spicy Spinach Quinoa for quick week day lunch or dinner !
If you have never tried Quinoa in Indian cuisine, here’s a wonderful recipe that you will love Spicy Spinach Quinoa. It is one of my best fusion recipes that I have tried so far. Quinoa is not common in Asian or Indian cuisine, but the nutritional benefits are so much better compared white rice or brown rice. So I have always been looking for the best spice combination that brings the best from Quinoa and also has the traditional taste from Indian cuisine. Spicy Spinach Quinoa does just that!
The dry texture from cooked Quinoa is typically good for salads. So I started looking for ways to make it creamier. So I tried a blend of spinach, tomato and cashews to make it creamy. More than the choice of vegetables it is the spice combination from cinnamon, cloves, turmeric and ginger that gives it an irresistible aroma.
I used a teaspoon of chili powder and  green chilies to suit my taste (7, on a scale of 1 to 10). You can try changing it a little to suit your preference. The dish hardly needs any prep time. So you can be done in 30 minutes or less 😉
Spicy Spinach Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1/2 cup spinach
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- Half tomatoes chopped
- 2 green chilies chopped
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 3-4 small piece cinnamon
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- 5-6 cashews optional
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- Salt
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa with 2 cups of water.
- Meanwhile, blanch the spinach and blend with tomatoes, ginger, cinnamon, chilies, cashews and about half cup water. Blend well and keep aside.
- Place a pan over medium heat. Sauté the cumin seeds in a teaspoon of coconut oil. After few seconds, add cloves and continue to sauté for few seconds.
- Add onions and continue to sauté until they are transparent.
- Add cauliflower florets, turmeric powder, chili powder, and crushed black pepper. Place a cover and let cook for 5-10 minutes.
- When the vegetables appear cooked, add in the spinach blend and stir well. Add salt to taste.
- When it starts to boil, add the cooked quinoa and stir well. Cover the lid for 5 minutes and let the quinoa blend with the gravy.
Nutrition
Now spicy spinach quinoa is ready to serve. Serve hot with a cold glass of plain or mango lassi! 🙂Â
Yum! I absolutely love the sound of that combination of spices and chillis, it would be absolutely perfect combined with the texture of the quinoa. To get even more fusion about it I’d even serve with crispy fried roti. Mouth is literally watering as I type. 😛 Thanks for sharing!
Thank you 🙂 yes I liked your idea too:)
That’s a very healthy bowl of quinoa Uma. Will have to try this some time. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Pavani! I am glad that you liked it:)
This sounds fabulous! I love quinoa, and this one sounds absolutely delicious. I love cumin and turmeric, and I am always looking for new ways to spice up my quinoa recipes. This is perfect! Thanks.
This sounds so good. I love spinach and quinoa. Perfect for a lite meal any day of the week.
Thank you 🙂
Pinned! I need more quinoa recipes. Thanks for sharing.
I don’t prepare quinoa nearly enough. Love all the veggies with little prep time! Perfect healthy weeknight meal.
Thanks Tara!
Such a healthy dish it is….
Yes it is thank you Soma!
Love your creative take on things. Saving this for later.
What a delicious quinoa dish! Love the spice!
Thank you Rebecca!
Oh, I love that there is cauliflower in there too! Sounds delicious…very flavorful!
Thanks Jenn 🙂
this sounds super healthy and delicious.
Indian flavors & quinoa, I’m in!
Always looking for great spinach recipes and just found a great one.
Yum, I am always looking for new ways to prepare quinoa. This sounds amazing!
This sounds really yummy! I’ll try it soon 🙂
Thank you Audrey!
Spinach, Spice, and quinoa. Say no more, I love it!
Ooh yum, I have never tried quinoa in an Indian dish before, but now I have to – this sounds amazing!!
Thank you Donna! Hope you will like it!
What a great way to pack the flavour into quinoa. It sounds delicious, especially with a mango lassi!
Thank you Mel!
Spicy Spinach Quinoa sounds amazing. I love having quinoa for dinner and will try your recipe soon.
Thank you Molly ?
Yum Uma! Love spinach and the use of quinoa in this! I make something similar, but need to try your version! Perfect easy and quick dinner!
Thanks Anjali! Definitely easy and quick meal 🙂
Love all of the bold flavors in this dish. I feel like I could convince my on the fence quinoa eaters to eat this!
Thank you Kelly!
never thought of combining these two but sounds great for a quick side 🙂
My new experiment and turned out very good:) a Thank you Dixya!
I would never have thought of using quinoa when cooking Indian. What a brilliant idea!