This delicious and easy vegetable quinoa stir-fry combines high protein quinoa, vegetables, and a few healthy additions that will make it taste like authentic Chinese take-out without the MSG!
One of our favorite meals to make is a stir-fry.
In my opinion, there are essentials for a good stir-fry, including:
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Scallions
- Organic soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Toasted sesame oil
The type of grain, protein, or vegetables can easily vary in this recipe, but these six ingredients give it an authentic taste that will remind you of your favorite Chinese restaurant (minus the MSG).
I've made this a variety of ways over the years, including using short brown rice in place of the quinoa, cabbage or bok choy instead of broccoli, or toasted cashews instead of sesame seeds.
My husband and kids love this with chicken added in, but I usually prefer mine with extra veggies and a scrambled egg.
The best thing about this dish is that it can be tailored to suit just about any diet type, which is nice when you're cooking for people with allergies or who just wish to eat a certain way for their general health.
Vegetable Quinoa Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 scallions chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 carrot chopped
- 2 celery stalk chopped
- 1 cup broccoli florets chopped
- 1 4 ounce can water chestnuts rinsed and drained (optional, but gives the dish a nice crunch)
- 1-2 Tablespoons soy sauce to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons brown rice vinegar
- toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oils together in a deep skillet.
- Add in the scallions, ginger, and garlic, and saute the mix for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Add in the carrot and celery, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the broccoli and water chestnuts, and cook three minutes, until broccoli is bright green.
- Add in the cooked quinoa, soy sauce, and vinegar, and stir everything to combine.
- Heat everything through for another 2-3 minutes.
- Top with sesame seeds and extra soy sauce, if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have a chance to try this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below letting me know how you liked it!
Susan
I couldn't agree with you more about the stir-fry essentials. In reading the recipe, I found myself intrigued by the combination of coconut oil and toasted sesame oil. I think I might like that.
Most of the time I prefer to stay in and eat at home, even though I don't have kids (way, way too old for that!). But we have a restaurant here that is almost like home to us, so I do like to go there periodically. It's also handy when we run out of time for cooking. I think part of the reason I like to be at home is because we eat out so much when we travel. We do spend a lot of time traveling. When we are home, we don't rent movies. We're content with TV.
Audrey
I must admit...I love eating out and have always taken my children, too. My youngest is 15 now! But this recipe sounds easy, and I want to try it!
jodye @ whole pure recipes
This looks like a great dish, and I love how versatile it is. My boyfriend and I have completely different tastes, and I usually make two dinners to suit both of our tastes. I love having dishes like this that we can both enjoy, and easily switch up the veggies to our liking.
I'm such a homebody! I don't really enjoy going out to eat because 1. it costs a lot, and 2. I'd rather know exactly what's going into my food - I'm more picky than I'd like to admit! I love having friends over and cooking for them, though!
Lauren
Oh, I relate so much to everything you wrote! I often make two meals here as well: one vegetable-packed one for me, and one with meat for everyone else!
Laura | My Little Gourmet
No kidding! I think having a boy I've got it a little easier when trying to get out of the house...but not much. Stir-fry is the best and this looks delicious, as usual!