This delicious and healthy stir-fried quinoa recipe is a staple in our house.
It’s SO GOOD. If you’re looking for a healthy, satisfying, super easy dinner to throw together quickly during the week (you know, when you’ve been going non-stop with work and have no time), this quinoa recipe is for you.
It’s also really freaking good for you.
Just how healthy is it? Let’s break it down:
- It’s vegan! Yup, I’m vegan. I have been for about 5 years now, and I’m never going back. I absolutely believe that a plant-based diet is the healthiest — but I also respect that we’re all different and it’s not my place to tell anyone else how to eat. However, I have to say, my energy levels are off the charts now that I eat only plants and I feel so much better. I mean, we all know we should eat more veggies, right? So an all-plant-based meal now and then is a great way to start to add more nutrition into your diet. Oh, but what about protein? I swear I might explode if I hear this question one more time. Here’s the answer:
- This has SO MUCH PROTEIN. Did you know broccoli has 4.2 g of protein per serving? Yes, plants have protein, too! And the real star of this recipe is the quinoa.
- Quinoa
(pronounced keen-wah) is actually a seed that can be cooked (and tastes like) a grain. 1 cup of it has 8 grams, more than an egg. The best part? Quinoa is a COMPLETE protein, meaning it has all the essential amino acids our bodies need to get from food because they cannot produce it on their own. Meat is also a complete protein, and meat eaters like to use this as an argument against veganism. Many vegetables on their own are not complete, but you just have to be smart and eat a balanced diet. For example, beans and rice individually are not complete proteins, but if you eat them together they contain all the amino acids you need and so combined are a complete protein. Quinoa is just awesome because it’s one shot-one kill, giving you all the amino acids in one go.
- This recipe is also Gluten-Free. I’m not Celiac, but I choose to eat gluten-free because I have digestive issues if I eat gluten and, you know, I prefer to not be bloated. This quinoa recipe is great for anyone gluten-sensitive.
- It has alllll the vegetables. As many as you want, in fact!
Now, today’s post is extra special, because I’m bringing on board a guest blogger: Matt, otherwise known as my husband.
Why? Well… I need to be honest with you guys. I love healthy food and am passionate about nutrition… but I’m just the worst cook. I’m sure Matt has a folder somewhere of all the screenshots he’s saved of text-message exchanges with me where I’m panicking over some idiotic kitchen crisis. I’ve been known to overcook frozen french fries, turn a stew inedible, and burn just about everything I make to the bottom of the pan.
Matt, on the other hand, is actually an incredible cook, and has far more patience than I, so it’s for both our sanity’s sake that he’s taken over the cooking duties in our house. I’m so grateful. And I gotta tell you guys — he feeds me like a queen. I’m completely spoiled at this point — like my dogs, who now immediately sit behind you when you make a smoothie because Matt always lets them lick the almond butter spoon.
At least we’re all well-fed.
Matt created this quinoa recipe, so I wanted him to be the one to tell you how to make it.
I can also attest that this quinoa recipe is actually something I can successfully make. It’s super easy. Trust me, if I can cook this, you can, too. So it’s just ideal.
Anyway, I’m going to let him take over now. Enjoy guys!
Hi everyone! I’m Matt, Amy’s husband/head cook of the house, and today we’re gonna learn how to make some bomb-ass quinoa.
If I were a food blogger, this is where I would tell a long and rambling four page story (constantly interrupted by pop-up ads), replete with enormous photos that take more time to load than the food takes to cook. Before I ever got around to telling you what you were cooking, you’d endure a Gilgamesh-length saga about how my semester abroad a decade earlier found me sweltering in the Mediterranean, nostalgic for the Fall, and reminiscing about quiet days on Lake Woebegone with my Grandpappy and coming home to Grandmama’s Tuscan Squash Medley.
Yeah, no.
I’m going to be giving you directions on how to make a Veggie Quinoa Stir-Fry.
So no story. And I’ll get to the ingredients and directions in a heartbeat. But I will offer a few guidelines about cooking and preparation first, mostly to convey that you can and should adapt this recipe to suit your tastes.
To me the mark of any really great recipe is its adaptability. Recipes that let you wildly adjust the flavor profile, heat index, hell even the ingredients you use… they’re more than just fun — they’re useful. In the real world our cravings and what we have available in the fridge can and do change from day to day. My wife is a spice fiend… except on those random days where she’s not. Bell peppers are my favorite veggie to throw in just about anything, but sometimes I also want to just clear out the produce drawer in the fridge and get everything we have cooked and on a plate.
Really great cooking is freewheeling and experimental art — it isn’t chemistry or a complicated math problem. If those are your jam, try baking. But if you’re a fan of improvisation then the stovetop is your stage to rock out on.
For the quinoa recipe template I’m about to give you, remember that it’s just that: a template.
