Quinoa and Summer Vegetable Stir-Fry

This easy, toss together quinoa is fabulous hot from the pan. But it's also delicious cool, as a salad. So make more than you think you'll need and you've got picnic food for the next day. Adding quinoa (very high in protein) helps turn this dish into an entree. You can also add beans (white, kidney, black, etc.) to make it extra filling, if you'd like. 

Ingredients 

Olive oil
1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 yellow summer squash, sliced
A fistful of slender asparagus or green beans, trimmed, sliced
1 Japanese eggplant (small eggplants are way less bitter), peeled, sliced into bite size pieces
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, orange or green) cored, sliced
2 cups Baby Bella mushrooms, trimmed, sliced
A handful of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
Sea salt and ground pepper
Herbs, to taste- parsley, basil, thyme, red pepper flakes- whatever you prefer
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste

Instructions  

Make your quinoa with 2 to 1 ratio of water to quinoa. I soak my quinoa in water for a few minutes and then rinse well to remove any of the natural saponin that gives a soapy taste. 

On the stove, bring the water to a boil, add the rinsed quinoa, and cook over medium for 10-15 min (based upon the consistency you like your quinoa). Or, you can make the quinoa in a rice cooker. You'll need roughly 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa. 

Tip:  I always make plenty extra quinoa and freeze it in smaller containers, so I always have quick quinoa to go to when I prepare meals (rather than having to make it fresh every time).  

As the quinoa cooks, gather and cut up your summer vegetables. When the quinoa is almost done, heat a splash of light olive oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, stir until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the remaining vegetables. Season with sea salt, pepper, and herbs. Add the balsamic vinegar. Stir-fry until tender.

Alternatively, if you want to preserve the natural enzymes in some of the vegetables, then just toss them fresh instead of stir-frying them. You only need to worry about cooking the onion, garlic, asparagus, green beans, and egg plant. Any summer squash, bell peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes don't need to be cooked. This also reduces cooking time, so your meal is ready faster.
 

Scoop the cooked quinoa out of the pan or rice cooker and add it into the wok. Stir to combine with the vegetables. Taste test and add more salt or seasoning if it needs it and fresh herbs. Remove from heat. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and toss to fluff.

Serve immediately; or allow it to cool, then cover and refrigerate it to eat as a salad. Before serving it cold, taste test again and adjust seasonings.

Total Servings: 4

Adapted from WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com