This oil-free, Asian Quinoa Fried “Nice” Rice recipe uses quinoa in place of rice for a healthy, protein-packed plant-based dinner. Use any of your favorite vegetables or throw in a bag of a frozen stir-fry blend for even easier work. Add in edamame, tofu, or tempeh for extra protein. This makes for a great budget-friendly, one pan dinner that can feed the whole family. No more need for greasy take-out!
Why I Love Quinoa Fried “Nice” Rice
Fried rice is a great weeknight meal. It lends itself well to a plant-based diet by incorporating lots of vegetables with rice. It’s a great dish for cleaning out the fridge and freezer, as you can use leftover vegetable scraps and bags of frozen peas. This is the recipe for using that leftover 1/2 bell pepper, those 4 cremini mushrooms, that sad looking last carrot. It’s also great for adding frozen peas, corn, edamame, and broccoli. The best part? It’s on the table in less than 30 minutes with only one pan to clean.
2 Ways to Make a Healthier, Protein-Packed Oil-Free Fried Rice
#1 Swap out the White Rice for Whole Grain Quinoa and Oats
A typical recipe for fried rice uses white rice and lots of oil. This quinoa fried “nice” rice swaps out the rice for the whole grain combo of quinoa and steel-cut oats. I love how the whole grains add a nutty flavor and slightly-crunchy texture, just like traditional fried rice. Plus, the quinoa and oats both come packed with protein and fiber. Just one serving has 20% of your daily protein!
#2 Ditch the Oil
On top of that, I ditched the oil in this recipe and use a steam-fry technique. Basically, instead of oil you just use water. This helps cut out empty fat calories, which keeps this dish low-calorie…just 200 calories per serving! When you do the math, 19% of the calories in this dish are protein. You can add even more with added tofu, edamame, or frozen pea.
Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips
Clean Out the Fridge: Use any of your favorite veggies in this stir-fry. Bell peppers, spinach, onion, and pea pods are all great mix-in. This is a perfect end-of-week meal to clean out your fridge
Gluten-Free: Tamari and Oats are naturally gluten-free. However, oats can be processed in a facility near wheat, which can cause cross-contamination. To be 100% gluten-free, use “Certified Gluten-Free Oats”.
Tamari vs. Soy Sauce: Tamari is the gluten-free version of soy sauce. Use it in this recipe to ensure a gluten-free recipe. If gluten isn’t a concern for you, you can use either tamari or soy sauce.
Oil-Free Cooking: I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories, like those found in refined oils. This recipe skips oil and uses water to help with sauteing.
Watch the Cooking Video to Learn How to Peel Ginger:
Oil-Free Asian Quinoa Fried “Nice” Rice
- Medium
- Servings: 4
- Ready In: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Oil-Free Asian Quinoa Fried ”Nice” Rice
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Quinoa
- 1/4 cup Steel-cut Oats
- 1 bunch scallions
- 2 baby bok choy
- 1 cup carrot shredded or diced from 4 medium carrot
- 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon red chili flake
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy-sauce*
- 1/2 cup shelled edamame
Instructions
- To toast grains: Place quinoa and oats in a wide pan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring often, just to toast, about 7 minutes.
- To make the stir-fry: Separate whites from the greens of the scallions. Set the green parts aside and thinly slice the white parts. Do the same with the bok choy, separating the green leaves from the white stalks. Thinly slice the white part. Place the sliced white bok choy stalk slices in a colander and rinse under cold water to remove any grit.
- Dice the carrots and mince the ginger and garlic. Once your grains are toasted (smelling aromatic and slightly golden), add the vegetables to the pan: white scallions and bok choy, carrots, ginger, and garlic. Add the red chili flake to the pan.
- Sauté over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes, until the carrots start to turn golden brown around the edges.
- Add 2 cups of water to the pan. Bring the water to a boil, cover, and simmer 10-12 minutes, until the quinoa is done. Meanwhile, roughly chop the green parts of the scallions and the green bok choy leaves. Set aside some of the green scallions for garnish. Once the quinoa and oats are tender, remove the lid and let any excess water cook off. Add the green scallions and bok choy leaves. Add in the tamari and edamame. Taste to adjust seasoning.
- Garnish with green scallion tops and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving (1/4 recipe)
Calories 202.89
Calories From Fat (16%) 32.83
% Daily Value
- Total Fat 3.77g 6%
- Saturated Fat 0.49g 2%
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids g
- Omega-6 Fatty Acids g
- Cholesterol 0mg 0%
- Sodium 428.86mg 18%
- Potassium 475.04mg 14%
- Total Carbohydrates 34.51g 12%
- Fiber 5.81g 23%
- Sugar 2.36g
- Protein 9.41g 19%
- Calcium 14.6mg 1%
- Iron 65.03mg 361%
- Vitamin A IU
- Vitamin C 0.28mg <1%
Shopping and Gear List
- Nature’s Earthly Choice Organic Quinoa
- Bob’s Red Mill Organic Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats
- San-J Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce
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