Happy Friday!

Oh man, does that look good or what!?

I highly recommend you give this recipe a try! I have mentioned before that I use a rice cooker to cook a huge batch of quinoa at once. Then I measure the quinoa into 1.5 and 2 cup portions, place in a ziploc bag and freeze. That way I always have quinoa on hand. It is the biggest time saver! Also, I buy my quinoa from Costco which makes it a huge money saver as well!

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup cashews coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons peanut oil (or whatever oil you want to use)
2 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 hot pepper, diced
1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled ands minced
1 red bell pepper
2 cups frozen Lima beans
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
15 oz can pineapple rings, cut into pieces, juice saved
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Pineapple juice from the canned pineapple, about 8 tablespoons

First, prepare all your ingredients. I highly recommend a food processor.
In a really big frying pan or wok heat the cashews over medium heat for 4-5 minutes to toast them. When they are toasted put them in a small bowl and set them aside for later.
Add the oil to the frying pan and saute the green onions and garlic for about 30 seconds or until they are sizzling. Then add the hot pepper and ginger and saute for about 2 more minutes. Then add the bell pepper and lima beans and cook for about 4 more minutes or until the lima beans turn a brighter shade of green and the pepper softens a bit. Next, add the basil, pineapple, quinoa, soy sauce and pineapple juice. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat for 10-14 minutes until all the juice has been absorbed.
This would be good as a side, served with your favorite source of protein or as a stand alone lunch.

Now look at this little dickens! This is my cushion I sit on while I type. I went upstairs for 2 minutes to do some laundry and when I came back down Lilly was passed out on my pillow! Look, no arms!