QUINOA VEGGIE STIR FRY
Quinoa is a trending diet food these days. If your thinking about diet or fitness then I am sure you will be aware of how nutritious is Quinoa. It will easily check all the boxes whatever we would want in our food. It's full of protein and all the other important nutritional elements. Now the question is how to include quinoa into our regular diet.
When you search for quinoa recipes, you might get hundreds of different salads with quinoa or you might get some quinoa burger patty ideas. But is that suitable for everyone or is that enough choice for us to try?? I mean if you are a salad person then I would say lucky you!! So just to help people like me who can't only rely on salads I would love to share this simple yet tasty Quinoa recipe.
Just like I said at the beginning we joined the Quinoa club when my husband decided to concentrate on his diet. In general, he was not overweight and he was hitting the gym regularly. But this changed a bit when he traveled to the USA and stayed along with his bachelor friends for a while. And to add more intense he got injured on his legs and was not able to do any workouts for months. For survival, he was eating whatever worked for every one of them.
So When I traveled here he was already gained reasonable weight. And I was new here and the first time taking charge of the kitchen alone. My only priority was to make the food tasty. So I didn't care much about oil or fat consumption. And we both completely go crazy around junk. We tried every single veg-friendly junk item that was available on the market. As a result, he got belly even on his cheeks(That's how he describes himself😂). Luckily for me, I was underweight all my life so the weight I gained was actually rightful for a long time😉😅.
But for him, it became hard for his injured legs and was paining to walk for grocery shopping itself. Everyone suggested millets and all other options including taking lots of fruits and vegetables. Since Quinoa was easily available than millets here we gave it a try. We tried lots of recipes with quinoa but those weren't suited us. So I came up with this recipe on my own and it is a huge hit, he loved it. And by completely avoiding junk and concentrating on calorie intakes he gradually reduced his weight.
Ever since this Quinoa veggie stir fry is part of our diet plan not just for him but for the entire family. This particular recipe is quite simple and loaded with veggies just to make it tastier and healthier as well. Let's get started,
INGREDIENTS:
1. Quinoa -1cup.
2. Onion -1/4cup.
3. Carrot -1/4cup.
4. Beans -1/4cup.
5. Cabbage -1/4cup.
6. Bell Peppers -1/4cup.
7. Garlic -1 or 2 gloves.
8. Jalapeno Chili -1no.
9. Tomato -1no.
10. Cooking Oil -1-2tbsp.
11. Cumin -1/4tsp.
12. Turmeric Powder -1/4tsp.
13. Chili Powder -1/4tsp.
14. Salt -as per taste.
15. Coriander -a few.
METHOD:
First, to cook the Quinoa it's always better to follow the instruction on the package. Now the Quinoa I am using is White Quinoa and for the same, I have given the method here.
1. To begin with rinse Quinoa thoroughly a couple of times and soak it for 10-15 mins. Then add some salt and turmeric powder and let it boil on high flame for 3-5mins. And then reduce the flame to low and cook it for 15mins with covered with a lid. And keep it aside to completely cool.
2. Meanwhile, finely chop all the veggies and keep them ready. The more thin the veggies are the more they will blend with Quinoa and enhance the taste of this stir fry.
3. Now heat a pan with some cooking oil. Once it is heated add cumin seeds and let them bubble up then add onion and garlic and give it a mix.
4. After a few seconds add carrot, beans, and jalapeno and saute them for a minute. Then add cabbage and give it a mix. Once all the veggies are done above 50% of cooking add tomato to it along with some salt and close it with a lid to cook it fast.
5. Once the tomato is mussy add turmeric and chili powder, saute them for a few seconds and add cut bell peppers. Adding bell peppers at this stage will make cooked slightly and it will give stay crunchy.
6. And is time to add cooked Quinoa to the veggies and combine them nicely.
7. To make it more flavorful add a few finely chopped fresh coriander to it and switch it off.
8. Our tasty healthy aromatic QUINOA VEGGIE STIR FRY is ready to be served. Enjoy!!
METHOD WITH PICTURE:
First, to cook the Quinoa it's always better to follow the instruction on the package. Now the Quinoa I am using is White Quinoa and for the same, I have given the method here.
1. To begin with rinse Quinoa thoroughly a couple of times and soak it for 10-15 mins. Then add some salt and turmeric powder and let it boil on high flame for 3-5mins. And then reduce the flame to low and cook it for 15mins with covered with a lid. And keep it aside to completely cool.
2. Meanwhile, finely chop all the veggies and keep them ready. The more thin the veggies are the more they will blend with Quinoa and enhance the taste of this stir fry.
3. Now heat a pan with some cooking oil. Once it is heated add cumin seeds and let them bubble up then add onion and garlic and give it a mix.
4. After a few seconds add carrot, beans, and jalapeno and saute them for a minute. Then add cabbage and give it a mix. Once all the veggies are done above 50% of cooking add tomato to it along with some salt and close it with a lid to cook it fast.
5. Once the tomato is mussy add turmeric,garam masala, and chili powder, saute them for a few seconds and add cut bell peppers. Adding bell peppers at this stage will make cooked slightly and it will give stay crunchy.
6. And is time to add cooked Quinoa to the veggies and combine them nicely.
7. To make it more flavorful add a few finely chopped fresh coriander to it and switch it off.
8. Our tasty healthy aromatic QUINOA VEGGIE STIR FRY is ready to be served. Enjoy!!
NOTE:
1. In this recipe we feel the jalapeno flavor suits best. If it's not available or if it's too spicy feel free to replace any chili of your choice.
2. Same way the bit of garam masala I used here will help to subtle the unique flavor of Quinoa. So it's completely optional to change any seasoning of this recipe to make it your own.
3. You can use any kind of Quinoa for this recipe. The cooking time may vary according to the choice of Quinoa.
Hope this recipe interested you. So give it a try and share your comments and suggestions in the comment section or through email. And feel free to share your favorite Quinoa recipes as well. Until next time, "Stay Positive and Keep Smiling😀".
FuN FAcTs:
1. Quinoa is pronounced 'Keen-Wah'. And it is not a grain but a seed.
2. There are 120 different varieties of Quinoa that have been identified. Including pink, orange, and purple. Among the white, red, and black varieties are the most consumed and largely commercialized ones.
3. Quinoa can thrive almost in all weather conditions. During drought, often Quinoa increased in yield.
4. Humans have been consuming Quinoa for over 4,000 years.
