Ingredients:

Chicken     with bone- 4 pieces/ boneless -100 gms
Carrot        1  (Baton cut)
Beetroot    1 (chopped)
Onion        1 (cut in quarters)
Honey       1 tsp
Garlic        3-4 crushed
Olive oil   1 tsp
Yoghurt    1 cup
Quinoa     1/4 cup
Sesame seeds   2 Tbsp
Lemon juice      Half a lemon
Salt to taste


Method: 

1. For chicken with bone, boil it in a pan with 3-4 crushed garlic, 1 inch grated ginger and one small onion cut in quarters
2. Boneless chicken can be cut into small chunks and used directly
3. Heat olive oil in  a pan and add 2 crushed garlic
4. Add the carrot and onion and fry for 5 minutes
5. Next add the chicken and cook till chicken is done (when adding raw boneless chicken, for boiled chicken just stir around for a minute)
6. Add the lemon juice and honey and mix well
7. Boil the quinoa in another pan with half cup water till all the water is absorbed by the quinoa
8. Mix the quinoa with the chicken and veggies in a bowl
9. Fry the beetroot with onion in a pan till it is done
10. Mix 2 crushed garlic and the cooked beetroot with yoghurt for the dip
11. Dry roast the sesame seeds till brown and garnish on salad and the dip

​Note: I have talked about the health benefits of quinoa in an earlier recipe. It is on the list of 12 superfoods published by Harvard Medical. Need I add more? Chicken gives you Protein, Vitamin B complex and Selenium. Carrots are rich in Vitamin A and Biotin (good for that thinning hairline). Beets are highly nutritious with multiple health benefits of reducing blood pressure, fighting cancer and reducing inflammation. Remember, the more variety of colours (of fruits and vegetables) on your plate, the better!

Yoghurt is again a superfood which should be had everyday. It has numerous benefits not least amongst which is aiding digestion!

You might think that this recipe is too complicated with too many separate steps but in reality those steps are really simple like boiling, mixing, lightly frying and cutting vegetables in big pieces which really reduces the cooking time.

Ingredients:

Quinoa- 1/4 cup
Onion- 1 (sliced longitudinally)
Tomato-1 (sliced longitudinally)
Black Pepper powder- 1 tsp
Mixed herbs- 2 tbsp
Mint leaves- 1 tbsp
Chicken- 100 gms (boneless)
Butter- 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice- Half a lemon
Salt to taste
Olive oil

Method:

1. Wash the quinoa well and boil it with double the amount of water. The quinoa gets done when all  the water is absorbed and it becomes transluscent.
2. Cut the chicken into small pieces and fry in butter and olive oil with salt, pepper and mixed herbs.(Put half the pepper and mixed herbs)
3. Mix everything together in a bowl and serve.

Note: Quinoa is more than a fad. It has been declared a superfood by Harvard Health. It is rich in protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Quinoa's nutty flavour is easily absorbed by many rice dishes and salads. I love quinoa tabbouleh because of the laziness involved in making it. The seed can be surprisingly filling and you can get on by making small portions. Adding chicken enhances the protein content. 

 Ingredients:

For Chicken Tikka
Boneless chicken-  150 grams
Curd /yoghurt-2 Tbsp
Red Chilli powder-1 tbsp
Garam Masala-2 Tbsp
Gram Flour/Sattu-2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Brown Bread- 4 slices
Eggs- 2
Tomato (chopped) - 1 tsp
Onion (chopped)- 1 tsp
Capsicum (chopped) - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Cut the chicken into small pieces (kebab size).
2. Mix all the ingredients of the marinade with the chicken.
3. Keep the marinated chicken in the fridge for at least two hours. 
4. Fry the chicken in the tawa on both sides with ghee brushed on the side (first on high heat and then medium heat).
5. Cut the cooked chicken into thin slices.
6. Spread a bit of butter on a slice of brown bread and toast on the frying pan.
7. In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, salt, onion, tomato and capsicum. 
8. Put oil in the pan and add  2tsp of egg mixture
9. Add some sliced chicken on top of the egg
10. Put a bread slice face down over the egg  immediately so that the edges of the bread sticks to the egg sealing the chicken between the bread and egg.
11. Fry till egg is done turning over the bread if required

Note: This is a high-protein, low-carb recipe since chicken and eggs are both rich in proteins. Eggs being rich in nutrients-Vitamin B complex, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Selenium, Iodine, Folate and Biotin-are always a healthy option to include in any recipe. Chicken is the richest source of lean protein.

Tip: Even though this recipe seems cumbersome, having to make the chicken tikka kebab separately, actually you can keep the chicken tikka kebab made in the fridge (either in marinated form or cooked) and use it in a variety of recipes  which I will soon be sharing. 

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour -3/4 cup
Sorghum (Jowar) Flour- 1/2 cup
Finger millet (Ragi) Flour-1/4 cup
Salt - 4 tsp
Sesame seeds-2 Tbsp
Flax seeds-2 Tbsp
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) -5 sprigs
Green chillies (finely chopped) OR Red Chilli Powder- 2 tsp
Olive oil 4-5 Tbsp
Water -1/2 cup

Method:

1. Slightly roast the sesame seeds till they start to brown and grind in mixer. You can aslo keep them whole.
2. Grind the flax seeds in mixer without roasting.
3. Add all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. 
4. Add the oil and knead with finger.
5. Add water and knead into a dough. Let the dough rest for 15 to 30 mins.
6. Roll dough and cut into round shapes with a cutter.
7. Pre heat oven in convection mode at 180 C for 4 mins.
8. Bake at 160 C for 15-25 mins or till the edges turn slightly brown. 
9. Cool them on a rack and  store in air tight containers.  

Tips: You can use whole Sorghum in this recipe. After washing the Sorghum, dry roast it in a pan for about 5 minutes. Put it in a mixer and grind to powder.

For the cutter, I use aluminium cup-cake moulds which gives a nice pattern to the edges. Be creative and use anything suitable!

The dough is a little difficult to roll and you need to use oil. Don't aim at rolling very thin.

Note:  A lot of multi-grain biscuits that get sold in the market are not really healthy since they contain flour, oil and preservatives. This recipe makes use of healthy grains and seeds that have multiple benefits (like sesame seed, flax seed, finger millet and sorghum). It is a snack that keeps you full for a long time thanks to the complex carbohydrates present in the grains. Great for your weight loss diet!

I eat these with green tea in place of regular biscuits. Or just munch on them when I get hungry in between meals. They can be stored upto a month when kept in an air-tight container.