Quinoa Casserole

Quinoa is such an awesome little morsel. While it is actually a seed, most people cook and serve it as a grain. It cooks quickly, has a wonderful flavor, and is so versatile.

My boyfriend suggested "some kind of casserole" for dinner. I wondered if quinoa would work in a casserole. You have to be careful with quinoa, as it can get mushy if you add too much liquid. I looked around on the internet, and I couldn't find anything that didn't contain large amounts of foods I can't eat. So, naturally, I picked and chose the best parts of several recipes, then added and changed a bunch of stuff. This is what I came up with.

This is a vegetarian dish, but I'll tell you something, you'll never miss the meat. It was very hearty, had good flavor, and made a lot so there was actually leftovers for a couple of days. I think I'll be adding this to our rotation of semi-regulars.

Note: In many of my recipes, nutritional yeast is optional. In this recipe, I recommend using it. You simply won't get the cheesy flavor without it.

Note 2: Some people find quinoa to be very bitter. If this is you, simply rinse it under cold water in a wire mesh strainer before cooking. I don't notice it, but this is a simple fix if you do.  

Sauce Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato (yam), chopped and boiled until tender - you could also use the equivalent cooked sweet potato from a left over recipe
1 to 1 1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
1-2 T. chili powder
1-2 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
5-10 dashes liquid smoke
Sea salt & ground black pepper (to taste)

Casserole Ingredients:
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cup water
1 T. olive oil
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 cup finely chopped raw broccoli
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:
Combine sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy, adjusting seasonings if necessary. You want the seasonings to taste fairly strong, as the flavors will dissipate when you mix it in to the casserole. The sauce should be somewhat thick but still pourable.

Pour 2 cups hot water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then stir in quinoa. Cook 15 minutes (most of the water should be absorbed). Stir occasionally toward the end of the cooking time. Note: quinoa is generally cooked at a 3:1 ratio. Here we're doing 2:1 because we don't want quinoa mush.

While quinoa is cooking, combine olive oil, onion and bell pepper in a very large skillet. Saute about 5 minutes, then add broccoli. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until broccoli is tender. Remove from heat and stir in beans. If vegetables start to stick while cooking, add a tablespoon or two of hot water.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir cooked quinoa into vegetables. Add sauce and stir thoroughly. Coat a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour casserole mixture into baking dish, spreading evenly with a spoon. It will be fairly runny at this point, but the sauce will thicken as it cooks. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until very hot all the way through. Let cool slightly before serving.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

You've probably noticed by now that I don't post many slow cooker recipes. This is due, in part, to the fact that I work long days and anything I put in the crock pot would shrivel up and die before I got home to it.

Solution: crock pot with a timer. I've still been working with the same crock pot I got for Christmas ten years ago. I think it got its mileage. It still works great, and I'll probably keep it around unless I can find someone who wants it, but I felt like it was time for an upgrade.

I have had a hard time finding recipes that aren't stews or roasts. I decided to try a hybrid of some recipes I've found online and the orange maple chicken I posted previously. It ended up being in the crock pot for about 13 hours by the time I served it (most of the time on the "warm" setting), so naturally it was a little dry. At 7-8 hours it should be perfect. Turn the liquid into a gravy for the chicken and it turns out delightful. A co-worker suggested using crock pot bags to seal in a little of the moisture, so I think I'll try that next time. :)

Ingredients:
4 sweet potatoes (yams) peeled and cut into large chunks
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1 orange
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1-2 T. arrowroot powder

Directions:
Use a 7 quart crock pot. Arrange yams in the bottom, followed by half of the onion slices. Arrange chicken on onions, then top with remaining onions.

Juice the orange, and combine juice with maple syrup, honey, sage, thyme, salt, pepper and onion powder in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk well. Pour over chicken.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until chicken is no longer pink. Do not overcook or chicken will be dry.

