One of the main keys to eating healthy is being prepared. An easy, regular way to do this is to cook a large pot of whole grains at the start of the week and use it to create fresh, fast meals. Asian style fried brown rice, or quinoa in this case, is something my brother and I have been making pretty regularly lately. He takes the extras for lunch, topped with some baked, diced chicken to make it extra filling. Brown rice, millet or any other whole grain can be used instead of quinoa, they all work pretty well and have subtle, nutty flavours that go well with eggs, tamari (or regular soy sauce) and any vegetables desired.
This is also a good way to use up leftover bits of vegetables. This time we used bok choy and green onion to keep the Asian theme, along with some crimini mushrooms but we also especially like chopped bell peppers and even roasted root vegetables like potatoes and yams if we have some.
Crimini mushrooms are basically small portobello mushrooms, comparable in size to white button mushrooms but with more flavour. Either work, as do more exotic options like shiitake and enoki.
- 3 cups cooked quinoa
- 4 baby bok choy bunches, sliced (separate the more fibrous white bottoms and more delicate green leafy tops)
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups crimini mushrooms (chopped)
- ¼ cup tamari, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 green onion stalk, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Optional toppings: fresh cilantro and sliced avocado
- Heat the oil in a large skillet then add in the mushrooms and garlic and sautée for 2-3 minutes. Add a splash of water to the pan as needed if it gets dry and the garlic starts to brown too quickly.
- Add in the eggs as well as the white parts of the book choy eggs and continue to sautée quickly for a minute, breaking up the egg yolks and blending the eggs together.
- Add in the quinoa and cook for 4 minutes, just stirring occasionally now so the quinoa starts to brown.
- Add in 2 tablespoons of the tamari, the green ends of the book choy and the green onion and continue to sauté for 4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add in the final two teaspoons of tamari. Portion out and add cilantro and avocado and serve hot.
