Protein Rich Quinoa Bowl

Recipe: Protein Rich Quinoa Bowl

Protein Rich Quinoa Bowl is a healthy, protein rich, delicious, gluten free, vegan meal. The source of protein are from quinoa and tofu. The choice of vegetables to add to this filling meal is yours. I usually add whatever I have in my fridge. I also prepare some extra orange sauce as it stays fresh in the fridge for almost 2 weeks. Sometimes I make cauliflower bites  or steamed dumplings and drizzle the sauce over them.

 

Memories

I had shared this recipe with the group FoodieMonday/ Bloghop on 15/10/2018. The theme was Stir Fry suggested by Sujata who blogs at Batter Up With Sujata. Luckily I had bought some tofu from Nairobi as it was not available in Mombasa back then. And the idea of orange sauce came as during one of my visits to UK I had come across a recipe for chicken with orange sauce in a magazine. Jotted down the orange sauce recipe as I thought that is really interesting and different. I had not come across orange sauce in the Indo Chinese Cuisine nor in the authentic Chinese Restaurants in Mombasa. Later learnt that Orange Sauce is definitely not authentic to the Chinese cuisine but a staple of the American Cuisine Cuisine.

 

Sharing Protein Rich Quinoa Bowl Recipe With The Group Sunday Funday

For this Sunday our host is Sneha who blogs at Sneha’s Recipes. She suggested we share vegan dish. I decided to redo this post and share it with Sunday Funday group. The photos were too hazy so definitely needed a redo.

 

What Is Veganism?

Well it is a type of diet that some people follow. No dairy products, no meat, no fish. It is a plant based diet. Different from a vegetarian diet as most vegetarians consume dairy products and some like me include eggs.  I would miss milk, cheese, yogurt if I were to follow a vegan diet. And please don’t ask to have plastic like vegan cheese or fake yogurt. And those fake meat products, they totally put me off. Many of the vegetarian  daily dishes from India are vegan, using fresh vegetables, lentils, flours, etc.

 

Some Vegan Dishes That You May Like

 

Check Out Vegan Dishes Prepared By Members Of Sunday Funday

 

 

Ingredients Required For Protein Rich Quinoa Bowl

Quinoa

I cup of raw quinoa. Cook it according to the instructions on the packet. These days some quinoa are pre washed. If it is not pre washed then add the quinoa in a sieve and rinse it under running water and gently rub the quinoa to remove the saponin coating. Saponin is bitter. To cook quinoa it usually required 1½ – 2 cups of water. I usually follow the instructions on the packet.

Tofu

Can stir fry the tofu at home and add flavours of your choice. However, since it will be served with orange sauce, it really doesn’t require any additional flavours. This time round I have used frozen tofu sticks. They are coated with flavoured breadcrumbs. Generally you can serve about 100g tofu for each person to make it a proper protein rich meal.

Oil

Any oil of your choice to stir fry the vegetables and pan fry the tofu sticks.

Water

We will need some water to cook the quinoa and to make the orange sauce.

Salt

Add according to your taste. Use normal table salt or Himalayan Pink Salt.

Vegetables

Choose which veggies you would like to add. I had zucchini, mushrooms, carrot, sweet pepper, cauliflower in the fridge, therefore used those. In total you need about 4-5 cups of vegetables for 2 people. Sometimes I use the frozen mixed vegetables that are for South Asian cooking. Broccoli, baby corn, snow peas, celery, green beans, pak choy, cabbage, etc can be used.

Ginger

Peel and grate ginger. Need about 1 tsp for the sauce.

Garlic

I like to add a little extra garlic, so I use about 1 tbsp minced. Add according to your taste.

Onion

Use any onion of your choice, red, white or yellow. Peel and cut the onion into strips or chunks.

Spring Onion

Take about 2-3 spring onions. Trim the end and chop the spring onions. Keep the white and green parts separate.

Orange Juice

We need about ½ cup fresh orange juice.