Remove chicken from crock pot and slice into strips, if desired. Remove sweet potatoes and onions to a serving bowl. Pour cooking liquid into a small saucepan. Combine arrowroot powder and just enough cold water to mix into a thick liquid. Bring "gravy" to a simmer, then whisk in the arrowroot.

Serve.

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

I definitely have one of those obsessive personalities. Well, maybe I could call it passionate. Either way, when I do something, it tends to consume me. This can be good or bad. When it comes to many things in life, it can be beneficial. When it comes to food, it can be helpful or even harmful.

I've decided to give myself a break. There are plenty of people out there who are perfectly healthy and who do not obsess over every macro-nutrient, every calorie burned, and every bite that enters their body. I've decided to see if that works for me. I haven't logged in to My Fitness Pal for a couple of weeks now, I haven't been calculating the nutrition in the recipes I make, and I haven't stepped on the scale every single morning. My focus has been simple: drink water, eat clean, and exercise regularly - even if it's just 20 minutes of yoga in the morning.

Well, an asteroid has not come crashing down on my head. I have not gained a dress size. In fact, I - gasp - feel better!

So here's what I made for dinner last night: enchiladas. Enchiladas are not health food. Unless, of course, I make them. :) Now, this recipe is fairly labor intensive, and will take about 90 minutes start to finish. Well, probably less, because I had to stop to make a few more tortillas, and I wasn't really in any kind of rush. So probably closer to an hour. There's some recipes within recipes here, so pay close attention. As with all of my recipes, if you want to substitute something premade (like tortillas or sauce) instead of going from scratch, feel free. But I'm telling you, these were bomb. I wish I'd made more.

For the tortillas (this will make 8-9):
8 whole eggs
2 tsp coconut oil
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp coconut flour
Pinch of salt

Whisk eggs into a large mixing bowl. Melt coconut oil and whisk into the eggs. Combine dry ingredients and whisk together until no lumps remain, then whisk wet and dry ingredients together.

Preheat a small frying pan over medium heat (I used an omelet pan). Spray lightly with cooking spray. Pour a small amount of batter in pan, about 1-2 T, just enough to lightly coat the bottom, turning pan to spread batter around. Cook a minute or two, until edges start to turn up and bottom starts to brown. Flip, and cook another minute or two on the other side. Remove from pan and continue with remaining batter.

For the chicken:
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (depends on size)
2 T. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
Sea salt & black pepper

Pound chicken lightly with a meat clever. Don't flatten it, we're just looking to tenderize it a little. Put in a mixing bowl and toss with olive oil and lemon juice. Let marinate for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Preheat frying pan with a tight fitting lid over medium heat. Spray generously with cooking spray. If chicken breasts are smaller, cut in half lengthwise. If larger, cut in thirds lengthwise. Arrange chicken pieces in pan, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and cover. Cook, flipping over every 5 minutes or so, until chicken is no longer pink. Transfer chicken from pan to mixing bowl and let cool just until you can touch it. Shred chicken with two forks.

For the sauce:
4 c. cooked butternut squash
1/2 roasted red bell pepper
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 T. chili powder
1-2 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 T. honey
5 drops liquid smoke
1 T. nutritional yeast (optional)
Water or chicken broth (amount will vary depending on desired thickness of sauce)
Sea salt & black pepper, to taste

Put all ingredients except water in a blender and process on high speed until smooth. If sauce is too thick, thin it down with some water or broth.

Assemble the enchiladas:
Coat a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour a small amount of sauce in the baking dish, just enough to cover the bottom.

Take a couple of tablespoons of shredded chicken and spread it in a line down the center of each tortilla. Add as much chicken as you think you can fit without ripping the shell. Pour a little sauce, about a tablespoon, in the center, then roll the tortilla end to end. Arrange in pan, folded side down. Continue until all tortillas are used.

Pour remaining sauce over top of enchiladas, using a spoon to spread it around if necessary. Make sure to get sauce down all sides. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let cool about 5 minutes before serving.