Chicken with Quinoa

I am a fan of quinoa, so I'm always looking for new ways to serve it.

Here is a nice dish of chicken, quinoa, and broccoli.  This is a quick, 30-minute dish (plus prep-time) that is both filling and ... uh... not unhealthy. :-)

This was a succulent dish!

Quinoa:
I cooked one cup of quinoa in two cups of boiling water.  I usually add 1/2 teaspoon of chicken or vegetable bouillon powder (or half a solid bouillon) to the water to give the quinoa some flavor.

Cooking time varies, but it usually takes about 35 minutes for the water to evaporate.  I cook the quinoa covered and in low heat.

Broccoli: 
This side dish could not be easier.  I steamed frozen broccoli (though I could also use a microwavable bag) to cook it.  For flavor, I added Wegmans basting oil, though this oil could be replaced by a mixture of olive oil and my favorite herbs. I also sprinkled the broccoli with salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken:
Ingredients:
3 Chicken Breasts, cut in cubes
1 pack of Swanson Flavor Boost or Knorr Homestyle Stock (chicken or vegetable flavor)
1/2 cup of chopped veggies.  I used onions and red peppers

First, I sauteed the veggies. Then, I remove them from the pan and cooked the three chicken breasts;  I browned them in a pan at medium/high heat.  Once the chicken is cooked, I lowered the heat to medium and added back the cooked veggies and the broth/flavor boost pack to the pan. I also added about 1/2 cup of water and brought the broth to a gentle boil.

Once the broth boiled, I lowered the heat once again and covered the pan.  It took about 15 minutes for the chicken to cook (though I always test one piece before I turn off the heat).

Once everything is cooked, I can serve the quinoa with a bit of the sauce from the chicken on top (see the picture above). I absolutely love this dish!

Asian-Inspired Eggplant (and Chicken!)

Serves 4-6 people

I modified a vegetarian (and spicy) Wegmans recipe by adding a bit of chicken and changing the sauce. This recipe allowed us to reduce the amount of meat we consume at dinner time. The eggplant was surprisingly good and quite filling.

Ingredients:

* 1 eggplant

* 2 or 3 cups of your favorite stir-fry vegetables. 
I used strips of red peppers, onions, and mushroom. I also added very thin carrots sticks and sliced squash.

* 1 lb. of chicken cut in small chunks (or another eggplant if you wish to keep this a vegetarian dish).

For the sauce:

Stir Fry Sauce

General Tso’s Sauce

Lee Kum Kee Chili Garlic Sauce

Soy sauce

To make the sauce:

Fill 2/3 cup of equal parts of stir-fry sauce and General Tso’s sauce.  I used the Wegmans brand. I also added a few drops of soy sauce and, to add a kick, 1/2 teaspoon of Lee Kum Kee Chili Garlic Sauce. You can add more chili garlic sauce if you like spicy food

Directions:

1. Cut the eggplant in slices and then in sticks - about half an inch thick. Place these sticks and the squash in a steamer or use a microwave bag to cook them.   

Optional: You may choose to fry the eggplant and the squash with the rest of the vegetables instead. Take a look at the next step.

2. Stir fry the vegetables in a wok or frying pan (and if you wish, you may fry the eggplant as squash as well instead of steaming them).

Suggestion: Fry the carrots, peppers, and onions first. Then, add the softer veggies, such as mushrooms (and the eggplant and squash if you don’t want to steam them).

3. Remove the vegetables from the wok and cook the chicken well. Then, add the vegetables and the sauce to taste.

Hint: Don’t add too much sauce. You don’t want to mask the taste of the veggies.

That’s it.

I served my eggplant and chicken dish with white rice. Delicious!