Quinoa stir fry with kale, chili and nuts

Breakfast: Banana smoothie and the Chef’s Breakfast from Wealthy Hippy

Lunch: Pumpkin and feta salad (I overlaid something chronic – no time to be inventive)

Dinner: Quinoa stir fry with kale, chili and nuts

Having finally procured a bike thanks to my amazing friend Steph, and with the rain finally abating, today was the first day that I could cycle to work and man, am I unfit! Though going uphill on the way there may have killed my underworked thighs, freewheeling mostly downhill on the way home was glorious. I love the summer in Toronto!

Quinoa is quickly becoming my Favourite Thing in the World Ever (watch out, Totoro). It’s just amazing. It can go in cereals, salads, stir fries, bars, desserts and you could probably patch holes in walls with it, if you so wished. It’s a whole protein, is high in calcium and iron (hooray!) and has more amino acids than you can shake a stick at. What’s not to like?

This meal is kind of light but very nutritionally dense so it leaves you feeling particularly satisfied. The flavours, too, are really nicely balanced, with the lemon playing off the ginger and chili gorgeously. I have absolutely no idea where I snipped this recipe from but it’s going to be one of those I make and make again.

You’ll need:

            150g cashews

            200g quinoa

            2 onions, diced

            3 garlic cloves, crushed

            2 small red chilis, sliced

            a decent chunk of ginger, diced

            150g kale, chopped or shredded

            150ml veg stock

            juice of 1 lemon

            a splash of soy sauce

            olive / sunflower oil

Method:

            Toast the cashews in a 180c oven for 5 minutes and let them cool

            Cook the quinoa:

                        Soak the quinoa in room-temperature water for 20 minutes

Drain (I did it through a tea towel as my strainer’s holes are too big!) and rinse through

Put the quinoa in a pan with 1 and a 1/4 times as much water and bring to the boil

Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until all the water is absorbed

Take off the heat and leave to stand for 5 minutes

            While the quinoa stands, fry the onion in the oil until it’s browning

            Add the ginger, chili and garlic and fry for a few more minutes

            Add the kale and cook for 2 minutes

            Add the stock and simmer until all stock has evaporated

            Add the quinoa and the lemon juice

            Add the nuts and soy sauce

            Serve with a sprinkling of chili flakes on top if you like the aesthetic value of red!

I dare you not to like it.