Pineapple and cashew stir fry
The cravings are beginning to creep in… I could seriously go for a fat slice of pizza. However, I will persevere with vegan January, and continue making delicious vegan meals like this pineapple and cashew stir fry to ease the blow of not being allowed to eat cheese. I always feel great when I choose the ‘right’ option instead of giving in to temptation, so that’s what I’ll do. Especially if the end result is something as healthy and tasty as this stir fry.
I make stir fries quite often because they’re quick and they’re good for you, but I’m not usually too adventurous with what I include. This time I livened it up a little so it felt a bit different to every other stir fry I’ve made. I added pineapple chunks to add a slightly sweet-and-sour flavour, and cashew nuts for some crunch. It was all served in a simple homemade stir fry sauce consisting of soy sauce, rice vinegar and agave nectar (you could use honey instead if you’re not vegan). The end result was a delicious mix of sweet and savoury, and with some brown rice mixed in, it kept me full all day. I’ve also tried adding black beans to this recipe, which is a good addition and ups the protein, so feel free to add those if you want an extra-hearty meal!
I kind of cheated a little with this stir fry because I used a prepared bag of stir fry vegetables, which consisted of carrots, broccoli, butternut squash and red and green cabbage. Of course if you’d prefer to buy all your vegetables separately you can do so, but in the right context, I really like buying prepared vegetables. It can work out cheaper than buying everything separately, plus you don’t need to spend any time chopping or peeling, which would kind of spoil how quick a stir fry dinner is.
Lookie, pretty rainbow dinner!
- 100g brown rice
- 1tbsp oil
- 380g mixed vegetables (I used a mix that included carrot, broccoli, butternut squash and red and green cabbage)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4tbsp pineapple juice (I used the juice from my tinned pineapple chunks)
- 1tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2tbsp rice vinegar
- 1tbsp agave nectar or honey
- Black pepper
- 150g tinned pineapple chunks in juice
- 70g cashews
- 6tbsp tinned black beans, drained (optional)
- 2tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
- Boil the brown rice according to the instructions on the packet.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large wok and add the garlic and mixed vegetables. Cook over a medium heat, stirring often.
- While the vegetables are cooking, combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, agave nectar and a little black pepper in a jug, and mix well.
- When the vegetables are just tender (don’t overcook them), add the pineapple chunks, cashews and black beans (if using), along with the sauce. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes longer until everything is warmed through.
- Drain the brown rice and add it to the stir fry (or serve them alongside each other if you prefer), and serve topped with some fresh coriander.
I am not vegan, but this post makes me want to be. Thank so much for sharing!
My husband loves the combo of pineapple chicken & cashews. I actually just made a fried rice w/ those ingredients. This will be a nice change up for us but still using his favorites.
Looks like a great healthy dish for the start of the year. Pinned!
Good on you for holding strong to Vegan January! I admit, I’ve had some slip-ups on my Paleo January (cough, cough…last Saurday…girl’s night….cough cough). I’m huge on making stir fry too. I love how quickly it comes together and it’s so full of delicious flavor and health benefits. I’ll definitely be trying your pineapple cashew version!
There are some food combinations that are just ‘meant to be’ and your recipe captures that perfectly x
I love anything with pineapple in it and the rainbow color makes it that more appealing :)
Love how colourful this is …. it’s like you can SEE the goodness there. And I don’t see anything wrong with using already-chopped veggies sometimes … why not? Well done for sticking with the Vegan thing … that must be pretty hard!
Wow this dish looks so colorful and pleasing ! Would like to give it a try this week.
This sounds good. I’ll use my sugar instead of honey or agave as it’s on hand and cheaper (and vegan to boot). I usually add a bit of cornstarch to thicken my sauces. Will have to see how this does without it. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a bag of veggies with the combo you mention. It sounds better than most I’ve seen!
You should have some pizza. Instead of the cheese I use pineapple, onions and bell pepper. I try not to overdo the sauce as too much of it and you need the cheese for balance so go light and you should enjoy it.
What a delicious looking dish. I’ll certainly try this for my Vegan daughter and shall try it myself.
Thank you
Deirdre