STIR-FRIED QUINOA WITH EGGPLANT AND CABBAGE
Fried quinoa makes a healthful, easy alternative to fried rice in this yummy combination that includes eggplant, cabbage, onion, garlic and egg.
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3/4 to 1 lb eggplant, cubed
Vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons sriracha
2 cups cabbage, chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
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Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the eggplant cubes in a bowl, drizzle with a small amount of vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast for 8 to 12 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Thoroughly rinse the quinoa with cold water in a fine mesh strainer. Place the quinoa and broth in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until all the water is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil, fluff with a fork and set aside.
In a large skillet or wok heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and scramble until cooked through. Stir into the cooked quinoa.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and increase the heat to high. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Quickly stir in the sriracha, then add the cabbage. Stir-fry until the cabbage is crisp-tender, another 2 minutes.
Add a little more oil to the pan if needed, then add the quinoa-egg mixture. Continue to stir-fry for another minute. Add the soy sauce, toss to combine, then add the eggplant and cilantro. Mix well, drizzle with a little additional sesame oil and serve.
Recipe Notes:
We recommend using Chinese eggplant with the tender skin left on for this recipe, but regular globe eggplant will work fine as well ~ you may want to peel it though.
We chose to oven-roast our eggplant because it has a tendency to absorb quite a bit of oil in the frypan. The oven roasting method achieves a nice caramelization without all the excess fat.
About Quinoa:
If you haven’t had the opportunity to cook with quinoa, be sure to check out our article Cooking with Quinoa for some added information and cooking tips.