Quinoa Fried Rice

It's no secret that I'm a quinoa fan, and luckily so is my well-fed husband, so I often try out new recipes including this wonderful little protein-y grain, along with making my old standby recipes.

I have made my old go-to quinoa fried rice several times (and always loved it and devoured every last grain), but I thought it might be time to try out a new one.  I love fried rice but I have to say that I love fried quinoa even more; it's lighter, healthier, and has a better texture.  I decided to get on Pinterest and see if I could find a different version to give a try.  This new recipe caught my eye because of the addition of edamame, spinach, and bell peppers, and so it got added to the menu right away.

I got to work on it while Mark worked on the pool and cut the grass.  How awesome is the teamwork going on in this marriage!? :)  When he came inside, I served it up and we ate it at the counter (this we my pre-kitchen table days... I am still very excited because we finally got one last week!).  We both really liked it.  The edamame and spinach were excellent additions (extra magnesium, anyone?) and the colors of this dish were beautiful; it had everything from the orange carrots to the green edamame to the red and orange peppers... it was like a quinoa rainbow.

I will say that I confess to liking my old recipe better.  I think that bell peppers can be kind of bossy and overpowering, and I tasted too much pepper and not enough everything else.  With that said, maybe tossing in spinach and edamame to the old recipe would be sheer perfection!

Recipe:

quinoa fried rice
from Girl Makes Food
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 bell peppers, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup edamame
1 cup baby spinach
2 medium carrots, shredded
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

Instructions:

1) In a medium pot, bring the quinoa and water to a boil.  Add a lid and turn the heat to low; cook for 15 minutes.

2) While the quinoa cooks, chop the veggies.  In a large pan, add the oil, peppers and onions.  Cook until softened, about 5minutes on a medium-low heat.

3) Add the edamame and spinach.  Cook on low until the spinach begins to wilt.

4) Add the quinoa, carrots, ginger and tamari or soy sauce.  Stir well to combine.  Serve.