Let's Get Social!

It was a typical summer day, it was hot, the kids were full of energy and it was time to figure out what to make for dinner. I hadn’t gone to the store in about a week and what I had on hand to make full meals was slim pickings. I had some leftover pork I needed to use, but no buns so I couldn’t do my typical pulled pork sandwich routine I often did to use up the rest of the meat. I was in the mood to get creative and figure something out without having to ask the hubby to pick up something from the store or rely on take out.

I began to search the internet for ideas when I came across a recipe for fried rice. The only problem was, I had no rice in the house. What was a mom to do? Then I remembered that I had seen an idea somewhere for making fried rice with Quinoa! Or did I just make that up? I searched Google and lo and behold! I found many recipes which I quickly scanned for inspiration. Awesome! I began to come up with how I can make my own version using the ingredients I had on hand. I was a little worried about what my husband would say about the meal, but figured it was worth a try. Let me tell you, IT WAS! It came out so good! Like amazingly good. In fact, my husband told me I could sell it (apparently by opening my own restaurant? Because he thinks I need more people to cook for?!) I have been dreaming about this meal for weeks now. I can’t wait to try it again with different ingredients. The possibilities are endless and can be made with many different variations. This post will share with you my recipe for yummy, healthy, quick quinoa friend “rice”. My version was pork fried rice, but it can easily be made with any meat or as a vegetarian meal.

• Quinoa
• Pork
• Egg
• Garlic
• Vegetables
• Sesame oil
• Broth or water
• Salt and Pepper
• Tamari or Soy Sauce

 I had leftover pork tenderloin that I used for mine, it was already seasoned and cooked. I soaked the Quinoa and cooked accordingly. Once that was done I put some oil in a pan and sauteed up some chopped garlic and onions until translucent. I then added the chopped veggies. Anything you have will be good. I added carrots and celery, peas and purple cabbage but it would also
be great with bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, edamame, etc. Sautee for a few minutes until soft. Remove from pan and add scrambled egg. Cook the egg, breaking it up, add the veggies back to the pan, and add the meat. Cook for a few minutes for the meat to warm. Then add the quinoa and stir well to combine. Let it cook a few more minutes and add a little more oil if necessary, season with salt and pepper and add soy sauce or tamari.

Make sure you eat this meal warm. It was delicious. I can’t wait to try it with shrimp, or chicken or beef, and other veggies too. I can’t wait to make this again, in fact, I think we will be having it in a couple of days because it was just too good!

Have you tried making Quinoa fried “rice”? We would love for you to share your version!