Chinese Chicken Fried Quinoa

I love cooking with a variety of grains and quinoa is one that I particularly enjoy experimenting with. Not because it’s my favorite tasting grain, but because it’s the healthiest grain on the planet, the only grain that is a complete protein. I like to use quinoa in baking because it’s easy to disguise with its tiny size, soft texture and neutral flavor and it really bumps up the “health factor” by several notches when I’m trying to create a sweet treat for my kids that I can feel good about giving them. But I also like to include it in savory dishes in ways that actually make it enjoyable to eat rather than result in the “meh, it’s quinoa” response. So I decided to go Chinese. Quinoa in place of rice? Absolutely! And we were all happy with the results. This Chinese Chicken Fried Quinoa is packed full of healthy vegetables and is a great source of fiber and protein. A simple, easy, fast, healthy and tasty dish! Something I love about stir-fries and fried rice is that you can add pretty much whatever vegetables you want to it. I had a bunch of zucchini, yellow squash and carrots from our garden so I threw those in there. Use whatever vegetables you enjoy – bell peppers, broccoli, snow peas, mushrooms, etc. Let’s get started! Chop up all the vegetables in advance because the cooking process is fast. Heat the oil in a wok or large heavy frying pan and add the chicken. Cook the chicken then add the onions and fry for another 3-4 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add any hard veggies and fry for 3-4 minutes then add the soft veggies and continue to fry for another 2-3 minutes. Cook until the veggies are done but still have some crispiness to their bite. Add the seasonings.

Add the cooked, cooled quinoa to the wok and stir to combine. Heat through and add more soy sauce or sesame oil according to taste.

Enjoy!