Pineapple Fried Quinoa

                           

 

Okay, so maybe the above pictured dish doesn't look all that appetizing... I believe one of my FB friends exact words were "this looks like something my cat would throw up". Thanks for that my darling friend! But in all seriousness, this isn't a pretty, stunning dish to make for your dinner party guests, but its a quick delicious and healthy weeknight dinner that will leave you with leftovers to eat for lunch the next day.

 

This dish is like fried rice, but with quinoa! I've also lightened it up, so its miles healthier for you than your typical fried rice.

 

Pineapple Fried Quinoa

Recipe adapted from  Allrecipes.com

 

Ingredients:

 

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs, beaten lightly
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 cup diced pineapple
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust depending on heat preferences)

Method

1. Place quinoa, chicken broth and water in a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until quinoa is tender and liquid has been absorbed.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, add eggs and scramble til cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add sesame oil to skillet then add minced garlic and cook til fragrant - this will only take about 30 seconds. Add pineapple and stir for a few minutes. Next stir in cooked quinoa, eggs, cilantro, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Garnish with more cilantro and a drizzle of hot sauce if desired.

 

Quick and easy - you can have a week night dinner on the table in 30 minutes! A bonus is that is tastes delish and is super healthy for you too. For you meat lovers, add some cooked chicken or shrimp to this dish.

 

To make this dish vegan - omit the eggs and use tamari instead of soy sauce.

 

Happy Cooking my Friends!

How to... Cut a Pineapple

Ever went to cut up a pineapple and found you weren't quite sure where to start? Or ever cut up a pineapple into perfect dice only to bite down into a hard piece because you didn't realize pineapples had cores? This how to post is for you! Even if you're just looking to fine tune your pineapple cutting skills to become more efficient, have a look at the step by step photos for some ideas on how to improve your chopping skills.

First off, be sure to pick out a ripe pineapple. Lots of the pineapples at the grocery store won't be ripe enough to be sweet and delicious for eating. So, be sure to choose your pineapple carefully. The best tip I ever received for picking out a ripe pineapple: choose a pineapple where the middle stalk pieces pull out very easily. If they do, its ripe and ready to eat!

Next: start out with your sharpest knife (make sure it's big enough) and a nice big cutting board. Slice off the top of your pineapple. Then flip it around and slice off the bottom as well so you have a nice flat surface to work with.

 Then stand the pineapple up on end and use your knife to slice off the skin, removing as little of the flesh as possible. Slice strips off all the way around the pineapple until it is completely peeled. You can use a melon baller or the end of a potato peeler to pick out the divets (the little brown spots) if they bother you!

 In the photo below, note the 1" circle in the middle of the pineapple. This is the core of the pineapple - it is hard and not very pleasant to eat. It runs all the way down the pineapple in the middle. In the next steps be sure to be mindful of where the core of the pineapple is.

Next, slice the flesh off the pineapple off on either side of the core. Set the two pieces of flesh aside for now.

Then with the remaining piece of pineapple, slice the flesh of the pineapple off, leaving the core behind. Discard the core. Take the pieces of flesh you've carefully carved away from the core and dice them into bite size pieces. Enjoy them on their own, put them in fruit salad, or make this healthy Pineapple "Ice Cream".

Hope you learned something during your visit today! If there's something you've been wanting to learn how to do in the kitchen, please leave me a comment and I will try to feature it in a future How to... post. :)

 Happy cooking my friends!

Pineapple "Ice Cream"

Hey Friends! How is your week going so far? Mine has been pretty busy and COLD! Yep, you heard me - friggin cold. We typically don't get much cold weather here, but tonight it is -8 celcius and I don't think I've seen temperatures that cold since last time I was up in Northern BC a few years ago. Regardless of the cold though, I'm bringing you a nice cold dessert that you can eat and still stay in line with you new years resolutions!!

 Folks - meet my version of pineapple ice cream with very little sugar and zero fat!! I add the spiced whiskey for a little extra flavour and also to keep the mixture from getting too hard in the freezer. If you're going to consume it right away, feel free to leave out the whiskey for an even healthier snack. You could also sweeten this dessert with a couple tablespoons of agave to make this treat with less sugar (other than the naturally occurring sugar in the pineapple that is).

Oh and did I mention how easy this is? Cut up your pineapple, freeze it, then combine frozen pineapple and remaining ingredients into your food processor and whirl until smooth and creamy. Ohhhhhh yes!!!

Pineapple "Ice Cream"
Recipe by Erin

Ingredients:

• 1 whole pineapple, cut up into bite size chunks and frozen
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3-4 tbsp spiced whiskey
• 3 heaping tbsp non-fat greek yogurt (preferably Liberte brand)

Method:

1. Combine ingredients in food processor. Whirl until smooth. Enjoy!

Whats the weather like where you're living? Is it cold and wintery there too? Here's to staying warm this frigid winter week and hoping for warmer weather next week!

Happy Baking my Friends!