A Month-of-Mediterranean: Quinoa "Fried Rice"

Sometimes you just have a hankering for some Asian tasting food, but delicious as fried rice might be, it’s never listed on a health food menu. But when you use quinoa as a su for rice, you are adding protein and more fiber than rice.

This versatile dish can be a side dish or vegetarian-with-eggs main dish. You can add  more animal protein like shredded chicken or pork for an even heartier main dish. I found this on the delish.com website. Lots of good stuff there!

Quinoa “Fried Rice” (serves 4)

1 cup quinoa, rinsed (follow package directions to remove bitter coating)

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 large eggs, whisked

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Green onions, sliced diagonally, for garnish

Cook quinoa with two cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes until the water is absorbed. Salt and toss with a fork. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion, garlic, carrot, and frozen peas and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add soy sauce and stir until combined. Add in beaten eggs and stir quickly so that they scramble, about 1 minute.

Add cooked quinoa and stir to distribute. Let heat through, about 3 minutes.

Drizzle with sesame oil, top with green onions, and serve immediately.

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up

“This is a really different texture than fried rice. It’s not mushy. I like the flavors, too.”

A Month-of-Eggs: Quinoa "Fried Rice"

This is the countdown. Today’s recipe and then four more days of eggy goodness.

We eat a lot of stir fry. Sometimes with a bit of leftover meat, but most often we just go vegetarian. As you know, one must be careful to ensure our bodies get complete proteins when we do that.

Fried rice along with the veggie stir fry does that. Beans and corn. Grains and cheese. Eggs and grain. Those are time-honored combos. With fried rice you get a grain with the complete protein of eggs.

When “fried rice” is made with quinoa, one of the so-called “super grains”, you have sealed the deal. You get twice the protein by swapping out quinoa for rice. We like this fried rice alternative for dinner with or without the stir fried veggies. It’s that good! Last night we had it as the entrée with some fruit.

When I made fried rice in the past, I would choose a better rice alternative like brown rice or basmati. But substituting in quinoa gives a whole new flavor and texture profile. I’m not sure I’ll ever do the traditional again.

This is a very fast recipe since quinoa cooks more quickly than rice. More time goes into the prep than the cooking! How great is that?

Quinoa “Fried Rice” (serves 4)

1 cup dried quinoa (see NOTE)

2 cups broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable)

3 tablespoon best-quality olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup peas, frozen

3 tablespoons soy sauce

4 large eggs, whipped frothy

3 green onions, sliced

Cook quinoa according to directions on the package.

In a large skillet, heat two tablespoons olive oil and add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until barely al dente then add garlic. Stir to incorporate.

Add in peas and soy sauce. Stir to mix thoroughly.

Add the remaining olive oil and immediately add in eggs. Stir continually to scramble the eggs with the cooking vegetables.

Add quinoa and mix thoroughly until heated through (just a few minutes).

Remove from heat and top with green onion slices. Serve immediately.

NOTE: Most quinoa requires that you rinse off the saponin coating prior to cooking. If you don’t, the quinoa is bitter. I buy Bob’s Red Mill quinoa which has been rinsed at their factory, so I just cook it. Much faster than doing the cleaning!

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up   He likes quinoa anyway and enjoyed this new way to eat it. He thought it a “very tasty” dish.