Chicken Broccoli and Quinoa Bake

Well, hello there. 

Today I'd like to share with you a fabulous

One-Dish-Wonder…

They are most certainly my favorite! 

I mean, really,

does it get any better than having

Protein  (Chicken), Veggie (Broccoli), Carbs (Quinoa)

and

(wait for it)

FLAVOR 

all is one dish!?!?!

This whole quinoa-thing is around to stay in my house. 

My kids prefer it over rice and

I would gladly serve it more…

but there is a price point on it, 

(which is a small price to pay for a carb with protein and fiber!)

so I limit it to about once a week. 

This was so easy…

dump it all into a dish

and bake! 

Gotta love the no-brainer dinners! 

This is what 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of chicken broth look like in a dish. 

Next, 2 cups of broccoli florets were added. 

(This made for some mushy broccoli, 

if you prefer your broccoli to have a little more texture, 

add it later!)

About 3# of chicken breasts

(which, did you know are less expensive than tenders!)

were cut into tenders and sprinkled with 

poultry seasoning and seasoning salt, 

to your liking. 

Ready to be popped into a 400 F oven. 

After 30-40 minutes, 

I have to admit that I was mesmerized by watching the quinoa cook…

this dish was ready to go! 

There is, of course, the optional cup of shredded mozzarella. 

And, if you wanted crunchier broccoli, 

that could be added at this time instead of at the beginning. 

It may alter the overall nutrition of this dish, 

but it helps to buy me a little more leeway with my next healthy endeavor, 

so I oblige. 

Pop it back in until the cheese melts

or put it under the broiler for some browning…

which I love! 

This dish it out and serve it up! 

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa

2 cups of chicken broth 

2 cups of broccoli florets

3# of chicken breasts - cut into strips

Poultry Seasoning - to taste

Seasoning Salt - to taste 

1 cup of shredded mozzarella

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 F. 
• Start with 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of quinoa in the baking dish. 
• Broccoli can be added now, if well done is the preference, other wise it can be added later. 
• Layer chicken on top and season. 
• Bake for 30-40 minutes until quinoa is translucent with an apparent spiral or germ present. 
• Top with broccoli, now, for more texture along with shredded cheese, if desired. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa and Hummus Chicken Soup

Here we are, in the midst of winter…

trying our best to enjoy the season,

which can be tough without snow on the ground.

I'd give anything to get out skiing, sledding, skating or snow shoeing this weekend, 

but there just isn't enough white stuff on the ground around here. 

Thankfully, 

we were able to travel north last weekend to enjoy

the fabulous outdoors on about a foot and a half of ice…

drilling holes and hoping for fish to bite. 

On these winter days,

nothing hits the spot like a Grilled Cheese 

(click on the link for the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich)

and a hearty bowl of soup. 

Today I want to share with you a fabulous twist on 

traditional tomato soup….

Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa and Hummus Chicken Soup

which is good enough to eat on it's own…

or perfect for dipping a toasted cheese sandwich. 

Starting with some sautéed chicken…

although, 

slow cooker chicken is my favorite. 

like I did here! 

So tender, juicy and done when you need it. 

Next, 1 cup of quinoa is cooked in 2 cups of water (or broth).

And, if you haven't tried quinoa yet…

what are you waiting for?!?

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a huge hit in my house, 

even my kids prefer it over rice

and it is a superfood packed with both protein and fiber!  

One 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers is drained and added to the blender

along with 2 cups of chicken broth and

1/3 cup of hummus. 

Once blended, add it to a sauce pan over medium heat,

 as a future home for the rest of the ingredients. 

About 1 cup of cooked, chopped chicken

was added to the pan. 

And then the quinoa, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. 

The longer it sits, the more moisture the quinoa absorbs, 

so feel free to add more broth according to your preference. 

We like our soups thick around here! 

Serve it up with your favorite grilled cheese

and you might just start to appreciate winter a little more! 

