When Ashley is home, it is all about healthy, vegan eating. She requested quinoa for dinner this weekend. I made some adjustments and added more colors to the recipe. We are both happy. I am starting to like cooking without meat …

• Prep time: 1 hours
• Cook time: 30 minutes
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 1 1/2 cup cilantro, washed and thick stems removed
• 3/4 cup ground peanuts
• 1 Tbsp gula melaka or brown sugar
• 1/3 cup fine chilli sauce
• Zest from 3 medium lime, squeeze and reserve the juice
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

For the quinoa:

• 2 cups tri-color quinoa
• 1 14-oz can coconut milk
• 1 1/3 cup vegetable stock
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 package firm tofu
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 orange carrot, sliced into 1/4 inch thick
• 1 purple carrot, sliced into 1/4 inch thick
• 1 broccoli crown, cut the florets. Slice the stem into 1/4 inch thick
• 1 green onion, sliced diagonally for garnish
• cherry tomatoes for garnish, halved
• cilantro for garnish
• fried taro sticks for garnish
• ground peanuts for garnish

Directions

1. Add all the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until dressing is smooth. Set aside and chill in the refrigerator.
2. Wash and rinse the quinoa in a strainer until cold water until water runs clear. Bring coconut milk, vegetable stock, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa, return to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Cover and remove from heat. Set aside.
3. Dice the tofu into big cubes and pan fry in coconut oil until golden brown on all sides. Set aside.
4. Cook the broccoli and carrots per instructions given in Oven Roasted Vegetables.
5. When ready to serve, scoop desired amount of quinoa, dressing, tofu, and roasted vegetables into a mixing bowl. Toss until content is evenly coated with dressing. Garnish with cherry tomatoes, cilantro, ground peanuts and taro sticks.