Lunch Recipes: 5 under 30 mins simple and healthy dishes for working professionals

Lunch is a meal that generally comprises of the traditional roti, sabzi, dal, and rice. And after a point, it not only gets monotonous but is also quite hectic to prepare. Moreover, it is difficult to prepare in a shorter span of time especially for working professionals who have to rush to work in the morning. Are you also a working professional and want to know recipes that you can make in a jiffy? Then you are at the right place. 

Talking to Pinkvilla, dietician Jinal Savla of Healthy Palate Clinic, revealed some of her exclusive lunch recipes with us. She said," I myself go through this every day & so I am sharing some of my personal favourite lunch recipes which are nutritionally balanced with the right amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, minerals & fibre & delicious as well.

ALSO READ: Breakfast Recipes: 5 under 30 mins healthy dishes working professionals can whip up

Lunch recipes: So, if want a change from the monotony & a quick fix to a healthy lunch, do try these:

1. ROASTED VEGGIE WRAP

Ingredients:

Barley flour – 1cup 
Basil (finely chopped) –2 tbsp
Olive oil – 1tbsp
Balsamic Vinegar and Dried Oregano – 1 tsp
Julienned Vegetables (red, yellow, green bell peppers, boiled corn, zucchini cup, Olives, jalepenos) – 1 cup
Grated Cottage Cheese (Paneer) – ½ cup
Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste
 
For The No BEAN HUMMUS

Chopped Zucchini – 2 cups
Sesame seeds – ½ cup
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Garlic clove – 1
Green olives – 6-8
Chilli flakes- 1 tsp
 
Method:

For the Roti:
Take a cup of barley flour (jau atta), add salt and knead the dough with warm water without oil. Then roll into thin rotis. Apply 1tsp ghee on the rotis once they are prepared and keep aside.(If you find it difficult to roll add some rice flour while kneading the dough)
 
For the No Bean Hummus: 

Blend all the above ingredients until smooth, refrigerate and serve chilled.
 
For the Wrap:

Heat olive oil in a pan/grill pan and toss all the vegetables, basil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, salt, pepper and paprika and sauté on a medium flame. Once cooked remove from the flame and set aside. On a freshly prepared barley roti add 1tbsp hummus, sautéed veggies and spread the evenly on the roti. Then roll the roti tightly and wrap it in a foil and serve cold or at room temperature.
Accompaniment: You may team this up with some fresh mint buttermilk as an accompaniment to make it a balanced meal.

2. ONE POT DAL 

Ingredients:

Tur Dal- ½ cup
Yellow Moong Dal (Split)- ½ cup
Chana dal (Bengal Gram Dal)- ½ cup
Udad dal- ½ cup
 Methi Leaves, roughly chopped- 50g
Spinach leaves, roughly chopped – 50g
Brinjal, diced- 2 small
Pumpkin, diced - 1 cup
Bottle gourd(dudhi)- 1 cup
Onions, thinly sliced- 1no.
Tomatoes- 2no.
Oil/ Ghee- 1tsp
Salt to taste
Water, as required
 
FOR THE DHANSHAK MASALA PASTE:

Garlic,cloves- 3no.
Ginger- 2 inch 
Green Chillies- 2no.
Whole Black Peppercorns- 1tsp
Cumin seeds (Jeera)- 1tsp
Cloves - 5no.
Cinnamon Stick – 1 inch
Coriander (Dhania) Seeds- 1tbsp
 
Method:

To make dhansak masala, grind all the ingredients mentioned under the list adding very little water to make a smooth paste. Keep the masala aside.(You may alternatively use packaged dhanshak masala available in the market to skip this process).
Then, wash and roughly chop all the vegetables. Pick fenugreek leaves & spinach leaves, pumpkin, brinjal, tomatoes & onions wash and chop them. Keep these aside. Soak all the 3 dal together for about 10-15 minutes. In a pressure cooker, heat ghee & Stir in the dhansak masala paste and cook until the raw smell of the paste is gone. 

Then, place all three dal, vegetables, fenugreek leaves and spinach leaves into the pressure cooker. Add salt, and 3 cups of water. Cover the pressure cooker and cook until you hear 2 whistles. After 2 whistles turn the heat to low and simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes and turn off the heat. 

Allow the pressure to release naturally from the cooker. Once the pressure settles down, open the lid of the pressure cooker and mash all the ingredients using a potato masher until all the dal and vegetables get a smooth texture. 

