If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, or if you know me in real life, you probably know that cooking is mostly a chore for me, & it’s not exactly my forte.  Furthermore my husband & I have somewhat different tastes in food so it’s difficult to make something that truly appeals to both of us.  However, this weekend I hit the jackpot & created a delicious stir-fry that BOTH of us loved.  I originally made it just for myself, but my husband smelled it & got curious, so he tried it.  Turns out he loved it as much as I did!  I came home from work on Monday morning to find that he had taken a sizable portion of the stir-fry to work with him for his lunch that day.  And he texted me later on that day asking me to make more of it the next day so we could have it all week.  This has pretty much never happened before in our relationship, as between the two of us he is a far more talented cook, & more often than not we each cook for ourselves because we do have such differing tastes in food.  Cue me feeling like a domestic goddess!  Haha!

This of course got me to thinking that this recipe might be worth blogging so others could give it a shot.  Not only am I excited that I finally found something that both of us really enjoy, but I’m also proud of the fact that I created this dish purely out of my imagination.  This is not to say someone else hasn’t made exactly the same thing before, but I truly didn’t follow a recipe here.  I just took some ideas I’d found online & adapted them to what fit my own tastes & the vegetables I had on hand in our pantry.  Alright, enough talking it up . . . Here’s the recipe!

Start out with your quinoa.  I used this kind that I got at Kroger which is a blend of quinoa & brown rice.  Now that I know I love quinoa, I’m going to buy it in bulk at Whole Foods since this kind does have a bit more sodium than I think is necessary (400 mg for the whole box, which in the grand scheme of things isn’t that much, but still).  The spices that are in it are all things I already have in my kitchen so I no longer feel l need to buy it like this.  But if you’re just starting out with quinoa, I think this kind is a great way to get into it.  For this kind, you just add 1 3/4 cups water & let it boil until all the water is gone.  Once the boiling has started, turn the heat down to medium.

Once the quinoa is on the stove, you can start on your veggies, but first get out your skillet & whatever kind of oil you’re going to use.   I always cook with iron skillets because I think they’re healthier than Teflon & they make things taste better too.

This is the coconut oil I use.  I get it at Sam’s Club.  I cook almost everything with coconut oil or sometimes olive oil because I think they are the healthiest AND taste the best.  You can turn your heat onto medium so that the oil heats up while you’re peeling & cutting up your sweet potato.

Peel your sweet potato & cut it up into bite-sized pieces.  Then cover with curry.  I never measure but 1-2 TBS is probably about right.

Above is the curry I use.  It is also from Sam’s Club.  Curry is full of antioxidants so it’s a very healthy spice/seasoning that is also FREAKING DELICIOUS!  However, it does have a tendency to stain everything it touches a very BRIGHT yellow, so just be sure to rinse your counters/cookware as soon as you’re done cooking/eating so the stain comes off easily.

I had never heard of sauteing sweet potatoes until last week, but it’s actually a very easy & delicious way to cook them!  However, it does take a while, so the first step for the stir-fry is to add your sweet potato chunks to your now warmed oil.  Depending on your stove’s settings, you may want to turn the heat down to medium low once you’ve added the sweet potatoes to the oil.  Allow them to saute for a good 10 minutes before adding any other vegetables because they take a lot longer to soften than most veggies do.  Stir occasionally &, if you desire, add additional curry (or any other spices that suit your fancy).

Use a fork to test the sweet potatoes for softness.  Once they soften a bit, you can add your other veggies.  I used frozen white corn & pearl onions, pictured above (both from Kroger).  I also used frozen yellow squash.  All of these veggies cook very quickly, so again make sure your sweet potatoes are more or less done when you add these veggies.Once you have all the veggies in your skillet, you can add your curry sauce.  I used Rogan Josh curry sauce, pictured above.  I love the Patak’s brand of curry sauces because they are all-natural, relatively low in sodium, & just plain delicious!  Someday maybe I’ll make my own curry sauces at home.  But I’m not THAT much of a domestic goddess yet, ha!  I usually get my Patak’s sauces at Kroger but I know Food Lion sells them also.

Doesn’t that look yummy?!

In case you’re not familiar with what quinoa looks like, above is the finished quinoa.  If you time things just right, the quinoa should finish about the same time as the stir-fry finishes (about 15 minutes).  Pour the stir-fry over the quinoa & your dish is ready to serve!

Finished product!  This is so delicious.  AND it reheats well which is really essential if you’re like me & need to be able to cook something that can last for several meals throughout the week.

 

You can easily make this a non-vegetarian recipe by adding beef or chicken or whatever meat you desire.  My husband & I are both devout carnivores, but we both really enjoy this stir-fry without any meat, so it’s definitely perfect as a vegetarian dish also.  Easy, healthy, & delicious; what more could you ask?

To sum up, below are the necessary ingredients:

• 1 whole sweet potato
• Frozen (or fresh) corn, yellow squash, & pearl onions (regular onions would work just fine too)
• 1-2 TBS (or more) Curry
• Rogan Josh curry sauce (many other curry sauces would work also)
• Coconut oil (or whatever your preferred cooking oil is)
• Quinoa/brown rice mix (plan quinoa or plain rice would work too)
• About 15-20 minutes of time to devote to cooking

And here is a quick summary of the directions in case you want to copy/paste them into your computerized recipe book.  (Let’s get real: my recipe book is a Microsoft Word document in which I copy/paste recipes I find online.  Maybe it’s not all cutesy like an old-fashioned recipe book, but it works.  I can’t be the only person who does this.)

1. Bring quinoa/brown rice mix to boil.  Turn down to medium heat once boiling begins.

2. Bring coconut oil to medium heat.

3. Peel sweet potato & cut into bite-sized chunks.

4. Pour curry over sweet potato chunks.  I never measure but 1-2 TBS is probably about right.

5. Add sweet potatoes to warmed coconut oil.  Depending on your stove’s settings, you may want to turn the heat down to medium low while they cook.  Stir occasionally & add any additional curry or other spices as desired.

6. After about 10 minutes, or whenever sweet potatoes start to soften, as tested by a fork, add other veggies (corn, squash, & pearl onions).

7. After a minute or two, add the Rogan Josh curry sauce.  Continue to stir occasionally.

8. At this time, your quinoa ought to be finished.  Whenever the water is all gone, remove from stove & add to bowl/container.

9. Pour contents of stir-fry over quinoa.

10. Voila!  You’ve got a delicious, healthy, & easy dish to eat & share!  🙂

I hope you’ll give this dish a try.  If so, comment below to let me know how it turns out!