healthy homemade oil-free quinoa (not) fried rice
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Healthy oil free quinoa fried rice with mixed veggies.
Except this is not fried. And there's no rice.
I hope you're not mad, that I lied. 😛
If you are anything like me, then you definitely miss those days of carefree living when you use to go stuff your face at 'all-you-can-eat' Chinese buffets.
Oh the days when I didn't know better and therefore loved loved lovedddd to feast on a big ole plate of Chinese fried rice (or two, or three!)
It's definitely delicious. But also fried. And filled with white processed rice. And probably loadddded with sodium. I get shivers just thinking about it.
So why not recreate a healthier alternative?
Yep. That's what I did. But instead of rice we are using quinoa, because it's alkaline and a tad better for you than rice.
And we are definitely not 'frying', instead we are using using vegetable broth to cook the veggies and then we are making our own homemade oil free stir fry sauce that is YUM!!
I'm loving this dish for so many reasons....
- for starters, it tastes kinda similar to traditional fried rice. I said kind-of-similar. It's obviously not the exact same thing, but it gets pretty darn close.
- it's easy peasy lemon squeezy. Like, throw all your veggies in a pan, sautee them until soft and then mix with quinoa!
- the oil free sauce doesn't require a blender nor a food processor. Hooray!
- you can whip this up last minute for lunch or dinner - doesn't require any prep really.
- perfect way to use left over cooked quinoa or...
- a great meal to 'clean out your fridge' with. throw any and all veggies that are about to spoil into the mix. you can't go wrong!
get that perfect fluffy quinoa consistency:
If cooking quinoa is something that terrifies you... fear no more. The secret to cooking amazing fluffy quinoa is in the ratio of quinoa to water.
I have found that 1 cup of dried quinoa with 1 and 1 /4 cup of water is what works best. 2 cups of water = super mushy wet quinoa but 1 and 1/4 = perfect, dry and fluffy dreamy quinoa.
I even have a video to make it easier for you here. and I wrote a huge blog post breaking down how to cook the best quinoa here.
quick note about non-stick pans:
A good non stick pan is an essential kitchen gadget for anyone who is interested in cooking oil free. Before buying mine, I did a ton of research. I wanted something that was affordable, but also non toxic and eco-friendly.
I've been using this Da Terra 9'' non stick pan (affiliate link - pictured above) for several months now and i'm completely smitten with it. So yes, I'm recommending it. And no, I am not sponsored by the company. They have no idea I even exist. But it is a good product, from a small family-owned company, who I trust. If you're looking for a good non stick pan - I highly recommend you check this one out (affiliate link), plus it's available from Amazon with prime shipping!!! 🙂
okay fooooodie fam, that's all for today!
See ya next week.
Want to see more plant based dinner ideas?
Check out these stuffed sweet potato boats with teriyaki stir fry (sooo goooood!) or maybe you're feeling like some pasta instead - check out this red lentil pasta from trader joe's with a homemade sundried tomato sauce.
with love + gratitude,
Jen ♥
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healthy homemade oil-free quinoa (not) fried rice with homemade peanut stir fry sauce
A healthy (and very tasty) oil free vegan quinoa (not) fried rice with mixed vegetables and a delicious peanut stir fry sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings 1x
- Category: dinner
- Method: stir fry
- Cuisine: asian
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 cups of cooked quinoa (learn how to make the best quinoa here)
- 3 carrots, chopped (190g)
- 1 stalk of broccoli (166g)
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced (105g)
- 1 zucchinni, cubed (150g)
- 1/2 of a red onion, chopped (90g)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (7g)
- 1/2 cup of vegetable broth for sauteing (120g)
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- dash of salt and pepper
for oil free stir fry sauce:
- 1/4 cup of vegetable broth (60g) (or water works too but veg broth is more flavorful)
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, tamari sauce, or coconut aminos (22g) (read labels to ensure gluten free if necessary)
- 1 tablespoon agave (or maple syrup) (16g)
- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (24g)
- 1–2 garlic cloves, minced (7g)
Instructions
- If you don’t already have cooked quinoa ready, start with that. You can see this post where I break down how to make fluffy quinoa and there’s a video, too! (one cup dry quinoa + 1.25 cups of water = will yield around 2 cups cooked).
- Sautee the veggies – in a medium saucepan (preferrably non stick), add all chopped veggies. I like to sautee the harder veggies first (carrots, broccoli, red bell pepper), and then I add the softer veggies (zucchinni, garlic, onion). Saute using 1/4 cup of veg broth (and add more as needed). Add powdered spices at this time and saute until veggies are soft and tender. Usually takes around 10 to 15 minutes.
- Make the oil free stir fry sauce. Add all ingredients listed under ‘oil free stir fry sauce’ to a measuring cup or bowl, and whisk together until all ingredients are evenly broken down. No need to use a blender for this one – yay!
- Add the cooked quinoa to the saucepan with your cooked veggies and mix gently to combine the quinoa with the veggies. Add the oil free stir fry sauce and continue mixing until the sauce has coated all the quinoa/veggies. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes over low/med heat to allow all of the flavors from the sauce to seep into the quinoa/veggie mix. If you prefer your quinoa fried rice to be really dry then continue to heat until it is as dry as you like it. You can also add an extra pinch of salt at this time, if needed.
- Serve and enjoy as is or with some pita breads on the side (so gooood), and you can drizzle it with your favorite hot sauce or any other vegan sauce of your choice (if you like cilantro, try this one). We usually save a bit of the oil free stir fry sauce to drizzle some on top. Delish!
Notes
- you can definitely use cooked rice instead of quinoa if you prefer.
- feel free to mix up the veggies – you can add peas, corn, green beans ect.
Keywords: fried rice, quinoa, rice, left overs, stir fry, oil free, healthy, dinner, lunch, vegan, plant based,
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Hi Jen! This is a great and easy recipe! Thanks for sharing. Do you happen to know how many calories 1 cup of this amazing quinoa would be? Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi Leticia thanks for stopping by! So unfortunately I don’t really keep track of caloric information but I used this online calculator –> https://happyforks.com/analyzer and after inputting all of the ingredients it estimates one serving to be around 255 to 300 calories. Of course I can’t vouch for the accuracy of these calculators but it’s a good place to start. 🙂 Hope this helps.