Leftover Quinoa Indian Pilaf
It’s amazing how quickly the zero waste and plastic free culture has grown within the last few months. Zero waste is a lifestyle that I strive towards and seeing our society taking that challenge by its horns is really beautiful to see. The demand for plastic free produce is growing because of individuals group effort; goes to show that actions of individuals really does make a difference. Of course, there is still a massive problem with our wastage, but taking steps in a greener direction is so important. With talk about reducing packaging and plastic, we must also consider how much food waste we produce on a household level. Personally, it doesn’t sit well with me at all throwing perfectly ok into the bin, when there are people in the world desperate for food. It can be very difficult to completely eliminate food waste, but with a little forward thinking and creativity, it can be done! Being creative with food to reduce waste makes it a less tedious task and can turn this unwanted food into something delicious.
Me and my family are massive feeders, so are constantly feeding each other and guests more than their bellies can fit. As you can imagine, this results in a fair amount of leftovers. One of the most common ingredients leftover in abundance is the grains! The boring bit essentially. Unless I’m desperate, I don’t ever fancy sitting down and having a massive bowl of plain rice. Luckily though, plain grains are a perfect base for making something gorgeous
Quinoa is my go to grain at the moment. The texture works so well with many dishes without that mega stodgy feeling that many grains have. Quinoa is also a complete protein and is packed with tonnes of health benefits.
It’s easy to shove this grain into a salad or re heat to go with a curry – but why not make a unique dish from it? I was weighing up the options like quinoa burgers and biryanis, instead settling for a fried quinoa dish. Loosely inspired by the typical fried rice dishes.
My go to spices are always the aromatic indian spices, which I felt worked perfectly with this kind of recipe. Combining naturally sweet garden peas, fiery spices and creamy yogurt forms a beautiful, moreish dish suitable as a main or just a side dish. This tasty mash up of indian style ingredients is budget friendly, leaving your wallet and belly super happy – oh and your bin bag – it really didn’t want to carry that tasty quinoa to the incinerator.
If you’re loving this zero waste recipe ideas, let me know and i’ll bring you some more greener living inspiration! Keep striving towards making amazing food with leftover food and try to be imaginative with food before letting it go to waste.
Let me know in the comments and on Instagram and Facebook if you try this recipe!!
- 3 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 large sweet potato, cubed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch of fresh ginger, minced
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 1 red onion, diced
- ½ tsp each of: cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds
- ¼ tsp each of turmeric, cayenne, salt, pepper
- ½ cup frozen (or fresh) peas, thawed
- 1 cup spinach
- ⅓ cup soy yogurt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Firstly, drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil over the sweet potato and roast in the oven at 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5 for 20-25 mins or until tender.
- In a non-stick wok, heat the other tbsp of olive oil and add the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, cumin, fenugreek seeds and coriander seeds. Fry for about 3 minutes, or until you hear the seeds popping.
- Add the turmeric, cayenne, salt and pepper - stir together and cook for another minute. keep stirring to prevent sticking.
- Add the peas and quinoa to the wok and fold everything together and continue to stir for about 4-5 minutes to heat through.
- Add the spinach and yogurt, and mix together well. After 2 minutes remove from the heat and pour in the lemon juice. Season to taste.
- Add in the sweet potato and serve