Healthy Quinoa Fried Rice.
Lately, I have been loving on quinoa, and have used it many times to replace rice and other carbs. Well, you may say, but quinoa is carb. Not quite. Though it very much embodies a grain crop; it is actually a pseudocereal, in other words, quinoa is not a grass like the other grains (such as rice or wheat). I served this super easy quinoa fried rice with oven-baked chicken drumsticks. Also, and as a matter of fact, quinoa in a salad is an absolute bomb! If you haven’t added them to your salads yet, oh, they are a must-try, because it helps you get full quickly. Quinoa is truly one of nature's best; they are gluten-free, high protein, and has tons of vitamins and minerals that the body needs. Quinoa is high in fiber and great for stabilizing or controlling blood sugar, plus other numerous… Click To Tweet
Easy to Make Quinoa Fried Rice.
Anyways, this quinoa dish is super quick and easy to put together especially if you “precook” or cook the quinoa ahead of time, but even if you don’t, quinoa takes only 15 minutes to cook (yes 15 minutes), and then you can make many other quinoa recipes with it like my quinoa stuffed pepper! YUM
In other to make my quinoa fried rice, you will need quinoa (apparently), and mixed vegetables, take it a step further and add any protein of choice, I used drumsticks today. If you are ready, let us get started with this yummy quinoa bowl. Did I mention that this delicious quinoa dish is kids friendly as well? Well, it is.
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Easy Quinoa Fried Rice with Chicken Drumstick
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 - 3 1x
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
When you want flavor, color, yummy, and nutritiousness all loaded in one bowl, you go for this dish. This quick and easy quinoa fried rice is incredibly easy to make, and very tasty!
A great addition to your family’s weeknight dinner, or lunch, this heart-healthy quinoa recipe is equally an unmatchable side dish! Oh, and did I mention that it is low calorie, you can’t beat the magic of this dish.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of cooked quinoa
- 1 and half cup cups of mixed frozen vegetables (you can use fresh)
- 2 tsp. of olive oil
- 1/3 cup of onions
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. of paprika
- ¼ tsp. of seasoning powder or ½ a Maggi cube
OPTIONAL: warm tomato salsa:
- ½ cup of grape tomatoes (cut into halves)
- 1 Roma tomato (diced)
- ½ cup of red/purple onions (sliced)
- 1/3 sliced bell pepper (any color works, but is used yellow)
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- ¼ tsp. of seasoning powder or ½ of Maggi
- 1 – 2 tsp. olive oil
Instructions
- Wash and cut all the vegetables and set aside. Then set a pan on a medium heat stove, and add the oil, as soon as it heats up, start sautéing the vegetables. Begin with onions, garlic, and then frozen vegetables. Sautee at 2 minutes interval or less, as the vegetables are cooking sprinkle a dash of salt, pepper, the seasoning powder or bouillon or Maggi cube and the paprika. Stir everything together, taste for flavors, and then add the quinoa.
- Cook everything for the next 4 – 5 minutes or until both the quinoa and vegetables are married together. Taste and adjust flavors, accordingly. Serve with baked chicken, and top with warm salsa.
For the warm tomato salsa:
- This is an optional step. Sautee the ingredients starting with the cut Roma tomato, then add some sliced red onions and sliced bell peppers. Then add some salt and pepper to taste and seasoning. Finish by finally adding the grape tomato halves, cook everything for another minute, and this warm salsa is ready.
Notes
I served this recipe with oven-baked chicken drumsticks, and it was a sumptuous lunch.
Make this recipe vegan by not serving it with drumstick. Or replace it with tofu.
Usually my quinoa is already pre-cooked in well-seasoned broth, so I normally add less bouillon seasoning, little to no salt. If you cook your quinoa with plain water, then your recipe may change a bit, and you may need to add more seasonings. Always taste as you go.
Remember to always add salt according to your taste or according to your health needs.
If you will be cooking quinoa from scratch then the total time may slightly increase.
The warm tomato sauce is totally optional.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Quinoa, fried rice, quinoa fried rice, healthy dinner, lunch, quinoa recipe, weekday dinners, quinoa salad, easy quinoa recipe, quinoa recipe,
Are you the quinoa train yet? How do you normally enjoy it (I mean your quinoa)? Please feel free to share below in the comment.
If you like this easy and healthy quinoa fried rice, I am sure you will like:
- Healthy Chicken Drumstick.
- Quinoa Stuffed Peppers.
- Delicious Plantain and Eggs Frittata.
- Nigerian Chicken Tomato Stew
- Deconstructed Taco Bowl.
- Nigerian Coconut Rice.
Want some salads? Grab my FREE (5) spinach salad recipe bundle would be a great addition to your dinner table. Get the recipes here.
Meanwhile, let’s connect on social media; well, your girl is everywhere! Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. LOL, I did put starting on Pinterest and Instagram off forever, well I am there now, and I will love for us to connect! Please SAVE/PIN THIS IMAGE ON PINTEREST. ⤵️
With love,
Wow Nkechi! This is amazing, never in a thousand years would I have been able to come up with this! So creative, delish and healthy…
Hello, Pastor Fred,
Am glad you are impressed with this dish oh! Hahaha, abeg make it for my sister now.
But, for real, this meal is very easy to put together, and super healthy too.
Let me know when you do try it.
And just in case if you will need it, this is how to cook quinoa from scratch.