Curried Tomato Quinoa

One of the things I've noticed about curry is that people either love it or hate it; there is no in-between. As a kid & teen, I fell into the latter category. I remember there was a house I used to have to walk past everyday going home from school, & all it smelled like was curry & noodles. I never, ever wanted my house to smell like that. But, um, it does right meow :P
As I've gotten older, my appreciation for ethnic foods has blossomed. I lovelovelove curry!! I can never have enough of it. Unfortunately, my mom & brother don't share the same passion for Indian foods, & I don't have too many other friends nearby that do. My dad came to visit me over the May Long Weekend (my University graduation fell on the Tuesday after), & it was sooooooooo nice to have someone else say, "YES!! Let's go get Indian food for dinner!!"
Remembering our delicious dinner at Amrikko's only a few days ago, I was really still craving curry. I'd also just introduced a girlfriend to quinoa, & she fell in love. She'd made my Italian Quinoa, & is now craving a curried quinoa. Well my dear, here you are :)
I love this dish. Depending on how spicy you like it, you can play around with how much curry powder you want to add. I started out with one tablespoon, & didn't think it was enough...I added another tablespoon, but I think it was a teeny bit too much. A little spicier than I intended, but still tasty! Remember, you can always add more, but you can't take it out ;)

From my kitchen, to yours <3

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, dry
2 cups water
2 tbs coconut oil, for frying
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 white onion, diced
1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 orange pepper, diced
1 cup bean sprouts, chopped
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup coconut mylk
1-2tbs curry
1 cup baby greens, like spinach
sea salt, to taste

Directions:
1) Bring quinoa & water to a boil on the stove; reduce heat to low, cover, & let simmer for about 20mins, or until water is absorbed.
2) Meanwhile, in a large wok over medium heat, brown onions & garlic in coconut oil. Add celery & carrots, & saute until crisp-tender (about 3mins).
3) Add orange pepper & bean sprouts; continue to saute for another 3 minutes.
4) When quinoa is cooked, stir it into the veggies. Add tomato paste, coconut mylk, & curry powder; mix well.
5) Lastly, add your baby greens. Stir until veggies are all distributed evenly. Season with sea salt to taste, if needed.
6) Dig in, my curry-lovin' friends :)

Peace, love, food
Char, xo