There are two foods I can't get enough of, one is kale and the other is Quinoa, not only because I love the taste of this ancient grain but because it's packed with protein, high in fiber, and it's gluten-free (barring any cross-contamination) according to Celiac.com.
If we're going the healthy route, personally,I prefer the taste and texture of Quinoa over brown rice, so to make traditional "fried rice" with Quinoa in lieu of rice is really fun in my book!
For the veggies, it is ideal to use fresh like from the produce department or from the farmer's market, but to make this recipe even easier, I went to the salad bar aka "the pre-cut vegetable bar" and got about a cup of peas, carrots, and corn all mixed together along with chunks of chicken.
I'm willing to pay the extra price for pre-cut veggies and pre-cooked meat because I love being able to just dump the contents into the pan...and yeah, I'm lazy that way - not afraid to admit that!
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked Quinoa
- ½ cup chicken or fried tofu cut into cubes (put more chicken or tofu in for more protein)
- 1/3 cup corn
- 1/3 cup peas
- 1/3 cup cut diced carrots
- 2 eggs (optional)
- 2 tbsp yellow onion diced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (Here's the difference between the two. I like tamari because it's less salty and you can find more gluten-free options to make this dish gluten-free.)*
- Olive Oil or Canola Oil for cooking
- Salt & pepper to taste
*To make the dish soy-free, gluten-free, vegan (if going tofu route), and non-GMO use Coconut Aminos from Coconut Secret. It's also low in sodium so you'll need to add a pinch or two of salt.
Let’s start creating:
- Cook the Quinoa first and let it stand and cool down.
- In a saucepan or wok, heat about 1 tbsp oil and then sautee the yellow onion until it gets soft. Add in the chicken with salt & pepper to taste, and stir until the meat is cooked.
- Add in the carrots, peas and corn and sautee with the chicken for about a 1-2 minutes.
- (option with eggs) Scramble the eggs in a cup and then pour in with the chicken, carrots, peas, and corn. Cook the eggs until they are like scrambled eggs you eat at breakfast. It is important to cook the scramble eggs before adding in the Quinoa. If you pour the raw egg onto the Quinoa, the Quinoa will get soggy.
- Pour in the Quinoa and then add the soy sauce or tamari. Mix well all ingredients together. Let cook in pan, stirring continually for about 1-2 minutes.
Put the Quinoa Chicken or Tofu "Fried Rice" on a platter and enjoy!
