Pineapple Fried Quinoa

Most of the dishes I cook come from a cycling of left-over ingredients. I buy stuff for one dish, and inevitably I have more of something than I need, like garlic, cilantro, eggs, or even something exotic like tahini. Then I'll search for recipes that use my left-over ingredients, I run out to grab a couple other things from the store, and after that meal I have new left-over ingredients. And on it goes. So this recipe came from a hunt for something that had both cilantro and chicken broth. Luckily, it also had quinoa, which has been quietly hanging out in my pantry since I cut back on my carb consumption. Thing is, I was supposed to use cilantro in my zucchini stir-fry salad on Monday, but I completely forgot to add it in. In any case, most recipes only use a tablespoon of the stuff at a time since it's so strongly flavored, and I didn't want a whole bunch wilting on my watch.

So down to the good stuff. I used green onions this time just to give it some color, otherwise it would be all light brown and unappealing. There are technically three parts to this recipe: quinoa, scrambled eggs, and sautéed spices/flavors. The quinoa is the easiest and takes the longest to prepare, so we'll start there.

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cup water

Bring everything up to a boil, then lower the heat to low, cover (leave a small gap for steam) and let sit for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa looks "fluffy." While this is going on, whisk 3 eggs and scramble 'em. Leave aside for the time being.

Now comes the fun part. Get a large wok-like skillet (I wish I had one) and add, over medium-low heat:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp hot sauce or chili oil (If using hot sauce use something "runny" like Tabasco)
• 5, yes FIVE cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bunch of green onion stalks, chopped

Sauté about 5 minutes, then add

• 1 cup diced pineapple
• 1-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I eyeballed it)

Sauté another 2-3 minutes, then add in the quinoa, immediately followed by 1/4 cup soy sauce (it will prevent the quinoa from drying out), and the scrambled egg. Mix thoroughly, and serve hot!