If you have a low spice tolerance, consider omitting the red pepper flakes, or add them later on instead of sauteing them into the oils. Big fan of ginger? Double the amount you use. Hate asparagus? Cool, throw some snow peas in instead. There are very few wrong ways to cook a meal like this. (Like say, overheating the oils and burning the garlic/ginger; then serving that to the people you love to your eternal shame. That is most definitely the wrong way. Amy’s Note: This is me.)
Go over it once, think about the tastes you tend to like, and plan out your tweaks in advance. For this quinoa recipe in particular I find it’s a lot of fun to make this on a day I’m going to the farmers’ market in the morning and wing it based on the fresh veggies I can pick up. Have fun, and bear in mind this can make a healthy amount of leftovers.
Ingredients:
Makes at least 4-6 servings
- 3 Cups Quinoa
- 3 Cups Water or Low-Sodium Veggie Broth
(Broth gives the quinoa a more savory flavor, water keeps the flavor more neutral and brings the nutty flavor of the quinoa forward.)
- 1 Tbsp Refined Coconut Oil
- 1 Tbsp Peanut Oil
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
(You can play with the proportions of the oils to suit your tastes. I personally like reducing the Sesame in favor of a little more coconut oil at times.)
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp Grated Ginger
- 1 Bunch Green Onions (Separate green from white. Mince the onion whites and chop the greens.)
- 3 Large Carrots, shaved into 2-3 inch strips
- 1 Bunch Asparagus, snapped/cut into 2 inch stems
- 1 Medium Head of Broccoli, chopped into nickel-sized pieces
- 2 Bell Peppers, any color (I recommend 1 Green and 1 Red) chopped into nickel or quarter-sized pieces
- 1/3 cup Tamari Sauce
- 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
- Optional Veggies: Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Snow Peas, Mung Bean Sprouts, Diced Radishes, Sliced Cucumber…go nuts! Add whatever you want! (Crisp and firm veggies tend to work best — squash like zucchini can produce mixed results.)
Before you get started, always take a breath and plan out the sequence of events in your mind. Then get ready to go to attack this noise.
Begin by pouring your dry quinoa onto a large frying pan and cranking up the heat till the shells start cracking. (Did you know you’re supposed to do this with quinoa? YEAH. Makes a difference.) Don’t be a punk and burn it. Once the majority of the quinoa has popped and there’s a nice aroma in your kitchen, pour the quinoa into a strainer and rinse with water.
Once you’re done with this, put the quinoa and the water/veggie broth into a medium saucepan. Bring to a slow boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low and cover for about 15-20 min.
You’re going to chop up your veggies now while the quinoa soaks up the liquid, but check in on it and stir it periodically. The goal is to have all the fluid absorbed, but not burn the quinoa. If you’re still prepping vegatables when the quinoa finishes, just remove it from the heat and let it sit in the pot.
Okay superstar, you’re chopping and dicing like righteous Iron Chef. I’m proud of you. Things are going to move fast from here, so don’t commit to starting the next phase until you’ve got everything at hand and prepped.
(It’s helpful to have a small bowl with the ginger, onion whites, garlic and red pepper flakes all together. In another larger bowl you can have all your other veggies together to make it easy on yourself, but I’m not here to tell you how to live your life.)
When all your ingredients are ready to go, whip out a large wok and slam it onto your stove top. Throw your oils into in and heat them up on medium.
Once your oils are heated, toss in the small bowl with the garlic/onion/ginger/red pepper flakes. Your kitchen should immediately start smelling amazing. Don’t waste any time before you start stirring, or you might burn the garlic/onions. As you’re stirring try to also spread the oil around the wok as much as possible so your other ingredients are less likely to stick later on. After a minute or two your oils should be saturated with flavor.
Grab that large bowl of veggies and drop them into the wok. Keep stirring. The goal is to have all your veggies heated through — they should be well-coated in the oil, but not over-cooked to the point they’ve gone limp or the oils have been burnt up.
Once you get to that point it’s time to bring the quinoa back around and stir it in. (You’ll likely want to turn the heat down to low/medium-low. Quinoa can also be an annoying escape artist. Pay attention as you’re spooning it into the wok or you’ll wind up with little seeds all over your counter and stove top.)
Mix together all your veggies and quinoa.
Once they’re well integrated the coup de grace is to pour in the tamari sauce and stir in.
That’s it! You’re done. Spoon into serving bowls, grab some forks and chow down. Use Siracha, lime wedges, or Tamari to adjust the flavor to your liking.
The leftovers for this work just as well cold as they do warm and will last several days in the fridge. Try it, play with it, and find ways to make it your own.
Let us know if you try out this recipe! Share your thoughts (and any links to your own vegan/gluten-free recipes if you have them!) with us in the Comments.
xo,
Amy + Matt
There are affiliate links in this post, all for stuff we both genuinely love and recommend, to help you get your grocery shopping done for this recipe so all you have to worry about are finding fresh veggies!