Pineapple Cashew Quinoa

So this is from my friend, Angela's, blog: Green Fed. They were vegan before she got pregnant and the little pea started calling for cheeseburgers. At least that's what I think. And though we haven't caught up lately, I'm thinking pregnancy is creating a break from her awesome vegan blog. So, I'll carry on for her in spirit. Though we aren't vegan, I love to cook vegetarian meals. And this is one dish that Jared actually loves (and the little P-man too). You could probably add chicken, but I like keeping it vegetarian.

Hint: If you haven't cooked with quinoa, I hear the magic number for washing it is seven times but I don't know if that's true (maybe that's for shuffling a card deck?). Needless to say, the outside of quinoa contains the residue used to make soap, so you want to wash it thoroughly. I use a fine-mesh collander and a large bowl to swish and rinse, swish and rinse, several times. It takes a few minutes, so I'll do several cups at a time and then freeze the rest. It still cooks perfectly.

Every time I cook this, I wonder why I didn't double it.

Adapted from: Green Fed

Ingredients:
Quinoa:
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed and drained
1 cup pineapple juice (I just use the juice from the canned pineapple and add water to make up the full cup)
1 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce (I use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)
Stir-fry:
4 ounces cashews, raw and unsalted
3 tablespoons peanut oil (or any high-heat oil will do)
2 scallions, sliced thinly (I sometimes use 1/2 of a regular onion)
1 hot red chile, sliced into very thin rounds (I don’t use this and it's still really good)
1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, rolled and sliced in thin shreds
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
10 ounces fresh pineapple, cut into bite sized chunks (I’ve used canned pineapple and it tastes just as good)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable stock
Lime wedges for garnish

Instructions:
For the quinoa: Combine the quinoa, juice, water and soy sauce in a medium sized pot. Cover, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Stir a few times, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 12 – 14 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa appears plumped and slightly translucent. Uncover, fluff and let cool.

For the stir-fry: Use a large frypan or wok. Have all your ingredients pre-chopped and in reach. Place the cashews in the dry pan and heat over low heat, stirring them, until lightly toasted (4 to 5 minutes).
Remove the cashews from the pan, raise the heat to medium and add the peanut oil, scallions and garlic, when the garlic starts to sizzle, add the sliced chili and ginger.
Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then add the bell pepper and peas. Stir-fry for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the bell pepper is softened and the peas are bright green.
Add the basil and mint, and stir for another minute before adding the pineapple and quinoa.
Combine the soy sauce, vegetable stock and miri. Pour over the quinoa mixture. Stir until the mixture is coated. Continue to stir-fry for 10 minutes (it helps to use two spoons/spatulas to scoop the quinoa around).

Serve with lime wedges.