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With winter at its peak, it is all about comfort food for most of us. Even people who limit their tea, coffee and sugar intake, don’t mind sipping on 1-2 extra cups. But this is how we tend to get through these chilly months. While the comfort food makes us feel good, it also makes us feel sluggish. The best way to bounce back is eating clean by filling our plates with more veggies. The sad truth though, is that we don’t find salads as appealing as we do during summer. To make things interesting, I have some nice warm winter salads to help you get the goodness of veggies in your meals and keep your belly satisfied.

1. Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

• Dried chickpeas (kabuli chana) – ½ cup soaked overnight
• Grated fresh turmeric – 2 tsp
• Grated ginger – 2 tsp
• Chopped green chili – 2 tsp
• Chopped green coriander – 2-3 tbsp
• Medium onion – 1 thinly sliced
• Small amla – ½ finely chopped
• Capsicum – ¼ cup finely chopped
• Boiled potato – 1 cut in cubes
• Tomato – 1 chopped
• Roasted sesame seeds – 2 tsp
• Ghee – 1 tsp
• Jeera – ¼ tsp
• Hing powder – 1 pinch
• Sea salt to taste

Method: Put soaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker along with grated turmeric, salt to taste & ¾ cup water. Let it cook for 4-5 whistles till it gets soft. Meanwhile, you can chop your vegetables. Now heat a nonstick pan on high flame, add 1 tsp ghee, jeera & let it crackle. Then, add the hing & boiled potato on high heat till crisp from all sides. Now combine steaming hot chickpeas, veggies & all other ingredients in a bowl & enjoy!

 2. Sweet Potato and Beetroot Salad

Ingredients

• Boiled sweet potatoes – 2
• Boiled beetroot – 1 medium
• Spring Onion – ¼ cup chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil or Sesame oil – 1 tsp
• Fresh coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
• Green chilly – 1 finely chopped
• Sesame seeds – 2 tsp
• Roasted pumpkin seeds – 1 tbsp
• Paneer cubes – 50 gm
• Sea Salt to taste
• Black pepper powder – ¼ tsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tsp

Method: Heat a nonstick pan over medium flame and grill paneer cubes over it. Add sweet potato, beetroot cubes and stir on high heat for a minute. Put the grilled veggies and paneer in a big bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and sesame seeds in a separate bowl and mix. Pour this mixture over the grilled veggies mixture. Now add chopped spring onions, green chilly & fresh coriander. Toss everything together and your sweet, tangy & crunchy salad is ready.

3. Sweet Corn Salad

Ingredients

• Sweet corn – 1 cup
• Chopped carrot – ¼ cup
• Chopped capsicum – ¼ cup
• Paneer – 100 gm
• Chopped onion – ¼ cup
• Roasted sunflower seeds – 2 tbsp
• Sea Salt to taste
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Cayenne/black pepper powder – ¼ tsp
• Freshly chopped coriander – 2 tbsp

Method: Boil sweet corn in a saucepan with some water. While your corn is boiling, grill your paneer in a nonstick pan. Strain water from corn and transfer it to a big bowl. Now add paneer, chopped veggies, lemon juice, salt & pepper & toss everything together. Enjoy a hot bowl of salad.

4. Kidney Beans Salad

Ingredients

• Boiled kidney beans (Rajma) – 1 cup
• Chopped red onion – ¼ cup
• Spring onion greens – ¼ cup
• Chopped tomatoes – ¼ cup
• Grated radish – ¼ cup
• Small amla – 1 finely chopped
• Grated ginger – 1 tsp
• Finely chopped garlic – 1 tsp
• Sea salt to taste
• Lemon juice – 1 tsp
• Chopped green chilly – 1-2 tsp
• Freshly chopped coriander – 2 tbsp

Method: Add boiled rajma while it is still hot (or reheat if boiled in advance) in a big bowl. Now add veggies, herbs, spices and mix everything together. Your protein rich salad is ready!

5. Fruity Nutty Salad

Ingredients:

• Pomegranate seeds – ½ cup
• Orange, Kiwi, Apple – 1 each
• Slivered Almonds – 7-8
• Walnuts – 4 chopped
• Roasted watermelon seeds – 1 tbsp
• Rock salt – 1 pinch
• Cayenne pepper – 1 pinch

Method: Peel the orange & cut into slices. Divide each slice in half. Cut the apple and kiwi into cubes. Combine all fruits in a bowl, sprinkle some salt, cayenne pepper and toss lightly (as vigorous tossing may let the juice of the fruits ooze out). Sprinkle nuts and watermelon seeds over your salad. It’s now ready to eat.

Highlights of the Winter Salads

• Most of these salads contain carbs, protein and good fats in the right proportions. Hence, they are great options for a snack or a healthy and light dinner.
• These winter salads are a good mix of warm and cold ingredients which don’t let you use winter as an excuse to skip salads.
• The ingredients in these salads keep you warm and improve your immunity during winter.
• They work as a great detox post the holiday binge as well

We hope you try these salads out! Your reviews are most welcome in the comment section below. If you tried any of these recipes, share a pic with us on your social media channels and tag GOQii! 

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