Healthy Hibachi!

We have a family favorite meal we enjoy sharing out... an indulgence of sorts, and always a fun time:  Hibachi!!!  It's yummy, fun, and oh so filling.  However, to preserve our wallets and our waistlines, this isn't a daily outing:)  I was recently searching the fridge and cabinets for some dinner contents when I spied loads of fresh veggies, an organic soy sauce, chicken breasts, and a bag of quinoa.  My immediate thought was some sort of stir fry (which hibachi basically is when you think about it).  The words health and hibachi don't usually go together with the piles of rice and goodness-knows-what oils that are used, but with a few key substitutions, you will have a MUCH healthier and fresher version that is still yummy!!  It was a first, so I was playing as I went, and I have some more ideas for the next time around which I'll share.  Oh, and please don't be surprised by the butter and oils-remember some healthy fats go a long way, and I truly believe it's the unhealthy carbs that are detrimental to our health!


First to lay out the easy substitutions:

• Sub the high protein carb quinoa for the fried rice 
• Sub healthy oils with benefits (coconut, olive, canola) for the loads of butter and oil they use
• Sub fresh organic ingredients for any or all if possible

I've listed ingredients I've chosen below, but as with all recipes I create or post on here, please make this your own-based on taste and/or dietary needs-there's always a way to customize meals to fit you and your family!!  This can easily be dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or all of the above!  

Ingredients:

• 2T healthy oil (coconut is best!!, olive, canola)
• 1-2T of diced garlic
• 1T butter (optional)
• A few generous shakes of soy sauce (preferably organic and non-GMO; here's my fave)
• 1c cooked quinoa
• Meat or meat sub. of your choice (optional)-the sky's the limit!! seafood, poultry, red meat, etc... (you can always use something soy-based such as tofu, but I'm not a huge soy advocate-read why here!)
• Loads and loads (aka large stir-frying pan or wok-full) of veggies (preferably fresh); we opted for what we already had-broccoli, yellow squash, kale, and yellow onion

Directions:

1. Get the quinoa cooking before you start the rest:  1 cup of quinoa to 1 cup of water in a medium pot, bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes
2. Depending on what meat you have (if any), get that started as well; I actually cooked our chicken breasts in the oven first to ensure they were nearly cooked through by the time the stir-frying occurred; if you have shrimp or steak, I'd sauté that right up separately in a pan with some of your oil and/or butter
3. Throw your oil and a touch of butter if you wish in a large pan of some sort over medium heat
4. Add all of your washed and cut veggies to the mix, stirring often, and adding the garlic once they start to soften or brown
5. Add the meat to the veggies once cooked nearly or all through and add a couple of generous shakes of your soy sauce
6. Fluff your quinoa with a fork once done (add the rest of the butter if you wish) and add the quinoa right to the pan with the rest
7. Stir it all together on medium heat, adding some more soy sauce to taste, or oil/butter for consistency based on your preference, until all is heated through
8. Serve to the whole family and enjoy!

Pointers for next time:  I loved this meal!  We all enjoyed it and you felt satisfied thanks to the nice balance of protein and carbs, but not greasy or overly filled as we do when we leave a hibachi restaurant.  Next time around, I would attempt more of a "fried quinoa" much like they do with the fried rice-using egg and sautéing it with some healthy oil and butter-just for fun... and taste!  I would also love to make an amazing dipping sauce of the ginger variety or that fabulous creamy peach goodness they give you-in a healthy way of course!  Share ideas if you have some and I'll update if I do either of these tasks successfully!

Thanks so much for reading!  Happy healthy hibachi cooking and Stay Chic, Stay Healthy;)