Over the last couple of days I've been making Ahi Tuna Steak Salad and Salmon Salad w/ Quinoa & Pears. I still have a bit of the quinoa and avocado medley in the refrigerator. Currently I reside in the middle of the country where, for whatever reason, a large swathe of people have decided that they don't like leftovers. I feel like this kind of mindset came about after the invention of microwaves and the proliferation of fast food. On a certain level, this kind of makes sense because fast food indeed does not microwave well. Really, the vast majority of things don't microwave well, though. Seafood dries out, most produce turns to mush, and eggs explode. Hence the Quinoa Scrambled Eggs today.
If you're willing to forgo the microwave and break out a skillet? There are plenty of ways to reduce food waste and revitalize yesterday's meal. Especially when it's as delicious as avocado and Anjou pear salad. I warmed the quinoa while I pre-heated the skillet to scramble a couple of eggs. Although you could use two separate skillets to do this. Or even toss everything together in one big omelet.
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Variations of Quinoa Scrambled Eggs
I'm a big fan of scrambled eggs. They're quick and easy to toss together and absolutely delicious to boot. I make them with all sorts of salads with sweet potatoes, pears, sautéed spinach, red leaf lettuce, and any number of things that I have lying around the pantry. Eggs are one of those foods that almost universally goes with everything. I'm constantly whipping them up in the morning. They're incredibly filling and a great way to start the day. Or mix in for dinner because you do you and eat eggs whenever you feel like it!
Add all of the ingredients into a rice cooker. I like to start with the larger produce and then add the smaller ingredients. Top with the spices. 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. It should take about 45 minutes to cook.
When the quinoa is fully cooked, let sit for 10 minutes. Then, fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.
Scrambled Eggs
Add oil to a skillet and preheat a over medium-high heat.I use a pretty well seasoned cast iron pan to cook eggs, so I don't add any more than a spritz of oil. You may need upwards of a teaspoon for other types of pans, though. Like with the potatoes, use just enough so that your eggs don't stick.
Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk until fluffy.
Add eggs to the pan. Move them around gently with a spatula, making sure that they cook evenly.Stirring more constantly will result in runnier eggs. Stirring less vigorously will result in thicker eggs, but you may need to flip them to cook evenly.
Continue to gently move the eggs around until barely cooked. This should only take a couple of minutes. Remove from heat when the eggs begin to form and are no longer runny.
This entire recipe will make 4 servings. I typically make 2 eggs per person.Otherwise, I tend to cook just enough for myself and then use the rest of the quinoa and lettuce for other dishes. I made this same recipe with Tuna Steaks and Salmon later in the week!
Salad
Set quinoa and scrambled eggs aside.
Add the rest of the ingredients to a bowl and mix together.You can prepare this up to a day ahead of time to let marinade or even use some of the extra juice to marinade the tuna steak. Although that was entirely too much effort for my day! So, I skipped it here. But a possibility for next time.
Arrange quinoa, pear salad, and scrambled eggs on a plate. Serve immediately.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
Scrambled eggs are so fundamental that we often don't really think about it. But there truly is an art on how to scramble eggs! And there are some very easy pitfalls to fall into that are easily avoided. For tips and tricks, check out my article on The Fundamentals of How to Scramble Eggs.
As a general rule, I don't like to edit my images and I am firmly against alteration of images in food blogs. It's not something that we generally think about when it comes to recipes. But food styling, editing, alteration, and even faking entirely is just as rampant a problem in the recipe realm as anything else! Cooking is a very visual art and you can tell when a lot of foods are cooked based on the color. So, when this is altered and you can't use the coloration as a gauge, it makes it quite difficult to follow some recipes. I have an entire article about Food Styling and Unrealistic Expectations of Recipes.
Because of this, I try very hard not to alter any of my photos. I like to take photos with natural sunlight during the day. Ordinarily this is very true to color and I don't edit the photos at all. However, since my place is very warm with a lot of yellow lighting, sometimes my camera overcompensates and ends up with an unnatural blue tone. In the following images on this page, I adjusted the levels and hue to try and make this more true to color. In the interest of transparency, these are the before and after photos.
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