Quinoa or So I Married an Orthodox

Unlike Mike Myers in 'So I married an Ax Murder' I knew Scott was Orthodox and entered with eyes wide open. What does this have to do with cooking you might ask? In Orthodox tradition they fast(no meat, dairy, olive oil, wine) often. One of the main fast is right around the corner, Lent. It started last Sunday with ixnay on the carne, this week will be my farewell to dairy until Easter. So the question....what will I eat for the next 40 or so days??? Vegan.
I went in search of a vegan cookbook that felt substantial, I needed meat without...well... meat. I found one that has been a delight so far,  
 "VEGANOMICON"

                (If you have seen the Evil Dead this title will make you laugh).

I made Pineapple-Cashew-Quinoa Stir-Fry last night tweaking the recipe just a little:

Quinoa: Before last Saturday at a potluck I didn't know this existed, it was introduced to me in a fabulous dish made by my even more fabulous neighbor (hoping she will read this and the flattery will get her to post her recipe)!
If you are not tech savvy and just think I posted 'Quinoa' in color because it looked pretty, you can click 'Quinoa' to learn more  ;)  (that was a wink)

1cup of Quinoa
1cup pineapple juice
1cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce

Put all this in a pot, cover, and turn up the heat. After it boils stir it a few times and then cover and let it simmer until all liquid is absorbed and it looks fluffy( about 12-14min)
I doubled this part of the recipe, I fed 5people(with 2nd helpings) and had some leftovers(that I'll have for lunch today).

I made the Quinoa at about 1pm and stuck it in the refrigerator to cool(a necessary part of making any kind of stir-fry) next time I will probably make it the night before.

The rest of the recipe takes about 15min or so. I chopped all the ingredients listed below and had them ready to toss in!

Stir-Fry:
4 oz cashews raw and unsalted(I used a couple of handfuls of sliced almonds)
3 TBspoons peanut oil(I used sesame oil)
2 scallions, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic(I left this out)
1 red hot chile, sliced into very thin rounds(I left this out)
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup frozen green peas or cooked edamame(I opted for the latter)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
2 TBspoons chopped mint
10 oz pineapples(I used 20oz)

sauce: again, I doubled this part
3 TBspoons soy sauce
3 TBspoons veggie stock
1 TBspoon mirin(have no idea what this is or where to find it, so I left it out)

Start with a large skillet or wok and toast your nuts dry(4-5min), set those aside and heat up your oil, scallions, and garlic. add your chile pepper, ginger(I used ginger paste, but would always recommend the fresh stuff!!) It says after about 2min add the bell peppers and peas, but I never watch a clock while I'm cooking, you have to watch the food. I always smell too, when the ginger releases it's aromas and the pepper starts giving off some heat, you know you are good to go! The next step says to stir-fry until edamame turns bright green and bell peppers start to soften, I like my veggies a little crunchy so I didn't cook for that long before adding the basil & mint(once the aromas open up and release your good!) add the pineapple and quinoa. I didn't stir the quinoa in at first, I let it sit on top of the other stuff until I could see steam rise through and then I added the sauce. I stirred everything together and kept stirring until the quinoa was hot and a little browned. I added the almonds and then served! The kiddos picked out the edamame and asked for extra soy sauce....but otherwise it was a winner!