Quinoa Recipe!

Quinoa is a great ‘grain’ to give a try if you’re not in love with brown rice or just want to switch things up.  Quinoa is actually a seed, but is included in the grain group because we cook it and eat it like a grain.  This seed is a powerhouse of nutrition and gives you a good dose of quality protein, dietary fiber, and higher amounts of iron, zinc, and magnesium than found in many other grains.  Quinoa also offers healthy fat content, antioxidants, and other vitamins and minerals.

You can use quinoa in soups, salads, pilafs, and more, enjoy it hot or cold, and make it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  It is versatile and tasty, with a slightly nutty taste.

We are trying our hand at pre-making new tasty lunches for the week (to mix it up from our normal chicken or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches).  A great side benefit to pre-planning a slightly more complex lunch is that I get extra delicious veggies at lunchtime and really a greater variety of food and nutrients overall.

So our first week was an absolute success with the Spicy Quinoa Chicken.   This recipe is adapted slightly from Kevin Curry’s (of FitMenCook.com) “Spicy Chicken Fried Quinoa with Garden Salad” recipe we found in Train magazine.

The nutrition of our version (with cooked and diced chicken breast instead of ground chicken, water instead of chicken broth to make the quinoa, and Frank’s Red Hot instead of Sriracha) turned out about as follows:

1 ½ cup serving (this was a hungry man’s serving = my husband)

Calories 440; Protein 49g; Fat 11g (Sat fat 2g); Fiber 4g; Sodium 563mg

1 cup serving (suggested)

Calories 294; Protein 33g; Fat 8g (Sat fat 2g); Fiber 3g; Sodium 375mg

We did combine this with a spinach salad topped with chopped cucumber, tomato, and kiwi (not included in nutrition).

Ingredients: 

1.5 lbs chicken breast, cooked and diced

3 eggs

2 cups water

1 cup raw quinoa (rinse before cooking)

1 cup frozen edamame beans

1 cup chopped carrots

½ cup chopped red oinion

1 Tbsp minced garlic (or garlic paste)

vegetable oil spray

Sauce:

2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1.5 Tbsp Franks red hot sauce

1 Tbsp ginger paste

1 Tbsp low sodium teriyaki sauce (optional)

Instructions:

1.     Cook quinoa according to instructions and allow to cool to room temperature

2.     While quinoa is cooking/cooling, dice and cook (or cook then dice chicken breast) – in medium-high heat skillet or baked in oven at 375 degrees until internal temperature reaches about 165 degrees.

3.     Mix sauce ingredients together and set aside.

4.     Spray a non-stick skillet on medium heat with cooking spray, add garlic, carrots, and onions, cooking until onions become clear.

5.     Increase the temperature of the skillet to medium-high and add chicken and cooled quinoa.

6.     Pour in the sauce and stir quickly

7.     Add eggs stirring and chopping with a spoon until well incorporated

8.     Reduce heat to medium and add edamame beans, stirring until thawed.

Pack into containers for the week or enjoy as dinner tonight!  This dish is just spicy enough and packs a great flavor.  Not to mention it is quite satisfying.

So much color and nutrition!  Try something new this week, even if it is just adding a different veggie to lunch or a new grain at dinner.  It’s hard to bust out of your routine sometimes, but once you do, what you discover and make can be marvelous.  You may find yourself wanting to explore some more.

Enjoy!