Quinoa is a great grain. It’s packed full of protein and fiber — the important stuff. If you’re eating a vegetarian/vegan/reduced meat diet, this is a great food to enjoy. Lentils are also tasty and nutritious, and they while they’re tasty alone, they mix well with quinoa. I really like quinoa, and one of the first times I prepared it myself, I made this stir fry, which I came up with based on a variety of quinoa recipes I saw online. It’s delicious and simple, with lots of natural flavor.
It requires some prep, but other than that, this vegan lentil quinoa superfood stir fry is pretty simple to make, and can be altered to personal taste, though I think this veggie combo is perfect and needs no added/artificial flavoring. This tasty recipe is both sodium and dairy-free.
What you’ll need:
• Quinoa (about 1.5 cups)
• Red Lentils (.5 cups)
• Green Lentils (.5 cups)
• Spinach (I added a lot because I love spinach! But 1.5 — 2 cups should suffice)
• One whole avocado, sliced
• Asparagus (8-10 spears)
• Red potatoes (5 mini potatoes, halved)
• Grape tomatoes (6 to 10, halved)
• Green onions (3, chopped)
• Fresh garlic (1 clove, chopped)
• Olive oil (2 tablespoons, divided between the quinoa and for frying)
This dish serves 2 — 3 people, or can be stored for multiple meals).
Before I start chopping, I clean my quinoa and lentils separately in a fine strainer, and get them cooking with a bit of oil and half of the garlic clove, following the water measurements and directions on the package.
Once that’s going, it’s time to chop, as instructed above. After everything is cut up, I pour olive oil into a large pan with the remaining chopped garlic, and heat it on medium. When the oil starts warming up, I start sautéing the potatoes, since they take the longest time to cook, and I want them a little soft and slightly browned.
As the potatoes begin to soften and brown, stir in the remaining ingredients and continue sautéing at a medium heat.
More oil may be needed at this point, and can be added to your desire. Spinach should be added last, to avoid over wilting.
When the veggies are cooked (about 3—4 minutes of cooking is enough, since we will be doing a little more stir frying), add the cooked quinoa/lentil mix and continue stirring everything around your pan, increasing the heat slightly.
And after all those steps, you’re done! Seasoning can be added, but the veggies, garlic, onions and oil really create a tasty flavor themselves that doesn’t need much altering. Enjoy!
lifesacupoftea.com 