Quinoa Stir Fry with Veggies and Tofu

Quinoa. Tofu. Yummy. Don’t believe me? Well then you should try it stir fried. I am so in love with tofu these days. We’ve been eating it at least once a week for the past month. I like it cubed and browned in bacon drippings to give it some ‘meatiness’. Slightly crispy and chewy on the outside and soft on the inside. Last night I had to come up with something quick. We had Korean braised pork with rice the night before, so no rice tonight, which is my go-to side for tofu.

I haven’t made quinoa in awhile and I had some in the back of the pantry. I decided to try and make a quinoa version of fried rice. We were running low on fresh veggies, so I checked the freezer. Edamame, sweet peas, yellow squash and snow peas. I also had a few slices of bacon leftover from breakfast. It was so colorful and nutrient dense, and I didn’t have to feel guilty about eating rice two nights in a row. And it was almost vegetarian. If you were wearing a blindfold, you would never have known it was quinoa instead of rice.

QUINOA STIR FRY WITH VEGGIES AND TOFU

Ingredients:

• 1 package of tofu
• 4 tablespoons bacon drippings (can sub with other oil)
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 3 slices cooked bacon
• 1 cup shelled edamame
• 1 cup sweet peas
• 1 cup squash
• 1 cup snow peas
• 2 green onions
• 1/2 an onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• salt and pepper
• toasted sesame seeds

Method:

1. Cut tofu into three one-inch slices. Wrap in a towel and place between two plates. Stack a heavy pan on the plates to remove excess water. I let it sit for at least 15 minutes.
2. While the tofu is draining, rinse quinoa to remove bitterness. Put two cups of water and rinsed quinoa in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes (until all water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy). Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. While the quinoa is cooking and the tofu is draining, prep the vegetables.  Chop onions, squash, green onions, garlic and cooked bacon slices. Then warm a pan with about half the bacon drippings on medium high heat to brown tofu.
4. Cut the tofu slices into cubes and brown them in the prepared pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like them a little crispy and chewy, quite browned, so I cook them for awhile. Maybe 10 to 15 minutes, tossing them around in the pan frequently to brown evenly and prevent burning and sticking.
5. Scramble eggs in a bowl and push the tofu to one side of your pan. Cook the eggs in the other half of the pan. Once the eggs are done add the rest of the bacon grease, then combine all ingredients together in the pan (quinoa, tofu, onions, garlic, peas, snow peas, squash, edamame, the bottoms (white parts) of the green onion, soy sauce and sesame seeds). Stir fry for about 5 minutes, until veggies are tender but still brightly colored. (Cooking them too long will cause them to brown and yellow. Not pretty.)
6. When everything is cooked turn off the heat and toss in the reserved green onion tops. Add salt and pepper to taste.

You could use whatever veggies you prefer or have on hand. I used what I had on hand. Some were frozen veggies which I either thawed in the microwave or boiled with the quinoa. You could also substitute the tofu with chicken or whatever meat you prefer instead. I think some red bell pepper or shiitake mushrooms would have been nice in here. If you’ve never cooked with quinoa before this is a great way to introduce it to your family. Make sure you rinse it to remove bitterness. Some even suggest soaking it for a half hour. I just rinsed it a couple times and it wasn’t bitter at all.