RECIPE:

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked, chopped chicken

1 cup of quinoa

2 cups of water (or broth)

12 oz jar of roasted red peppers

2 cups of chicken broth

1/3 cup of hummus

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

• Cook quinoa according to instructions. 
• Drain jar of roasted red peppers, add to blender along with broth and hummus. Puree. 
• Pour puree from blender into sauce pan. Add quinoa and chicken, salt and garlic. 
• Simmer until heated thoroughly. 
• Serve as meal or with your favorite Grilled Cheese.

Grilled Shrimp and Sausage Skewers

How's your grilling season going?

What has been your favorite meal from the grill so far this year?

We've had a variety of grilled deliciousness already this summer...corn, burgers, veggies, steaks, potatoes and fruit, but these Shrimp and Sausage Skewers may be my favorites so far.

I must admit that I was a shrimp-grilling novice..."How hard can they be?" was the approach I took.

And, in case you are wondering...they are super simple!  Practically foolproof.  Highly recommended!

Just started by threading the skewers with onion petals, hunks of smoked Polish sausage, green pepper and thawed, raw shrimp.  

Takes me back to the days of kindergarten, when patterns were all the rage!  

Kept up the pattern making until the fixings were all used up.  

Then, using three standard pantry staples minced garlic, cocktail sauce and honey, whipped up a fabulous glaze.

Admittedly, I was a little hesitant because I wasn't sure how I felt about grilling the sauce that is typically served with cold shrimp…but it was the perfect sauce for all of the components.  

Before grilling, the glaze was brushed on the skewers…one side at a time.  

And then, placed on the grill. 

For about 5-7 minutes per side, until the shrimp was cooked, the veggies had a slight char and the sauce was just right!  

Served the skewers up over a bed of quinoa and we all enjoyed!  

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, cut into petals

1# Smoked Polish sausage - sliced into bite sized hunks

2 Green Peppers, cut into large pieces

1# shrimp, raw and thawed

1/3 cup Cocktail Sauce

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp minced garlic

Directions:

Thread the skewers with shrimp, sausage and vegetables. 

Mix up the glaze. 

Brush on one side of the skewers. 

Place on grill, brush on other side. 

Grill for 5-7 minutes on each side, until shrimp are pink and opaque…don't overcook.  

Black Bean, Corn and Quinoa Salad

How many of you are saying…Quinoa?  What the heck is quinoa?

Let me tell you…if you haven't tried it yet, this is the recipe to get it started with... Black Bean, Corn and Quinoa Salad is perfect for a get together, a side dish or as a stand alone meal…its that good!

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a grain that has been around for human consumption for 3000-4000 years, primarily originating in South America.  I'd describe it as a cross between rice and pasta, although it certainly has it's own unique characteristics.

It has made it's entrance into the US health food market in the last few years and has been termed a superfood on more than one occasion (understatement alert).

It is gluten free, high in protein and a good source of fiber…what more could you ask for?!?

Especially when handed to you as part of a delicious recipe.

Quinoa is quick to cook, just about 15 minutes total…and I always buy my quinoa pre-rinsed, that eliminates one step.

So, while that quinoa is cooking (one cup dried quinoa to two cups boiling water), I whipped up the fabulous dressing.

Two tablespoons red wine vinegar, 4 tablespoons lime juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 1tsp cumin all work together to pull off the perfect complimenting dressing to this combination of grains and  legumes.

Before adding the dressing, 1# of thawed frozen corn (I know, sounds crazy to me too!) is mixed with 1 can of rinsed black beans and the cooked quinoa.

They are all folded together and topped with some freshly chopped cilantro…(Just realized I haven't planted any cilantro yet…what was I thinking!?! Needs to be corrected, immediately, if not sooner!)

It's that easy and that good!  

This dish was made for a cookout over the weekend and it was gone immediately.  I think that Jerry and I are both wishing it would magically reappear in the fridge so we could have it, pretty much anytime we want!  

