Quinoa with Stir Fried Veggies

A good gluten-free source of protein, iron, and fiber, Quinoa is a quick and flavorful way to get in a serving of whole grains.It's light and fluffy in texture but has that whole grain ability to fill people up. Its only a great alternative to traditional rice but its much more healthier too.
After learning about the great nutritional value of this magical grain,I decided to bought a packet of Quinoa and was looking for recipes to cook with it. I ended up making the same old tired quinoa recipes like Quinoa upma,quinoa salad over and over again, getting bored with this magical grain.I do make Veggie Stir Fry occasionally and one day,ended up adding cooked Quinoa to it as well. The experiment was a success and my husband loved this version of the Quinoa. Here is the recipe...

Time:Making Time (20 mins)

Difficulty level:Easy

Ingredients:

• Quinoa - 1 cup rinsed or pre-washed
• Extra-Firm Tofu - 1 cup cubed
• Bell Peppers (Red,Green,Yellow,Orange) - 1 cup cut into bite-sized strips
• Spring Onions - 1 tbsp finely chopped
• Garlic - 2 tsp finely chopped
• Olive Oil - 2 tbsp 
• Green Chili sauce - 1/2 tsp
• Soy Sauce - 1/2 tsp
• Siricha Sauce - 1/2 tsp
• Black Pepper - a pinch
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Bring water and ½ teaspoon of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Rinse the quinoa well and stir into boiling water. Return to a boil and simmer until water is totally absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool, stirring occasionally. 
2. Meanwhile in a wok, add 2 tbsp olive oil,chopped garlic and sauté for 2-3 mins.Add the chopped spring onions and saute for few mins.
3. Now add the cubed tofu, strips of Bell peppers and saute for 2-3 mins on medium flame.
4. Mix all the 3 sauces along with black pepper powder and salt. Add this to the veggies in the wok and saute them well till the raw smell goes away.
5. Add the cooked quinoa to the stir fried veggies and tofu and toss it well. Cook for 2-3 mins.
6. Switch off the flame and serve it topped with some lemon juice.

Chef's Tip:

- The only special handling required with quinoa is to give it a good rinse before cooking; otherwise, the grains can be bitter.
- I used multi colored Bell peppers for this recipe. You can use Brocoli,Zucchini or Squash etc as well
- Paneer can also be used instead of Tofu in this recipe.

Quinoa with Stir Fried veggies