Quinoa Kitchari

by: Jenny Griffith from Wild Vedic Living

J     

    January is a time most of us want to start eating clean now that the holidays are over. Kitchari is the ultimate cleansing dish. It's the perfect dish to help you get back on track. It is a complete protein ayurvedic meal that you can get creative with. It contains a protein (usually mung dhal) and some sort of carbohydrates (usually basmati rice because its the easiest to digest). Kitchari is great to cleanse with because it kindles the agni (digestive fire).  I make a giant pot of this and eat it for 3-4 days. It's cheap and tastes amazing. You can jazz it up choosing any grain or bean. In this particular recipe I chose quinoa as my grain and mung beans as my protein.

Benefits of Kitchari:

-balance metabolism

-blood and liver cleanser

-aids in weight loss

-Balances Vata, Pitta, and Kapha

Quinoa Kitchari Indian staple food that is a great cleansing dish and can be eaten at any time! CourseMain Dish Servings Prep Time 8 15min Cook Time Passive Time 1hour 115

Ingredients

• 1cup Mung Beans
• 1cup quinoa
• 3cups mixed veggiesI used sweet potato, zucchini, and broccoli, but you can choose any veggies you want!
• 1tbsp mustard seeds
• 1tsp cumin
• 2inches grated ginger
• 1tbsp turmeric powder
• 1tbsp fennel seeds
• 1pinch hing (optional)
• 2tbsp sesame oil or coconut oil
•  salt and pepper to taste
•  organic vegetable broth(optional) if you want to make it more soupy

Servings:

Instructions

1. Cook mung beans and 2 cups of water till boiling. Then cover with lid and cook on low for 40 minutes.
2. While beans are cooking, start your quinoa. I cook my quinoa in a rice cooker with 2 cups of water and it is usually finished within 20 minutes.
3. Dice and slice your veggies!
4. Prepare your tardka...this is getting your spices cooked slightly before you add the veggies into a large skillet. Put the stove on medium heat and add coconut oil, mustard seed and fennel. Cook till mustard seeds start popping and add veggies. Cook veggies on low-medium heat.
5. Stir veggies continuously. When the veggies look almost done add the rest of spices. (cumin, ginger, turmeric, hing)
6. When everything is finished cooking. Add everything together in a big pot and mix thoroughly. Option to add broth if you want it soupy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe Notes

Make your kitchari unique!

*Don't be afraid to use more spices!

*Saute your veggies in ghee if you want some flavor.

*Pour some coconut milk in if you want it to be richer.

*Throw in some organic bouillon cubes for an extra punch of flavor!