every night for next day’s lunch box, don’t you??  This dish is a double whammy. Not only a quick dinner, stuff it in a pita bread with some salsa, voila you have the lunch ready too.

The days I get health conscious, these patties on a salad bed makes an appearance. When you have girlfriends over for lunch, this is a nice way to feed some of your super health conscious beauties.. Quite simple to whip up, loaded with vegetables, spiced up a bit, these patties are crispy on the outside, moist  inside with a lot of textures and flavors going around it.  Served with some fresh mango salsa atop arugula,  this is a light dinner and a good lunch along with a  Sorbet…and your friends will silently thank you for not loading them up with stuff…  Here goes this simple and healthy patty.

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Quinoa Vegetable Patty with Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

Quinoa                  – 1/2 cup
Potato                   – 1 boiled and mashed
Peas                      –  1/2  cup boiled
Carrots                  – 2 thinly sliced in quarters
Onion                    – 1/4 chopped finely
ginger/garlic paste   –   1 tsp
green chilly              –   1 finely chopped
pepper                   – 1/4 tsp
olive oil                  – 4 tbsp
salt to taste

Method:

1.  Wash quinoa and cook for 15 minutes until you see it sprouted, or as per instructions, drain all water.
2.  In a saute pan, add 1 tsp olive oil, fry onions for a minute.  Add ginger garlic paste and fry.  Add the sliced carrots, green chillies, and fry for 2 minutes and turn off the heat and let cool.
3.  In a mixing bowl, add the cooked quinoa, mashed potato, peas and the cooled onion/carrot mixture.  Add salt, pepper and mix well.
4.  In a non stick pan, add little oil, take 1/2 cup of mixture, shape it to disc and fry it in a pan. You can crowd the pan and let brown on both sides well on medium flame.  It takes about 3-4 minutes on each side.
Enjoy!!

Mango Salsa

Mango                   –  1 diced
Red bell pepper     –  1/4 very finely chopped
Onion                    –  1/2 medium finely diced
jalapeno                –  1 finely chopped
English cucumbers  –  1/2 finely diced
lemon juice            –  1 tsp
salt to taste

Mix everything together and  top it on the Patties.
ENJOY!!