SECRET RECIPE CLUB: QUINOA FRIED RICE

Posted in Rice and Grains, Secret Recipe Club, Side dishes by

Did you miss my Bewitching party? Click here to enter the giveaway… 

The month of June brought with it a ton of activities. School is out, so a lot more work in the lab, my blog turned 5 years old, and the World Cup of Indescribable Ordeal is on.  I used to root for one country only, but now two teams make me shout expletives at referees and goal keepers, as well as scream instructions to the players, fuming like a mad woman because they simply  do not listen. But, let’s leave soccer behind and concentrate on things that don’t have the potential to induce a fatal coronary.  Like Reveal Day of  The Secret Recipe Club, always a pleasure, always something I look forward to. This month I got one of the most entertaining food blogs ever!  Starting with its name, 84th and 3rd. Here’s what JJ, an American living in Sydney has to say about it:

84th & 3rd is an ordinary corner, not particularly remarkable, in the most remarkable city in the world. But it was only meters from that corner that a seed was planted, a dream of doing something that she loves and being able to share it with others. 84thand3rd.com is that something.

She divulges just enough to perk my curiosity, and make me want to be there right now. In fact, Australia is one place I long to visit, and hope that one day our adventures will take us there. When I got my assignment, I thought about taking a quick look at the site, but instead I literally had to drag myself away from the computer, because I could not stop reading. Just to give you a small taste of her writing style, here’s a paragraph from one of her posts, in which she talks about her partner…

.… When I met RJ he used to eat at least 4 slices of white bread a day. Not necessarily as part of a meal mind you, but just because. Toast for breakfast, toast before dinner [no matter what or when dinner was], bread with dinner. Sliced, white, from a plastic bag, every time. It appalled me just a bit – as did putting ketchup/tomato sauce on beef stew but we’ll save that one for later… *waves at RJ* hi mate, yes, I’m talking about you again –

 Isn’t she a hoot?  She also describes herself as someone who “Practices yoga to stay calm[ish], runs to stay sane[ish], and does both to eat cake”… I must say I detect some similarities here, although I would substitute bread for cake.  😉 So, after spending a lot of time amusing myself with her stories and recipes, I assembled a list of possibilities for this month’s assignment.  Here they are:  Mushroom-quinoa meatballs with Rustic Pasta Sauce, Strawberry Cucumber Coconut-water Slushy,  Rocket Parsley Pepita Pesto,  Spiced Pear & Red Wine Chocolate Cake, Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde, and this chocolate tarte that I swear I am making before the month of July is over. Yeah, public commitment, you guys and girls better be ready for it… But now it’s time to reveal the recipe that crossed the finish line of this month’s culinary marathon…

Quinoa Fried Rice
QUINOA FRIED RICE
(slightly modified from 84th & 3rd)

2 cups quinoa, cooked and cooled (I used red quinoa)
a little olive oil
4 slices ginger, sliced into thin strips
1 small Serrano chili, finely diced
1 bunch of cilantro leaves, minced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
large handful green beans, cut into small lengths
2 medium zucchini, diced
3 scallions ,white and light green part only, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil

Add a small splash of olive oil to the hot pan. Fry ginger and garlic for 30 sec stirring constantly, add chili and cilantro and fry for a further 30 sec.

Add bell pepper and beans, toss or stir for a couple of minutes. Add zucchini and green onions and toss for a couple of minutes more.

Push veggies to edges to make a hole in the center. Drizzle in 2 tsp sesame oil, wait for it to heat up and dump in quinoa. Stir in center of pan for 30 seconds then toss with veggies to mix everything together.

Drizzle in tamari and toss to combine. Serve with extra scallions, and cilantro.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Ingredients
Comments: This was absolutely delicious!  As you can read on her original post, this is the type of recipe you can use to clean up your fridge of all those veggies that wave at you when you open it, begging for attention. It is also a perfect use for leftover quinoa, although I cooked some earlier in the day just to have this side dish as our dinner. Asparagus would work great, but really any veggie could work, even chunks of roasted butternut squash, or eggplant.   Just keep the soy, the sesame oil at the end, and don’t leave out the fresh ginger.

Zucchini-side
I close this post with another excerpt from JJ, which expresses exactly how I feel about blogging.

