Spicy Quinoa Stir Fry

Tonight’s dinner was fun.  I was on my own and had two options: heat up the leftover spaghetti from last night, or make something new.  If I didn’t make something new tonight I would have to do it tomorrow anyway because I’ll be on my own again.  (Mat has more night shifts right now because he’s training on some new stuff.  I decided to make something new and then have leftovers available tomorrow and Wednesday.

We had made a bunch of quinoa a few days ago and I figured it would be perfect for a stir fry.  We keep a good supply of canned beans, corn, and tomatoes in the cupboard too, so after chopping some onion and bell peppers all I had to do was open some cans.

There was one thing that made my dinner go later:  I cut my hand on the sharp edge of the open can.  :(

I called my mom to make sure I didn’t need a tetanus shot for it.  I realized right as she said it that, duh, of course I don’t because it’s not rusty.  But I’d rather be safe than sorry!  I held pressure on it for a while and then put a band-aid and I was good to go.

Now on to the food!

I sautéed the onions in some olive oil first.  I would have used some chopped garlic too but we were out.

Next the bell peppers went in and then a can of diced tomatoes with the liquid.  As that heated, I sprinkled in some granulated garlic (since I didn’t use chopped garlic earlier), red pepper, chili powder, salt, and pepper.  I let that heat for a bit.

Next went in a mixture of pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans, and corn.  I added a little more seasoning after tasting.  Neither Mat nor I measure seasoning when we cook, especially when we make it up as we go along like I did tonight.

The last thing I added was the quinoa.  I let the whole mixture heat through and added a bit more salt and pepper.  Mat likes things spicy, so I was pretty generous with the red pepper and chili powder.

As usual, I made a salad to go on the side.  I topped mine with sour cream, but I actually think it would be good, perhaps better, on it’s own.  The quinoa has a much more distinct flavor than rice and is good on its own with all the spices and bean/corn flavors.  All in all though, it was quite good.  I’m sure Mat will agree.  :)

For dessert, I had a bowl of strawberries and a leftover cookie from my bridal shower on Saturday.

Now, it’s getting to be close to bedtime.  After not sleeping so well last night I need to try and get a good night’s sleep tonight.  It will be hard, as usual, with Mat working late, but it’s pretty crucial I just suck it up and deal with it tonight.

To recap the recipe ingredients, just in case:

• olive oil
• handful chopped onions
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped (I didn’t use this but would prefer it to granulated)
• chopped bell peppers
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• cooked quinoa
• granulated garlic (if you didn’t use chopped)
• chili powder
• red pepper
• salt and pepper

Countdown: 22 days of school and 46 days until our wedding