Quinoa "Fried Rice"

(image and recipe from www.noshtopia.com, link)

If you have not discovered quinoa, it is possibly the greatest little super food out there. Because my son is not only allergic to milk but other major proteins like beef and pork, I am always on the lookout for good protein sources. And guess what... quinoa is a COMPLETE protein all by its lonesome. And it's delicious. I actually like this recipe better than fried rice.

30 min prep and cook

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (see notes for easy instructions on cooking quinoa)
• 1/2 lb chicken cut into cubes (I used chopped up turkey lunch meat)
• 1/3 cup pre-cooked fresh corn on the cob (or canned)
• 1/3 cup precooked fresh peas (or frozen)
• 1/3 cup diced carrots
• 2 eggs beaten
• 2-3 tablespoons diced green onions
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (less if not using chicken)
• Olive or canola oil for cooking chicken or Pam for lunch meat
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. In a saucepan big enough to hold all the Quinoa Fried Rice, heat some oil and then stir fry the chicken until it’s mostly cooked. Add salt & pepper to taste. If using lunch meat, spray pam in pan and fry chopped up meat until desired crispness is achieved.
2. Add in the carrots, and sautee about a minute with the meat to start softening the carrots up a bit.
3. Add in the peas and corn and sautee with the chicken and carrots for about a minute.
4. Scramble the eggs in a cup and then pour in with the meat, carrots, peas, and corn. 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.
5. When the eggs are scrambled, pour in the Quinoa and the green onions along with the soy sauce. Mix all ingredients together well. Let cook in pan, stirring continually for about 1-2 minutes.

Notes

1. I cook the quinoa in my rice cooker using chicken stock. It's 2 parts liquid to 1 part quinoa. You can soak the quinoa in water for 30 min. prior to cooking to eliminate any bitterness or you can simply rinse it. The chicken stock masks most of the bitter taste if you choose not to rinse or soak it first. Then I put it in the fridge and use it for the next few days.
2. Lunch meat or ham would add saltiness to the dish so less soy sauce is required. You can use low sodium soy sauce or half the normal amount.
3. This recipe is good even if you don't have all the ingredients. I've made this with just corn, lunch meat, quinoa, egg, soy sauce, and freeze dried chives. I didn't use oil at all. Still delicious.