Quinoa Beetroot Risotto Recipe By Vana

This quinoa betroot risotto recipe is one of Vana's most loved, winter dishes. This recipe, like all at Vana, has been developed in consultation with their ayurvedic doctors. Find out more about the recipe and how to make it for yourself at home below.

The Beet Generation

Both quinoa and beets belong to a family of plants that are related, and which grow best in the winter. Therefore, cooking and eating this recipe in this season is one step to aligning the self with nature. For this recipe, and all through winter, Vana recommend using the freshest beets possible. They consider beets to be small miracles that are amazing for the heart and blood circulation.

Cool As Quinoa

This recipe is both delicious and extremely nutritious, thanks largely to Vana's replacement of pasta with quinoa. Quinoa is an ayurvedic superfood or a ‘triodoshik,’ which pacifies all three doshas (vata, pitta, kapha). Eating quinoa, especially in the winter, allows one to maintain healthy low blood sugar levels, while providing more satisfaction and fullness compared to wheat or rice. Quinoa is also very high in magnesium, which is super important food to maintain healthy blood pressure levels.

The Recipe:

Ingredients:

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add garlic and onion, stir with a spatula till the onions turn translucent. Add the diced beetroot, fresh chopped thyme, and sauté for two to three minutes.
2. Add the cooked quinoa, beetroot puree, sea salt and pepper. Mix well and keep stirring over a low flame. After the quinoa reaches a risotto-like consistency, you can add the grated parmesan cheese if you wish. Skip this step if you’d like to keep the recipe vegan.
3. Remove the mix from the flame, give a nice stir, and keep warm.
4. In a separate pan, heat a few drops of oil and sauté the green peas with a small pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle the cooked peas on top of the risotto.
5. In the same pan, sauté the beetroot wedges with a little salt and pepper. Arrange the cooked beets on top of the quinoa risotto.
6. Finish with a generous handful of crumbled feta cheese (again, this is optional)

About Vana:

Set in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, Vana is an all healing and nourishing wellness sanctuary created by Veer Singh, a perfectionist with exacting standards. It offers the very best in traditional Ayurvedic, Chinese and Tibetan healing and is the ultimate place to go if you are running on empty and searching for better physical and mental health. The best of the best.