I'll be honest, kids aren't huge fans, but they always have to try what we make and I think it is growing on them…and, while I want my kids to love everything I make…with something this amazing, I'm fine when it means more for me!  

But seriously, if you are already a quinoa lover, like me, you may want to double this recipe.  

If you are a quinoa virgin and you don't like it, just call me…I'll take it off you hands.  Promise!  

RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 cup dried quinoa

2 cups boiling water

1 lb frozen corn, thawed

1 can black beans, rinsed

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

4 Tbsp Lime Juice

1/3 cup Olive Oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

Instructions:

While the quinoa cooks, whisk together all of the ingredient to make the dressing.  

Pour the dressing over the quinoa, black bean and corn.  Top with cilantro.  

So easy and so good!  Go enjoy! 

Black Bean Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers

How do you define a burger?

This was called into question tonight when I announced what was on the menu for dinner.

I got at least two questions wondering whether or not there was meat in those burgers. And, the muffled responses were less than thrilled.  Even from my husband, who knows that my meal failures are few and far between.

This debate took me to the Merriam Webster on-line dictionary where their definition of burger is a food that is like a hamburger but is not made from beef.

Ahhh, I felt vindicated.  I wasn't lying or trying to trick my family.  I just wanted to try something different.

There are lots of different kinds of burgers...hamburgers, turkey burgers, veggie burgers, which is the avenue I took for tonight's dinner.

All of these doubts, before I even started the meal, made the process even more daunting, causing procrastination to set in.  But, finally dinner was started, served and ENJOYED!

Alayna's response after her first bite was "This is amazing!"

And, Jerry was reluctant to admit that it was really good and he did go back for seconds.

So, let me share how we got this party started.

One cup of dried quinoa was cooked in water, but broth or bouillon is always an option. (I always buy the pre-soaked quinoa to save on my prep time).

While the quinoa was cooking, the mini food processor was put to work.  Not to mention that this mini food processor is 14 years old and, did I mention mini?  A new food processor is definitely on the list as a future investment.

The mini-factor made this process a little more tedious as I had to work in small batches, but the same deliciousness resulted.

Two cans of black beans, rinsed with a half cup set aside, one medium sweet potato (with skin-on cooked in the microwave), 2 tbsp of minced garlic, 1 onion, chopped, one half cup of jarred roasted red peppers, one half tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of chili powder, 1 tsp of salt and a pinch of pepper were all puréed in the processor and poured into a mixing bowl.

Then, then quinoa and reserved black beans were added to the vegetable purée and stirred well before forming into patties, using about a 1/2 cup of the mix yielded 7 patties.

These patties were baked for 20 minutes at 400 F before topping with shredded cheese, Libby's Chunky Guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

In an effort to reward my family for being good sports on this adventurous meal, I also served their favorite fruits and veggies…edamame (cooked, I might add!) and strawberries.

When I revisit this adventure, I might opt for some more sweet potatoes, could hard tell they were in there other than an occasional piece of skin and, I think I'd add some corn, for texture and visual appeal. 

Overall, it was a hit, but more importantly, I just can't say enough about how much it means to have my whole family around the dinner table, talking about our day and sharing a meal.  I'm sure it won't last forever, as the kids schedules get busier, but I will certainly cherish it while it lasts.


 RECIPE

Ingredients
One cup of dried quinoa
Two cans of black beans, rinsed with 1/2 cup set aside, 
One medium sweet potato (with skin on cooked in the microwave)
2 tbsp of minced garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 half cup of jarred roasted red peppers
1/2 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of chili powder
1 tsp of salt
a pinch of pepper 

For topping
Shredded cheddar cheese
Libby's Chunky Guacamole
Salsa
Sour cream

Directions
Cook quinoa according to directions.
Puree together beans, sweet potato, garlic, onion, red peppers, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.
Add the cooked quinoa and reserved black beans.
Stir until mixed well.
1/2 cup of the veggie mix makes 7 burgers.
Baked at 400 F for 20 minutes.

Top with cheese, guac, salsa and sour cream as you please and enjoy!