Last night, I had my neighbor over for wine, cheese and…Chinese food.
Sure, that sounds like an odd trio, but really, Chinese food pairs well with anything. Beer, wine, cheese, ice cream, candy…whatever. Cold, hot, lukewarm…Chinese food always tastes delicious.
The problem is that Chinese food is incredibly unhealthy, whether it’s fried or not. There’s a reason that take-out always hits the spot, and it’s about 20 tablespoons of vegetable or sesame oil. You see, unlike when you prepare your own food, the chef in that kitchen doesn’t care so much about the health factor. It’s all about the taste, and if it takes buckets of oil and salt to get there, so be it.
That’s why I love to recreate the flavors of Chinese food in my own kitchen. Fried rice is one of my favorite Chinese takeout past-times, so last night I had plans to fine-tune a Vegetable Quinoa Faux Fried Rice dish that I had made for dinner on Wednesday. I was very excited (and surprised!) when my neighbor seemed enthusiastic about the dish as well.
The result was a flavorful dish packed with vegetables and protein power-houses, quinoa and tofu.
- 1.5 cup quinoa
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 10 baby carrots, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
- 3 peppers (red, green and yellow), chopped (pepper colors are optional)
- 3/4 cup frozen edamame, thawed
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1 package Lite Firm Tofu (14 ozs)
- 3 scallions, chopped (optional)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- non-stick cooking spray
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame marinade
- 1/2 cup egg substitute
- In medium saucepan, bring quinoa and stock to a boil and reduce to simmer.
- Bring quinoa and water or chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, and then reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes until quinoa is cooked through; remove from heat and fluff with fork.
- While quinoa is cooking, chop mushrooms, carrots, onion, broccoli, peppers, ginger and garlic.
- Spray large sauté pan or wok with non-stick cooking spray and heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over high heat; add onion, carrot and peppers - cook about two minutes; add broccoli, mushrooms, edamame, garlic and ginger - cook about 5 minutes until all vegetables are softened
- Add in tofu and pour in soy, teriyaki and toasted sesame sauces - stir-fry for two more minutes.
- Add in the remainder of the olive oil and the quinoa- stir-fry for two minutes until sauce is distributed well; move mixture to one side of pan and pour in egg substitute, scramble.
- Toss everything together for another few minutes.
- Serve in bowl and add chopped scallions to top (optional).
Check out all those veggies!
I actually cooked this in the kitchen while chatting with my neighbor over wine, and miraculously, no mistakes were made! Here’s how it went down in the kitchen.
My neighbor claimed to “love it,” and I wasn’t sure if I believed her until she asked me to put some leftovers in tupperware for lunch tomorrow. Well, that sounds like love to me!
And to complement your healthy dinner, here’s a workout courtesy of Pinterest. Normally, I create my own on Friday, but I’ve seen so many great workouts on Pinterest these days that I just had to share this kettlebell workout with you. I love how this blogger uses pictures to demonstrate each move.
Do this circuit three times, and trust me, you’ll feel the burn. Enjoy the workout, and have a great weekend ya’ll!
YOUR TURN:
Favorite Chinese food dish? Ever tried to healthify it?
I absolutely adore using quinoa in place of rice to make fried “rice!” It always turns out SO good!!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl recently posted…Friday Foodie Favorites: November 8, 2013
I’ll definitely be making this again – the ample fresh veggies helped a lot, too!
I love plank rows – that workout looks awesome!!
And good for you for making your own Chinese food….it’s so true….the sodium content is OOC!! 😉
-Sammy
Sammy @ Peace Love and Ice Cream recently posted…WOD – November 8, 2013
Yes, just did the workout on Friday and it kicked my butt. Homemade Chinese food is just as good….okay, almost as good 😉