Pineapple Cashew Quinoa ‘Fried Rice’
Hello friends!! Sunday I shared with you some of my favorite fresh spring salad recipes. Yesterday it was this bonkers amazing funfetti Golden Oreo Ice Cream and today we have pineapple cashew quinoa fried rice! Do you see a trend? I eat real food AND indulge in sweets 🙂 The warmer weather is inspiring me to get more creative and healthier with my dishes and I am thinking I should start sharing with you some of my yummy savory recipes. What do you think?
It’s time for another edition of Mystery Dish! I was inspired to create a healthier version of my favorite all time fried rice recipe when I saw this month’s ingredients. Our lovely host Jen over at Yummy Healthy Easy, picked the ingredients this month and I think she gave us a well-rounded list that got my wheels spinning as soon as I saw it.
The ingredients were garbanzo beans, eggs, flaxseed, cilantro, potatoes (any variety), bread, quinoa, lime, popcorn, dark chocolate, ground turkey and asparagus.
Using three of the ingredients, this quinoa ‘fried rice’ is packed with nutrients and flavor. It’s full of vegetables, pineapple chunks and crunchy cashews! Starting from the crispy lime coconut quinoa, to the flavorful tender vegetables, this is the perfect weeknight dinner.
Pineapple Cashew Quinoa ‘Fried Rice’
Using a handful of ingredients, this quinoa ‘fried rice’ is packed with nutrients and flavor. It’s full of vegetables, pineapple chunks and crunchy cashews!
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cup low sodium chicken stock or water
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 lime, juiced and zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 5 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- ½ red bell pepper, chopped
- ½ orange bell pepper, chopped
- ½ sweet onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloved, minced
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cups cubed pineapple
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 ½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 4 green onions
- ½ cup cashews
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add the quinoa and chicken stock. Bring to boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover pot. Cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Stir in the coconut oil, juice and zest of lime, salt and pepper. Let quinoa cool completely before using. You can do this ahead of time or the day before.
- In a large wok, heat one tablespoon coconut oil over medium heat. Add in onions and peppers and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add in garlic and ginger and cook for additional minute stirring. Transfer veggies to a bowl. Increase heat a little. In the same wok, add another tablespoon of coconut oil. Add pineapples and cook stirring occasionally until golden, about 5-6 minutes. Add pineapples to bowl of veggies.
- Add ½ tablespoon of coconut oil to wok and cook egg stirring to break apart. Cook for a minute and transfer eggs to a separate small bowl.
- With heat on high, add the remaining 2 ½ tablespoon coconut oil to wok and add in the cooled quinoa. Stir to coat quinoa in oil and let sit for about 1-2 minutes to crisp. Stir to break up clumps. Reduce heat once quinoa is crispy and golden. Stir in soy sauce. Add the veggies and pineapple and stir. Stir in eggs, green onions cilantro and cashews. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Here is a list of the creative recipes members of the group made this month! Be sure to click over to each.
1. Easy Flourless Chocolate Cake by Culinary Couture 2. Pineapple Cashew Quinoa “Fried Rice” by Blahnik Baker 3. Chili Lime Popcorn by The Pajama Chef 4. Cilantro Lime Hummus by The Weary Chef 5. Gluten Free White Bean Brownies by Yummy Healthy Easy 6. Homemade Popcorn with Cilantro Lime Butter by The Well Floured Kitchen 7. Tex-Mex Chickpea Salad by Joyful Healthy Eats 8. Quinoa Salad with Asparagus and Tomato by Chez Catey Lou 9. Key Lime Pie Popcorn by I Dig Pinterest 10. Turkey Sausage Breakfast Casserole by I Want Crazy 11. Frozen Pineapple Cilantro Mojito by Baking a Moment 12. Pretzel Caramel Crunch by The Dessert Chronicles
Other Mystery Dish Recipes
Honey Lime Coconut Oatmeal Cookies– March Mystery Dish
Pina Colada Cheesecake– February Mystery Dish
** Don’t forget to enter the two amazing giveaways going on now. Enter to win Breakfast to Dinner cookbook HERE. And enter to win a Canon camera and lens HERE! Both end soon **
Looks delicious! I never know what to make with quinoa. This is a great variation.
As soon as I saw this picture I knew I wanted the recipe. This is my kinda food Zainab! The recipe sounds killer, love the pineapple addition, and you used the mystery ingredients this month so well! Pinned this and totally on my list to try! YUM!
Thanks Krista!
DEFINITELY throwing this into the mix on our menu!! I get so tired of rice all the time, but quinoa we don’t eat enough of because we never know what to do with it. Love love love this idea!
Thanks Dani!! It is hard to get creative with quinoa and why I love Mystery dish 🙂 Hope you get to try this soon!!
This looks fabulous! I love adding pineapple to dishes – it always really brings out the other flavors. Hope to try this soon!
Using quinoa instead of rice sounds so interesting! What a colorful and delicious dish!
Love love love this fried rice quinoa – it looks amazing! Pineapple fried rice is Mr. Hubs favorite fried rice and I absolutely love your healthier twist on this – pure genius girl! Hopefully his favorite dish will get him to like quinoa more than he does and I seriously can’t wait to try this – pinning 🙂
Thanks Kelly! I hope you make this for your Hubs. I’m sure he will love it. Mine enjoyed it very much even though he does not like quinoa.
DROOLING!! This looks SO good! I would love if you shared over at Link It Or Lump it along with any other amazing projects you have…. http://www.sohosonnet.com/link-it-or-lump-it/link-it-or-lump-it-sunday-link-party-35/
Thanks Sonnet! I just linked up 🙂
This looks delicious. I had another similar dish with pineapple this winter and it was amazing! I would be happy to try this one out any day.
Ooh I really love all the yummy flavors you have going on here… coconut oil, pineapple, soy, cilantro, ginger… I bet this dish is just bursting with fresh flavor! 😀
Thanks Allie! It is really a flavorful dish 🙂
I love fried rice, so I’m really excited to see a healthier version, especially one using quinoa! I love the sweet, salty, crunchy factor this “fried rice” has going on!
Holy yum, Zainab! I love that you used quinoa for this (and cashews and pineapples)! These flavors rock so hard!
Thanks Amy!!
Love the idea of using quinoa instead of rice. Pineapple really is the ultimate savory + sweet partner.