If you want to stay fit, lifestyle change is a must. Making smart eating choices is very important. So I have started the year with an array of Detox Recipes. Try these recipes: these will only do good to your body, apart from the fact that these recipes are super easy to make. So don’t postpone by pulling the same old story, “I will start eating healthy from February, etc.” Just begin your daily detox right now with these handpicked healthy recipes straight from Cosmopolitan Currymania’s kitchen!

If you liked slurping away my blissful Detox Smoothie which I posted last time, this healthy quinoa recipe would amaze you too! Both these recipes (and a few more, to be published soon) were published in Being Woman magazine, November 2014 issue.

So admit it: all of us need detox at regular intervals. Post holidays, it makes all the more sense because by adhering to a detox diet, you are cleansing your body of the toxins that stimulate cravings. A detox diet also helps in strengthening the internal organs and works well to improve digestion. Pollution, pesticide and stress have more or less percolated into each one of our lifestyles and the “tell-tales” are our bodies themselves. Arthritis, diabetes, joint pain, high blood pressure and obesity can be tacked in a simpler way when you cleanse the body from within.

Non-gluten or gluten-free grains are excellent for detox. These grains include brown rice, millet, teff, tapioca, buckwheat, amaranth, potato flour and quinoa. Unsweetened fruits and diluted fruit juices are great, and so are the vegetables in their raw, steamed, sautéed, juiced or roasted avatars.

My easiest and cheapest way to detox? Drink lots of water, cut down on oil and fat and practise portion control! But along with these, we need healthy and thoughtfully planned food with it to make it a complete detox meal. “Food” has the power to detoxify the system. Make the best use of it!

Six reasons to try this gluten-free, detox recipe:

• Quinoa is rich in proteins. In addition, its calcium content is very high and is often consumed as a non-dairy source of calcium. It is a very good source of iron and vitamin E.

• Pumpkin is beneficial for the spleen, kidneys and stomach. It is said to stabilise a hyperactive foetus too! Pumpkin is high in potassium and sodium and is a good source of vitamins B and C.

• Beetroot is rich in iron. It purifies blood and strengthens the heart. It is an effective liver detoxifier.

• Tomato is used to treat anorexia and it is a great liver stimulant. Rich in beta-carotene and lycopene, these are anti-cancer wonders.

• Pine nuts are good for the eyes because of the presence of vitamin A and lutein. They contain monounsaturated fats, which are great for the proper functioning of the heart. These are rich in vitamins C and D, as well as iron.

• Lettuce is rich in vitamins A and C. Leafy greens consumed raw, are excellent for detox!

Print Recipe

Detox Quinoa Salad with Roasted Veggies

Ingredients

• Quinoa: ½ cup
• Apple Cider Vinegar: 2 tbsp
• Extra virgin olive oil: 1 tbsp
• Pure honey: 2 tbsp
• Dijon mustard: 1 tsp
• Vegetable or Chicken stock: 1 cup
• Salt: ½ tsp
• Pumpkin cubed: 1 cup
• Beetroot cubed: ¾ cup
• Sea salt mixed with dried oregano for sprinkling: ½ tsp
• Freshly ground pepper: ¼ tsp
• Toasted pine nuts: 2 tbsp
• Kiwi fruit sliced: 1
• Cherry tomatoes halved: around 8
• Lollo Rosso lettuce roughly chopped: handful

Instructions

• Soak quinoa for 20 min. Bring the vegetable or chicken stock to a boil. Add the soaked quinoa. Simmer the flame and add ½ tsp salt. Boil for around 10 min, until all the stock is absorbed and the quinoa is tender and chewy. You will know that the quinoa is perfectly done, when white rings will appear on the outside of the puffed up grains. Remove the quinoa from heat.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-forced). Line the baking tray with baking paper. Place pumpkin and beetroot separately on the tray. Sprinkle the sea salt mixed with dried oregano. Drizzle olive oil. Season with pepper. Bake for 35 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Remove the beetroot and pumpkin separately in two small bowls.
• For the salad dressing, simply combine the Apple cider vinegar, honey and Dijon mustard.
• In a salad bowl, combine the cooked quinoa with the lettuce, pine nuts, roasted pumpkin and beetroots, kiwi fruit slices and halved cherry tomatoes. Add the dressing and combine well.