Date Night Dinner with India Gate Quinoa

Date night dinners at home are always a mixed bag for me. Right from planning the menu and prepping the recipe to the final presentation – it involves days of stress. Not to mention the idea of loading up on all those calories that come with indulging in “cheat dishes” with your better half. This time around though, I decided to cut off on some stress makers and instead keep it simple, yet sweet.

I had heard a lot about quinoa and its benefits (it’s all over the internet really), but in my head, it was always something that salads are made of. Worse, I considered quinoa – a supergrain – as something bland and tasteless, which I would gladly avoid. But walking down the aisle at my local supermarket, I noticed the range of super grains by India Gate and picked up the trio – Quinoa, Chia Seeds and Flax Seeds.

Planning

Yes, I picked up the main ingredient quinoa, but I was yet to decide what non-salad item I can make out of it that was easy to prepare, didn’t take much time, and most importantly was delicious and healthy! I combed through multiple blogs and recipes on the internet that fit in my criteria and gladly settled on the easiest two – one main course and one dessert. Before starting with any quinoa based recipe, it is important to cook quinoa.

Prepping

I knew my recipes had to be simple, which means I kept them vegetarian, so I could save the time spent on cooking meat. The Quinoa Fried Rice incorporates a lot of veggies, which not only adds a lot of nutrients to the dish (keeping it healthy), but also gives a pop of color to a dish which would otherwise look very pale.

The Quinoa Chocolate Mousse on the other hand, apart from being creamy, sweet and indulgent (but in a healthy manner) is also vegan. So you can enjoy it guilt free.

Presentation

For the Quinoa Fried Rice, I used a few springs of coriander leaves to add some color and flavor. You can also add some soy and hot sauce if you feel the kick isn’t enough for you. Diced colorful peppers will also make a great garnish. I used my Ikea bowls to serve the rice. These are great for a single serving and sturdy enough to last date after date.

While I wanted to top the Quinoa Chocolate Mousse with raspberries, I couldn’t find any, so I settled with strawberries. But another great option would be coconut chunks. Just place them on top of the mousse and enjoy the crunch along with the cream. I bought these serving glasses from Ikea specially for this mousse. They are transparent, which means they are great for layering as well. Next I am going to make layered oats in these!

Did you try both these easy and quick recipes? Which recipe did you like the most? Tell me in the comments below!