Orange Zest

I like to add orange zest to the sauce for that extra citrusy flavour.

Cashew Nuts

I love adding cashew nuts to my stir fries. Split the cashews into halves.

Sesame Seeds

Adds crunch and are healthy too. Use white or black or a mixture of sesame seeds.

Pepper Powder

Add some to the vegetables and the sauce. I like to use coarsely ground pepper.

Cornstarch

Also known as cornflour. It is used to make the sauce thick. Mix the cornstarch with some water to make a slurry.

Soy Sauce

Adds an umami flavour to the sauce. I like to use dark soy sauce.

Rice Vinegar

To add some tanginess to the sauce. Can replace it with some lime or lemon juice.

Red Chilli Flakes

Add a bit of spiciness to the sauce. Add according to your taste.

Maple Syrup

To balance the flavours of the sauce we need to add a sweetener. I like to use maple syrup.

Sesame Oil

Adds a lovely smoky nutty flavour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STIR FRIED VEGETABLES WITH ORANGE SAUCE

4 Servings

For the stir fried vegetables:

½ cup fresh French beans cut into 2 inch long sticks

½ cup sliced zucchini

1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup snow peas (sugar snap peas) cut into halves if too big

1 cup carrot slices

1 cup mushroom chunks or slices

½ red pepper, cut into big squares or sticks

1 medium onion peeled and cut into chunks or slices

½ cup boiled chickpeas

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp sesame seed oil

 

For the Orange Sauce:

½ cup fresh orange juice

1 tbsp orange zest

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger paste

½ tsp dry chili flakes

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp cornstarch (cornflour)

¼ – ½ tsp salt

½ cup water

½ tsp coarse pepper powder

1 tsp sesame seed oil

 

For garnishing:

roasted sesame seeds

 

Preparation of the Orange Sauce:

1. Mix water and cornstarch well.
2. Add orange juice, soy sauce, vinegar and honey. Mix well.
3. Heat oil in a small pan.
4. Add garlic and ginger. Stir fry for a few seconds.
5. Add the cornstarch and orange mixture to the pan.
6. Cook the sauce, stirring continuously till it begins to thicken.
7. Take the pan off the heat.
8. Add orange zest,chili flakes, salt and pepper powder. Mix well.
9. Keep the sauce on the side till required.

 

Preparation of the Stir Fried Vegetables:

1. Heat a small pan of water till it begins to boil.
2. Keep a bowl of ice cold water ready.
3. Add broccoli florets and let it blanch for one minute.
4. Using a perforated spoon, remove the florets and immediately drop them in the cold water.
5. Now add the French beans in the boiling water. Blanch for a minute.
6. Using a perforated spoon remove the beans and drop them in the cold water.
7. Finally add the snow peas to the boiling water. Blanch them for a minute and then remove them using a perforated spoon. Drop the snow peas in the cold water.
8. Heat oil in a wide pan or a wok over high heat.
9. Add the carrot slices and stir fry them for a minute.
10. Add onion and sweet pepper. Stir fry for 30 seconds.
11. Add the zucchini and mushrooms. Stir fry for about a minute,
12. Drain out the water from the mixture of snow peas, broccoli and french beans.
13. Add them to the pan.
14. Add the boiled chickpeas and mix all the vegetables gently and stir fry for a minute.
15. Add the sauce, mix well and serve immediately with roasted sesame seeds sprinkles on top.
16. Serve it with some noodles, rice, quinoa or couscous.

 

Tips:

• Don’t cut the zucchini and carrots into slices that are too thin or too thick.
• Can serve the sauce on the side if you wish, just warm it up before serving.
• Add vegetables of your choice like cauliflower, bamboo shoot, bean sprouts etc.
• Can stir fried tofu, paneer or small pieces of meat/fish.
• You can add roasted nuts like peanuts, cashew nuts or almonds.

 

A little request:

If you do try this recipe then please either

• add a comment below,
• send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
•  tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
• or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962

 

You may want to check out the following stir fries:

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