Then squeeze in the lemon juice and add in the chopped coriander leaves. Stir well and the Vegetable Dhansak is ready.

Serve it along with some red rice/brown rice or the rice that regional to where you reside & it’s a complete meal. 

 
3. BARLEY RISOTTO
 
Ingredients:

Barley, soaked - 1 1/2 cups
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Garlic, chopped - 1 tablespoon
Onion, finely chopped  -1 medium
Vegetable stock/milk - 3 cups
Red chilli flakes - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Crushed black peppercorns to taste
Parmesan cheese powder -1/4 cup
Spinach chopped- 1 cup 
 
Method:
 
Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add onion, mix and sauté till golden. Add the pearl barley, mix and cook for a minute.
Add vegetable stock, chili flakes, salt, and crushed peppercorns mix, cover and cook till the barley is done.
Add parmesan cheese and mix well. Switch off heat, add spinach and mix well.
Serve hot garnished with spinach.
Accompaniment:  1glass of fresh lime water with honey/jaggery.

4. QUINOA COCONUT CURRY WITH VEGGIES
 
Ingredients:

FOR THE QUINOA

Quinoa – ¾ cup
Water- 1 ½ cups
Salt, to taste

FOR THE COCONUT CURRY

Onion, sliced – 1no.
Carrots, diced- ¼ cup
Green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces – ¼ cup
Cauliflower, cut into small florets- ¼ cup
Potato, cubes- ¼ cup
Cardamom – 1 no.
Cinnamon stick- 1-inch stick
Whole Black Peppercorns- ½ tsp
Curry leaves-  5-6
Cloves - 2 no.
Ginger, paste- 2tsp
Green Chilli paste- 1tsp
Salt , to taste
Coconut milk- 2cups
Oil – 1tbsp

Method:

TO COOK QUINOA

In a pressure cooker, combine the quinoa along with salt and water and close the pressure cooker. 
Cook on medium-high heat from about 6 whistles. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally. Set aside. 
 
TO MAKE THE COCONUT CURRY

In a pressure cooker, heat the oil on medium flame, to this add the whole spices - cardamom, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns and cloves. Once the spices begin to sizzle, add the curry leaves and let them splutter. 
Next, add the ginger-green chili paste and saute for about a minute. 
Now add the sliced onions and saute until they turn translucent. This will take about 2-4 minutes on medium flame. 
Into the pressure cooker, add the carrot, beans, peas, potatoes and cauliflower.  To this add salt and about 1/4 cup of water and pressure cook for 1 whistle and turn off the heat.
Release the pressure immediately and open the pressure cooker, so it helps the vegetables remain fresh and retain its colours.
Into the cooker, add the pre-cooked quinoa and coconut milk and return to a flame. 
Bring the Coconut Quinoa Curry to a boil on medium-low heat and turn off the flame. Check the salt and adjust the consistency of the quinoa curry by adding water if required.
Once done, transfer the Coconut Quinoa Curry to a serving bowl and serve hot as a meal.

 
5. NUTRITIOUS AMARANTH PARATHA 
Ingredients:

Amaranth flour (Rajgira)- 1 cup
Sattu flour- 3tbsp
Pressure cooked & Mashed Sweet Potato/Yam- 50g 
Spinach leaves- 1 handful
Coriander leaves- 2tbsp
Mint leaves- 2tbsp
Ginger chilli paste- 1tbsp
Salt to taste
Ghee- 1tbsp

Method: 

Mix all the above ingredients & knead along with water to form a soft dough (cover &rest for 10 mins). Simultaneously boil the sweet potato/yam, cool & mash once cooked.
Now divide the dough into equal balls & keep aside.
Then take a rolling board & place a parchment paper over it. Take 1 ball & flatten it out. (You may alternatively dust some rice flour to roll the paratha if you do not have parchment paper)
Roll it very gently into a paratha. The edges may break as the dough is gluten-free & you may not be able to get a perfectly round shape. 
Next heat a tava on medium heat & gently lift the paratha & place it on the Tava, add ½ tsp of ghee & cook on both the sides.

Accompaniment: You can team this up with a bowl of fresh curd/raita to make it a nutritionally balanced meal.

NOTE: You may need to do some 10-15mins of pre-prep for you to be able to complete the recipes within the time span. The images used are only for representation purposes only.