Sweet and Savory Pineapple Cashew Stir-Fry

Tonight Rachel and I made a delicious meal of Sweet and Savory Pineapple Cashew Stir-Fry.  This one-pot meal is one of the tastiest recipes I've posted so far, in my opinion.

The stir fry is made up of so many components.  While it may look like a jumbled mess in the picture, all of the ingredients come together into a delightful medley. 

Recipe:
Sweet and Savory Pineapple Cashew Stir-Fry

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil (or another vegetable oil if you don't have peanut oil)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 4 ounces raw cashews, toasted in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden (or use pre-roasted cashews)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons vegetable stock

First, prepare the quinoa.  Combine the first four ingredients in a medium-sized pot, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.  Once boiling, stir, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 14 minutes (or until the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa has become plump).  Remove from heat, uncover, fluff the quinoa with a fork, and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Next, prepare the stir-fry.  You'll need a large skillet or wok for this since there's a lot to stir-fry!  Add the peanut oil, scallion, and garlic to the skillet and heat over medium heat.  Once you hear sizzling, add the jalapeno and ginger and continue cooking for about 2 minutes.  Then add the bell pepper and peas.  Stir-fry for another 4 or so minutes.  Once the peas look bright green, stir in the basil and mint, cook for another minute, and add the pineapple chunks, prepared quinoa, and cashews.  Combine the mixture--it will be pretty thick at this point.  Then, drizzle the remaining soy sauce and vegetable stock over the mixture and stir well.  Stir-fry for another 8-10 minutes and serve hot. 

Comments:
This stir-fry is excellent.  As Simon said, the combination of the sweet and savory is delicious.  He also commented that the pineapple adds a distinctive texture that you can't find in many other dishes.  While Simon and I both enjoyed the crunchy cashews, they were Rachel's least favorite part of the dish.  Nonetheless, she really liked the combinations of flavors and the overall dish.

This recipe looks a little overwhelming due to the long ingredient list, but it's very manageable to make if you prepare all of the ingredients before you start cooking.  To save time you can also make the quinoa in advance and store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.     

I highly recommend that you try this recipe!