Quick recipes for healthy diet: The colour-coded secret to meals loaded with minerals and vitamins

Walnut and wild berry smoothie bowl by Chef Sabyasachi Gorai

Looking for easy recipes for a healthy diet that comes loaded with all the essential nutrients and phytochemicals? You need a rainbow diet! Recommended by dietitians and nutrition experts, it includes adding a variety of multi-coloured foods in your diet daily, to ensure that your body gets the necessary vitamins to stay healthy.

Start with colour-coding your meals and try to include two to three different-coloured fruits or vegetables in each meal. This not only adds visual appeal but also prevents monotony by diversifying your ingredients. From antioxidant-rich reds like tomatoes, watermelon, and grapefruit to immunity-boosting greens like spinach and broccoli, each colour palette offers unique benefits. Don't forget the importance of incorporating vital whites and browns, such as garlic and onions, which provide valuable preventive and therapeutic nutrition to complete your meal.

Here are three easy-to-make, colorful, loaded with nutrition recipes, courtesy top chefs.

Walnut And Wild Berry Smoothie Bowl

By Chef Sabyasachi Gorai, Consulting Chef

Ingredients:For the smoothie: Milk, 600 ml; Mixed berries (frozen), 300 gm;  California walnuts, 80 gm;  Oats, 80 gm;  Small bananas, 4; vanilla (ground), 1 tsp

For the topping: Fresh berries, 1 handful; California walnuts, 4 tbsp; Raw cocoa nibs (or dark chocolate, 70 percent cocoa), chopped, 4 tsp

Method: Combine all the ingredients for the smoothie in a blender and puree until it has a smooth and creamy consistency / Fill the smoothie in a bowl, garnish with fresh berries, California walnuts, cocoa nibs and serve the pretty looking delightful bowl

Stone Wok Sticky Rice

By Chef Sudarshan Sawant, Sous Chef, Taj Santacruz, Mumbai

Ingredients:

For stir-fried rice: Boiled sticky rice, 150 gm; Diced carrot, 10 gm; Zucchini (Diced), 10 gm; Veg Aromat powder, 3 gm; Oil, 5 ml; Salt, 2 gm

For topping: Carrot, 10 gm; Zucchini, 10 gm; Pokchoy, 5 gm; Mushroom, 10 gm; Snow peas, 10 gm; Baby corn, 10 gm; Garlic slice, 5 gm; Shredded ginger, 10 gm; Coriander leaves, 4 gm; Dark soy, 5 ml; Sesame oil, 2 ml; Potato starch slurry, 10 ml; Salt, 2 gm; Sugar, 2 gm; Spring onion, 5 gm;

Method: Cut small dices of carrot and zucchini for the rice and keep it aside / Heat the wok in it. Add oil and dices of carrot and zucchini and sauté it. Add boiled stick rice and season it with salt, aromat powder  and toss it well / Place the rice in a stone bowl / For topping, blanch above vegetables, heat wok add oil sauté shredded ginger, slice garlic, coriander and shredded chilli. Add veg stock, dark soy and season it with salt, aromat powder, sugar. Add potato starch to thicken it to desired consistency /  Pour the prepared topping on top of the rice garnish with spring onion and ginger juliennes and serve hot.

Tataki Kyuri

By Chef Oishik Neogy, Roboto, Goa

Ingredients: Curing liquid; Light soy sauce, 130 ml; Fruit vinegar, 15 ml; Togarashi, 2 gm; Honey, 10 ml; Sesame oil, 10 ml; Rice wine vinegar,  10 ml; Ginger, 20 gm; Garlic, 20 gm; Scallion, 20 gm; English cucumber, 1 kg; Orange segments, 200 gm; Grapefruit segments, 200 gm; Mint, for garnish, Coriander oil, for garnish

Method: Cut the cucumbers in half, deseed, and pound them lightly using a mallet / Add the cucumber to the curing liquid and keep them overnight in the chiller /  Cut the cured cucumber, orange segment, and grapefruit segments into bite-sized pieces and arrange on a plate / Add the curing liquid over the cucumber and drizzle some coriander oil / Serve chilled.