I am moving. As one does when they're moving, I've packed up the vast majority of my life kitchen. I've left myself a few staples. I didn't have a particular recipe in mind when I left these in the pantry, though. So, when I came to the point where I absolutely definitely have to cook? I've come up with an odd hodge podge of disparate ingredients. I'm not one to turn down a challenge, though! And have ended up with peanut butter quinoa.
I quite often make quinoa with tamari, tahini, and rice vinegar. It's a vaguely Japanese-inspired medley of flavors that I ordinarily mix ginger, garlic, and sweet potatoes into. However, being void of many of these ingredients because they have already been packed into boxes! I'm just kind of winging it with what I do actually have.
It turns out that peanut butter makes an excellent substitute for tahini! I use a lot of vinegars interchangeably. Ordinarily I would use rice vinegar, but I wasn't too worried about adding a little sweetness from the apple cider vinegar, instead. Although I did have some trepidation about peanut butter. I'm not sure why, though, because peanut butter is really just peanuts! And I absolutely would have put crushed peanuts in this dish. So, it really shouldn't come as a surprise that this peanut butter quinoa is actually delicious.
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I would recommend cutting the potatoes a little bit smaller than I did here. They weren't quite cooked as softly as I would ordinarily have made them. So, just don't be as lazy as I was here not to cut them small enough the first time around!
Variations of Peanut Butter Quinoa
I'm a huge fan of peanut butter. My only qualm with it is that it's oftentimes viewed as a children's food and comes with copious amounts of added sugar. If you look through the labels, though, you can usually find one that's just peanuts and sea salt. I also have plenty of recipes that have various other forms of nuts.
Add all of the ingredients, except for the tofu and walnuts, into a rice cooker. I like to start with the larger vegetables and then add the smaller ingredients. Top with the spices and citrus juice. And then add the quinoa and water.This cooks the larger vegetables on the bottom, while dispersing the flavor profiles in the middle. Although with some mixing, this really doesn't matter all that much. Everything will eventually cook together!
Press the cook button on the rice cooker. While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. It typically takes 30-45 minutes.
Fluff with a wooden spoon and serve, either immediately or make ahead of time and refrigerate.Do not use a fork or other metal utensil to fluff! It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. For more tips and tricks to rice cooker quinoa, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Quinoa, including a stovetop version if you don't have or don't want to use a rice cooker.
I also tend to prefer tamari over soy sauce. They're both made from fermented soy and a lot of recipes use them interchangeably. Tamari tends to have a richer flavor and less salt content. It also tends to be gluten free.
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