“Blogging is an interesting beast. It is a person sitting in front of a computer expressing things in pictures and words, terribly solitary from the outside peering in… or so you’d think. But when you look a bit closer you realise that many of those people sitting at their computers have formed little communities. Sometimes online, sometimes in person, generally with people they never would have met otherwise, and it really doesn’t matter how the community works or where it came from but simply that it is there.”
(JJ, from 84th & 3rd)

That’s it, folks.  Could not have said it better!  JJ, it was great to receive your blog as my assignment this  month, I will be following you from now on, looking forward to your adventures! As usual, if you want to check what my fellow secret bloggers cooked up this month, poke the frog below. She is cute and loves attention…

ONE YEAR AGO: Carrot Flan with Greens and Lemon Vinaigrette
TWO YEARS AGO: The Secret Recipe Club: Granola Bars
THREE YEARS AGO:  Awesome Broccolini
FOUR YEARS AGO:  A Twist on Pesto
FIVE YEARS AGO: Ciabatta: Judging a bread by its holes

60 thoughts on “SECRET RECIPE CLUB: QUINOA FRIED RICE”

  3. JJ does sound like a hoot! Calmness, sanity and cake are definitely worth striving for ;-). Soccer is not easily left behind in our home either :). I’m not sure I’ve ever rooted for an American team before (they are rarely the underdogs) but today was one of those occasions… what a game… what a finish. Germany will be tough though. Likely tougher. Can’t wait!

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    • USA game was the toughest of all to watch, I still cannot BELIEVE they let Portugal score with 20 seconds to go. Unreal… Brazil did good yesterday, now the tough phase starts….

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  6. I would have had a hard time choosing which of the recipes to make but it does sound like you chose a really good one. BTW, congratulations on your blogging milestone…that is terrific!

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  7. Oh Sally you are far too kind! So glad you enjoyed the site and the quinoa fried rice is such a perfect cleaning out the crisper dish. Congrats on your 5 year blogiversary! I avoid watching sport like the plague, but I think we could still be friends, ha! ;D

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    • No problem with the sport watching… I don’t watch many events, a little golf usually. But the Olympics and the World Cup, that’s another story – those for me are special….

      Love your blog!

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    • It’s great to have a “clean up the fridge” concoction, I fully agree on that one… frittatas can be great for that too, but I rarely make them, for some odd reason. This was much better!

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    • Thank you Melissa! I think most people who don’t like quinoa probably did not rinse it well enough and got a soapy-tasting side dish. There is absolutely nothing to dislike about it, right?

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  22. This sounds absolutely delicious and as you say perfect for using up what you have in the fridge. I’m sure the quinoa added a lovely texture and feels much healthier too! Great SRC pick.

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  25. I did not know a thing about soccer, until the World Cup in South Africa. After that the beast woman came out. I can now say that I get the hype, totally. Rooting for the Dutch and just love how the Germans play, precision, precision….oh the joy!

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    • I love the Dutch, and will root for them against any other team, except of course Brazil (or USA).

      Italy versus Uruguay was incredible, I still cannot quite believe Suarez bit another player, his third bite in tournaments, the guy is addicted to human flesh, I suppose…. Sad to see Italy go, but my Brazilian side gets relieved, they won four times, we prefer to have only us with five stars 😉 😉 😉

      soccer is a fun game, too bad most Americans think it’s boring…

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  28. Sounds like another great blog. I love her comment about yoga and running as well. I would substitute cake for sushi or pasta! 🙂 I think my favorite part of this recipe is the fresh ginger. Fabulous idea! I love ginger and never would have thought to add it in a quinoa dish. This definitely looks like a winner. Enjoy the World Cup – it’s getting very serious now I believe? Elimination rounds?

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    • World Cup. Not sure you know the TORTURE of yesterday’s game. I am not fully recovered yet. Brazil advanced through penalty kicks. You are lucky for not being Brazilian. No one deserves that much suffering. I screamed so much I don’t think the dogs will ever get close to me again…. (sigh)

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      • LOL! I didn’t follow it, but I did think of you when I heard the outcome. I don’t think I could handle that kind of intensity. 😉 On a side note, finally making your kale pizza tonight. I’ve had the ingredients, but we keep ending up elsewhere. Tonight is the night!

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