Fried 'Rice'

I loooooove Chinese food, but it does not love me so much. Pretty much enter food coma mode immediately after eating it and have indigestion for about a day after. Good times (and possibly a TMI). So, when I saw this recipe for fried 'rice' quinoa I knew I had to give it a whirl. It is pretty darn delicious, and an actual close match in taste too. I never go into a 'healtified' version of something delicious thinking it will taste the same, I just hope that it will satisfy the craving in some way. This recipe did both! Try it and let me know if you agree.

Recipe:
Fried 'Rice' Quinoa (original recipe from Cooking for Keeps)

1c quinoa
2c low sodium chicken stock
1/4c sweet onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 t ginger
1T olive oil
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/2c frozen peas, thawed
1 1/2T Teriaki sauce
2 1/2T soy sauce
3/4t sesame oil

Thoroughly rinse quinoa. Place quinoa in a large sauce pan with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium and cover. Cook for 10 minutes or until all stock is gone. Remove from heat, fluff quinoa with a fork, and cool.

In a small bowl, combine the Teriaki sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat 1/2T olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add onion and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook another 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 1/2T olive oil and the quinoa. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add sauce and stir-fry until incorporated. Make a well in the center of the pan. Add eggs and scramble. Throw in the peas and stir-fry until everything is incorporated and warm. Enjoy!

*I think next time I may add pork since my favorite fried rice is pork fried rice.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Time for another dose of quinoa! I actually made this one for Teeners and fam when I was in Seattle and I believe is went over pretty well. Spreading the word about quinoa! This one reminds me of a real Greek salad plus some quinoa.

Recipe:
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

1 1/2c quinoa
1 lb chicken tenderloins, cut in very small pieces
2T Greek salad dressing
1 cucumber, diced
1 container cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4c red onion, diced
1 pkg feta cheese
1/2c olive oil
2T lemon juice
salt
freshly ground pepper

Thoroughly rinse quinoa. Place in sauce pan, add 3c water. Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 min or until there is no water remaining. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and set aside to cool.

Place the Greek dressing and chicken in a skillet. Saute until thoroughly cooked through.

Combine cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and feta cheese in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Mix the quinoa and chicken into the large bowl. Pour olive oil mixture over the salad and toss to coat. Enjoy!

Quinoa Tex-Mex Salad with Shrimp

Alright people, unless you've been living under a rock you've probably heard of quinoa. It's been the center of a pretty big health craze recently, and for good reason. According to wiki (where we all know everything is true); "Nutritional evaluations of quinoa indicate that it is a source of complete protein. Furthermore, it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is also a source of calcium." And since the UN has named 2013 the "International Year of Quinoa" I've gone a little crazy with the quinoa recipes. I'll start here with one of my favorites, a sort of Tex-Mex salad with some shrimp thrown in there. I pretty much love this flavor combo. Give it a whirl and hopefully learn how delicious quinoa really is.

Recipe:

Quinoa Tex-Mex Salad with Shrimp (original from the Tasty Kitchen Blog)

Ingredients:

1 1/2c uncooked quinoa

1 14oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14oz can corn, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 jalapeño chili peppers, diced
1/4c chopped fresh cilantro
1/4c chopped sweet onion
1lb peeled deveined shrimp

Dressing:
5T fresh lime juice
1t salt
1 clove garlic, diced
1t cumin
1/4c chopped fresh cilantro
1/3c olive oil
fresh ground pepper

Thoroughly rinse the quinoa to remove the bitterness. Place the quinoa in a sauce pan with 3c water and some salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cover. Cook for 15min or until the water has completely disappeared. Set aside to cool

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, red bell pepper, jalapeños, cilantro, and onion.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour about 1/4c of it into a skillet. Toss the shrimp in the dressing in the skillet. Cook the shrimp until all are opaque. Mix the shrimp in with the other ingredients in the large bowl.

Add the quinoa to the large bowl and toss to mix well. Add the last of the dressing to the large bowl and toss to coat. Enjoy!