Turkey-Vegetable Quinoa Pilaf

Ali Segersten May 23, 2014 3 comments

Make this simple, nourishing quinoa recipe for dinner when you are pinched for time and need to use up the vegetables in your fridge! It's best to use leftover, or completely cooled, cooked quinoa when making pilafs or stir-frys. This way it doesn't clump up during the sautéing process. Use whatever veggies and fresh herbs you have on hand. For example, I've used carrots, asparagus, and cauliflower before. Snipped fresh chives and dill are excellent additions as well. If you don't have ground turkey, don't add it. Leftover cooked chicken or beans can work here too. 
This recipe is suitable for phase 3 of our Elimination Diet, or omit the red bell peppers (nightshades) and use it during phase 2. If you are following one of the stricter variations for severe gut disorders, then omit the quinoa and serve the turkey-veggie part over cooked spaghetti or kabocha squash. 

ALI-2023-PHOTO-VERTICAL-2

About the Author

Ali Segersten

Alissa Segersten holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University and a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine from the University of Western States. She is a Functional Nutritionist, the mother of five children, a whole foods cooking instructor, professional recipe developer, and cookbook author. She is passionate about helping others find a diet that will truly nourish them. Alissa is the author of two very popular gluten-free, whole foods cookbooks and guidebooks: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals. She is also the co-author of The Elimination Diet book. Alissa is the founder and owner of Nourishing Meals®.

See More

Nourishing Meals Newsletter

Email updates.

Add Comment

Comments

I know you commented 5 years ago so you may have found a good source on soaking grains etc. The soirce i found says to soak quinoa for 2 hours, or if you want to sprout them then soak for 1-2 days. You do need to rinse every so often when sprouting in order to prevent it from growing things you dont want and goong bad.

Hi,
Thanks for the great recipes and cookbooks Ali! I have both the first two books and we use them a lot!
I have a few questions I'm hoping you would be so kind to help me out with please?
1. Is the new ' Whole Life Nutrition' cookbook available as an ebook?
2. I've been reading up a lot of different information on phytic acid in grains. I have since started soaking all my grains including rice, but I don't know if I'm doing it correctly. I live in Dubai so it's extremely hot at the moment and soaking quinoa for 36 hours on the counter has it smelly and foamy. I have not been able to find proper instructions anywhere on how to soak grains to reduce phytic acid. I would really appreciate some soaking instructions etc for different grains and different temperatures.
3. I can't find psyllium husks here, just the powdered psyllium husks and you state they are not interchangeable. If I were to use the powdered psyllium how should I sub it in the recipe?
4. What can be substituted for the psyllium and flax for those who are allergic to both? I don't use gums either as my family gets sick consuming them.....
Thanks once again!
Saleha

Looks great! I like making meals like this to take to work for the week - Sunday is my cooking day for the week! I will have my Quinoa porridge for breakfast and quinoa for lunch!

Related Posts

episode 4
Mar 08, 2025

Episode 4: Healing Estrogen Dominance through Diet and Detox Support with Magdalena Wszelaki

Estrogen dominance is a hormonal imbalance that affects many women, often without them realizing it. Symptoms can range from painful periods, mood swings, and fibroids to more serious concerns like breast cancer and thyroid issues. In Episode 4 of the Restorative Nourishment Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Magdalena Wszelaki, a hormone health expert and author of Overcoming Estrogen Dominance and Cooking for Hormone Balance. She shared her personal journey with estrogen-related health struggles and the crucial role diet plays in restoring balance. One of the biggest culprits behind estrogen dominance is poor estrogen metabolism, which is heavily influenced by gut and liver health.

Read More
PATHWAYS TO HEALING SUNSET ROAD-3
Mar 03, 2025

The Elimination Diet: A Path to Healing and Personalized Nutrition

Food has a profound impact on our health, influencing everything from digestion and inflammation to energy levels and mental clarity. But for many, certain foods can trigger unwanted symptoms without them even realizing it. An Elimination Diet is a structured approach to identifying food sensitivities and intolerances by removing common trigger foods for a period of time, then systematically reintroducing them to observe how the body reacts. Unlike food allergies, which cause an immediate immune reaction, food sensitivities often create delayed or chronic symptoms that can be difficult to pinpoint. These reactions may manifest as digestive distress, fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, migraines, skin conditions, sinus congestion, or autoimmune flare-ups.

Read More
SHEET PAN WILD SALMON WITH GARDEN VEGETABLES-2
Jul 26, 2024

Easy Sheet Pan Salmon with Garden Vegetables

Looking for an easy, nutrient-dense meal you can make at the end of a long day? This simple sheet pan meal uses garden vegetables and wild salmon, and it can be prepped and cooked in under 30 minutes! Salmon is a rich source of a carotenoid called astaxanthin. This potent compound is also found in crab, shrimp, lobster, krill, and salmon eggs (roe), however, wild salmon contains the highest concentration of this potent anti-inflammatory compound.

Read More
YELLOW FLOWERS
Sep 24, 2023

How to change your diet to create lasting change (video)

The process of dietary change is often a winding road full of forward movement intermixed with drawbacks to old ways of eating and living. This process of change creates contrast, eventually leading you to crave feeling good over the foods that once made you sick. Food is powerful medicine!

Read More
GINGER COCONUT TURKEY SOUP-2
Jan 01, 2023

Anti-Inflammatory Ginger Coconut Turkey Soup

We all need very easy recipes to stay on track with dietary changes. I have found that the number one thing necessary to maintaining any healing diet is to be able to easily throw together nutrient-dense meals in minutes. Having easy recipes that contain a balance of vegetables, protein, and fat will help you maintain your diet and heal. It's easy to grab what's convenient when you are hungry, and that's why I recommend stocking your fridge with a snack to help curb those cravings, as well as a few soups or stews that you can reheat for lunch, and keep recipes like this one on hand that can be prepped and cooked in less than 30 minutes.

Read More
GUT INFLAMMATION-CHALKBOARD-1
Apr 08, 2022

How Is Food Connected to Chronic Inflammation?

Today I am going to focus on how food sensitivities create a cascade of inflammation in the body and what you can do about it. The immune reaction to a virus or bacteria is the same response the body uses when reacting to a food. This is called a food hypersensitivity.

Read More