I couldn’t even tell you if they make them any more..well I can but only thanks to Google! Not that I have desire to eat one. Bounty’s had me believing I didn’t like coconut…that was until I started sprinkling it on my oats, blending it in to my smoothies and using it as a staple curry ingredient for the richest creamiest sauce.
One thing I hadn’t tried with coconut was making a salad dressing or using it as part of the cooking liquid of any of my favourite grains. When I saw Sarah’s recipe for Thai Fried Quinoa within which she cooks up the quinoa in coconut milk I simply had to try it.
It took my original vegan egg fried rice to a whole new level thanks to the addition of not only the coconut milk but the diced pineapple gave it a fantastic freshness throughout. I as per usual ended up eating this dish cold but I had a nibble straight from the pan and it was pretty incredible. There is something about cold tofu that just does it for me, especially when accompanied by a soft cushiony grain and buckets load of flavour.
I made a few tweaks to Sarah’s recipe, but stuck to the whole overall idea and main ingredients. The end result was incredible! I of course included a generous amount of tofu scramble for an extra hit of protein; perfect midday pre run meal (I’m getting better! 
)
The quinoa cooked in the coconut milk was a taste sensation all on it’s own. I would make a fantastic breakfast with some fresh fruits and yoghurt…a little flaked coconut on top perhaps…
The intense sweet smell of fresh or flaked or even desiccated coconut never fails to make we want to cook or bake. If coconut’s included then it’s bound to be yummy! I think some coconut baking will have to take place this weekend; the weekend which officially begins now!
What’s your favourite form of coconut? Do you have a favourite recipe?
Vegan Thai Fried Quinoa
Servings – 1
Preparation Time – 5 minutes
Cooking Time – 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 55g (1/3 cup) dry quinoa
- 80ml (1/3 cup) coconut milk
- 80ml (1/3 cup) water
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1/2 cup pineapple diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper finely diced
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 3 tbsp frozen peas
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander
- 1/2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 spring onions finely chopped
- 1 portion tofu scramble (see recipe here)
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander to garnish
- 1 tsp desiccated coconut to garnish
Directions
- Mix together coconut milk and water in a saucepan. Add in quinoa, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed.
- Meanwhile add olive oil, garlic,ginger, green pepper and spring onion to a pan and cook for 3 minutes. Add in peas and pineapple and cook for a further couple of minutes.
- Add cooked quinoa to pan and cook for a further couple of minutes. Finish with fresh coriander, soy sauce and lime juice. Stir threw tofu scramble to serve (heat threw for a couple of minutes if serving warm). Sprinkle desiccated coconut over the top for an extra coconut hit!
