Asian Quinoa Chicken Stir-Fry

Since I'm usually in a hurry, I tend to stick with recipes that someone else has already figured out for me.  Lately, though,  I've been trying to be a little more creative in the kitchen by branching out and making recipes that are my own.  It's been a rather slow process for me and I don't think I'll be going on Chopped anytime soon, but I am excited to share one of my first original kitchen successes with you today!  

This recipe started off as an Asian inspired salad, but through  a couple of months of tweaking and lots of family critiquing (some nice and some not-so-nice),  it's become a tasty sweet-and-sour stir-fry that the whole family enjoys.   In addition to really liking the flavor,  I also enjoyed how it all came together with the tender chicken, crisp-tender veggies, and the quinoa!    

The actual cooking part of the recipe goes pretty quickly, so to save time at the dinner rush, I would recommend chopping all the chicken and veggies earlier in the day.    You could even mix the sauce together beforehand to make it really quick and easy.   Enjoy! 

Click here for printable recipe.

Asian Quinoa Chicken Stir-Fry
recipe by Lara


The ingredients:

3 cups water
1-1/2 cups quinoa
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. sesame oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup plum sauce (found in the Asian section of grocery store)
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
2 bell peppers, chopped
5 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces.
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
honey roasted peanuts (optional)

Directions:  In a saucepan, combine water and quinoa and heat until boiling.  Turn heat to low, cover with a tight fitting lid, and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until water is absorbed and white filaments appear on the quinoa grain.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, plum sauce, and brown sugar.  Set aside. 

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and saute cubed chicken breast until lightly browned--- about 5 minutes.  Add chopped peppers, green onions, and sugar snap peas and cook 1-2 minutes.  Add garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.  Pour  sauce over chicken mixture and cook until thickened slightly--about 2 minutes. 

Remove from heat and stir in cooked quinoa. 

Serve warm topped with  honey roasted peanuts if desired.  Makes 6-8 servings.   Enjoy!

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Quinoa Wilted Spinach Salad

I only tried quinoa for the first time a couple of months ago, but it is quickly becoming a staple in our house.  Besides the fabulous nutritional value, I love that it cooks up even more quickly than rice and adds a hearty texture to whatever dish it is in.   I tried it in a couple of salads before I came across this  tasty one from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking, and this one with its flavorful dressing and pleasant texture, is definitely staying on our keeper list.  

Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:

DRESSING:  
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs. orange juice
1-1/2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1-1/2 Tbs. maple syrup
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 green onions, finely chopped

SALAD:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 pkg (6-oz.) fresh baby spinach, torn
1/2 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions:  For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the oil, orange juice, vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Stir in green onions.  Set aside in refrigerator until ready to serve. 

For salad, in a small saucepan, bring quinoa and water to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until water is absorbed.  Remove from heat; fluff with fork. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. 

In a large bowl, combine the warm quinoa, spinach, and Craisins.  Pour dressing over quinoa mixture; toss to coat.  Sprinkle with toasted pecans.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy! 

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Chicken Quinoa Stew

What?  Never heard of quinoa?  Me neither, until a couple of years ago.  I had to look it up to see what all the fuss was about.   Here’s the scoop  according to Wikipedia: 

“In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods.  It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.” 

Oh wait….you want to know how to pronounce it too?  Well, according to my research, it can be pronounced one of two ways:    “KEEN-wah”  or   “kee-NO-wah”.  I opt for the first pronunciation, since that’s the one I hear others use the most. 

So after hearing about how wonderfully nutritious and high in protein quinoa was,  one day I passed by a big bag of it at Costco and  I couldn’t resist picking it up and trying it for myself.  Unfortunately, in my laziness, that bag just sat and sat and sat for months….until one day I came across this recipe on Picky Palate.  I decided it was time to give it a try and boy was I glad I did.  Not only is the stew delicious and nutritious, but I got to see first-hand how easy quinoa is to prepare (faster than white rice).  I absolutely loved the texture the quinoa added to the stew and I loved thinking about how good it was for us as my family gobbled it down eagerly.  Thanks to  Jenny for a great recipe!  Enjoy! 

Click here for printable recipe. 
 

The ingredients:

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
2-1/2 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup sweet red pepper, chopped
1/2 large zucchini, quartered and sliced
4 cups chicken broth
1 can (15-oz.) diced tomatoes
2-1/2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1" pieces
1-1/2 cups cooked quinoa (a grain that is cooked similarly to rice and can be found in the cereal aisle near the oats)
2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, shredded and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tsp. hot sauce
Kosher Salt, fresh cracked black pepper, Garlic Salt, and parsley to taste
3/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

Directions:  Cook quinoa as directed on package. 

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Sauté onion, celery, carrots, peppers, and zucchini until softened. This takes about 5 minutes.  Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, and potatoes.

Increase heat to high just until broth starts to boil.   Reduce to medium high and cook potatoes for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Reduce heat to low and stir in quinoa, shredded chicken, Dijon mustard, hot sauce.

Season to taste with kosher salt, pepper, garlic salt. Stir in fresh parsley and simmer until ready to serve.  Makes 8 servings.  Enjoy! 

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