Recipe: Spicy Vegetable Quinoa “Biryani"

As promised, here is my recipe for Spicy Vegetable Quinoa “Biryani”.  Traditionally, Biryani is made with rice, so I decided to experiment with quinoa and change up one of my mom’s recipe

Quinoa is a great source of protein! It is actually a complete protein, meaning that it has all of the amino acids that our body needs. Vegetarians often have trouble finding since this type of protein is found in meats, poultry, and fish. I hope you give this recipe a try!

Don’t forget to get your copy of The Vegetarian’s Complete Quinoa Cookbook!

Spicy Vegetable Quinoa "Biryani"
Makes: 6 cups
One Serving: 1.5 cups

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp finely minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 large potato (about 5oz/150g) peeled and chopped into 1.5 inch (4cm) pieces
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp 0% fat Greek-style yogurt
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1. Place the quinoa in a large saucepan, add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook covered for 15-20 minutes. The quinoa is done when the grains are translucent and all the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork, remove from heat and let stand covered 5-10 minutes.

2. In a small frying pan, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Saute onions about 3-6 minutes, until golden brown. Reduce heat to low and add the ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, turmeric, coriander, and chill powder and stir well. Remove from heat.

3. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook covered for 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes soften slightly. Do not drain.

4. Add the mixed vegetables and fold in until evenly mixed. Stir in the lemon juice and yogurt. Remove from heat.

5. To serve: Fold the potato mixture and the onion mixture into the cooked quinoa. Add the cilantro and serve immediately.

The great thing about getting this published in a cookbook is that I now have the nutritional information!

Nutrition per serving:
311 Calories
0mg cholesterol
6g fibre
10g total fat (mostly good fat!)
1g saturated fat
60mg sodium
4g sugars
48g carbohydrate
9g protein

Unfortunately, I did not take  a picture the last time I made it. I will surely add a picture when I make it next :). Enjoy!

PS. For those of you stumped on how to pronounce Quinoa, it’s “KEEN-WA”.