If You Make Only One of My Recipes, Make This One

This recipe is amazing. No kidding. It's cheap, it's easy, and it's delicious. Unfortunately, my camera phone doesn't do it justice.

It's perfect for dinner, lunch, or a snack. My version calls for chicken, but you can easily replace it with pork, beef, shrimp, fish, or tofu.

Here's how I did it: I try to buy quinoa in bulk (they sell it this way at Costco), and I like to buy frozen chicken breasts in bulk at Trader Joe's. They also have all kinds of frozen fish and shrimp in case you want to throw it in your freezer and keep it for later. I love it, because then I always have chicken and can just pull it out and defrost it whenever I need it.

This recipe is an alteration of SELF magazine's recipe for Quinoa Stir-Fry with Vegetables and Chicken. Instead of using chicken breasts that are already cooked, I cook it in the same spices that are used in the dish. I think it gives everything more flavor and makes it really delicious.



Quinoa Stir Fry
3/4 cup Quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 tbsp. coarse Salt, divided
2 tbsp. Olive Oil, divided
1 tbsp. Ginger Root, grated and divided
4 cloves Garlic, minced and divided
1 tbsp. Chili Flakes or 1 Red Chili, chopped and divided
1 tsp. Black Pepper, divided
2 tbsp. Wheat Free Soy Sauce
1 bunch Green Onions or 1 Shallot, chopped
2 Carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 an Onion, chopped
2 Broccoli Florets, stems removed and broken into small pieces
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup Almonds, coarsely chopped
8 oz. raw Chicken, cubed (or a few pieces of chicken)
2 Eggs, beaten

Prepare vegetables and chicken. Rinse quinoa in a strainer and place in a medium saucepan with 3/4 cup of water and 1/4 tsp. coarse salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover, and let cook for about 15 minutes. When it is cooked but still moist, remove the saucepan from heat and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Let sit until you need it.

In a large skillet, drizzle about 1 tbsp. olive oil and add all of the vegetables and almonds. Add about 1/2 tsp. coarse salt and pepper each, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 tbsp. wheat free soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp. grated ginger root, and 1/2 tbsp. chili flakes or half of the pepper. Cook over medium-high heat about five minutes or until vegetables are just starting to get soft. Remove from skillet.

Add the rest of the olive oil to the skillet, along with the rest of the ginger root, garlic, chili pepper, wheat free soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Add in the chicken pieces and cook for a few minutes, or until pieces are cooked all the way through. Remove from skillet. (I put it on the same plate as the vegetables.)

Beat two eggs in a small bowl together. Feel free to sprinkle in more tamari, salt, pepper, or chili flakes for additional flavor. Cook in skillet for a couple minutes or until egg starts to solidify, then add the quinoa. Stir together until egg is fully cooked, then add the vegetables and chicken. Season to taste. Let cook a few minutes, then serve. Enjoy!

Jamie's Food Movement

I bought Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook Jamie's Food Movement last weekend, and I am already in love. The cookbook is an attempt to help curb obesity and other food-related illness and problems in America by teaching people to cook "simple, delicious, affordable meals." This book does just that. And the best part? It's very gluten and dairy free friendly!

The book has many curry, fish, steak, stir fries, and pasta dishes, and everything I've made so far has come out delicious. Some dishes such as the desserts can be hard to convert, but most things are served with rice, the pasta can be substituted for quinoa pasta (my personal favorite) or rice pasta. The dishes have a small amount of ingredients, but he makes sure to add enough flavor so that they're enjoyable. This book is very user-friendly and is directed towards those who have either never cooked or are beginners.


My first attempt was at his dish Cherry Tomato Sauce with Cheat's Fresh Pasta (p.55). This recipe calls for lasagna sheets sliced into smaller pieces, but Whole Foods was out of my favorite kind, so I made it with Quinoa Linguine instead. I also added meat and bacon to it, and if you want to try that, add about 3/4 lb. of ground beef and a few slices of chopped bacon. Fresh basil is worth it if you can get it (I couldn't, they were all out, of course) and don't feel bad for not being able to put Parmesan on it. It's still delicious.





The next dish I made was Chicken Tikka Masala (p.82), and it came out amazing. The recipe doesn't specify, but I used heavy coconut milk, and my whole kitchen smelled like coconut and curry. While this dish is not traditional to what you may have in restaurants, it's still delicious and not too difficult to make. It calls for tikka masala curry paste, and you can either get this from a jar (he likes Patak's) but I didn't want to risk plumbing problems, so I followed his recipe of Tikka Masala Paste (p.99). He calls for 2 tablespoons almond flour, but I was out, and millet flour worked fine with it. For garnishing, the almonds add some nice texture and crunch, so they're worth the effort. Cashews would work just as well, however. He also teaches you how to make Light and Fluffy Rice (p.95), and his pointers are very helpful.


Last night I made Spanish-Style Grilled Steak (p.235), and this was a big crowd pleaser. Grill King Daddy grilled the meat on a grill instead of a grill pan, and we didn't cut up the steaks as it's pictured in the book. But this is a very good dish for meat. I added some cumin and turmeric as well, and if you choose to add other spices like coriander, it won't hurt. The lemon juice on it is good as a garnish, but lime juice would work well too. Make sure that you have enough of the bell peppers and red peppers (I used Fresnos), because they're good to eat with the meat.


For side dishes I made Baked Carrots In a Bag (p.214) and Dressed Asparagus (p.215). After serving the carrots we realized that no one there really liked carrots to begin with. They have an interesting flavor, and are different from anything else you've tried. But there is a combination of sweet and savory spices, and in this case orange zest and bacon sadly don't go too well together. The asparagus, however, came out good. We were out of parsley and used cilantro instead, but they had a good flavor.
















If you're not sure, I suggest to go to a bookstore and take a look at it. Flip through and get an idea of what the recipes are like and see if it's your kind of thing. If you're a vegetarian, there are many fish dishes that are simple but include flavor, so I think it's worth looking into. But I believe that Jamie Oliver has a great idea, since the way to eat healthiest and cheapest is at home with good, home cooked meals. But if you're dairy and gluten free like me, we're already in on the secret.