Mexican Quinoa Bake

So this one made it into our weekly dinner rotation.

I didn’t even have a dinner rotation until a few weeks ago when I started making this every Thursday & suddenly realized what was happening.  It was revolutionary.   Ok, it wasn't.  But it was so awesome to find something I wanted for dinner every week that's healthy & creates leftovers & is super easy.  I might go so far as to create a lunch rotation too.  This recipe, on chopped romaine with avocado.  Every day.  Chopped olives & tomatoes if I have ‘em on hand.  Which I usually do. 

Anyway, I’m providing the link cuz the pictures are pretty.  But the below version is really all you need to know.

Stir together in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes:

·         1 ½ c uncooked quinoa (don’t even need to rinse it; at least, I don't rinse it for this)

·         1 can black beans, rinsed & drained

·         1 ½ c salsa

·         1 ½ c chicken broth (water works if you’re out of broth, in which case add ½ t salt)

·         1-2 cloves garlic, mashed & chopped to smithereens (or use powdered in the next step)

·         ¾ c shredded pepper jack

While that’s baking:

In olive oil, saute an onion & whatever colors of peppers you want til you’re happy.  I wouldn't chop them up too much....slice into rings or half rings like you would for fajitas.  You certainly could skip cooking them if you don’t want to, although I think the texture & flavor is better when they’re cooked.  Granted, that’s partly cuz I don’t really like peppers much.  Even just 5 minutes in the pan will put them (me) in a better mood than if they’re raw.  (I did learn a cool trick a few years ago though – when you’re buying them, look at the bottom of the pepper.  3 bumps = better for cooking, 4 bumps = better for raw eating.  More bumps = sweeter pepper.  Who knew?!? Not me!  Actually, I'm not even sure if it's true.  But it's fun to try in the store, makes me look like I really know how to shop for peppers!

Either way, after cooking or if raw, toss them with about a tablespoon of mixed taco seasonings (I use chili powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin; and I use garlic powder if I didn’t feel like doing fresh garlic in the first part of the recipe).

When the timer rings:

·         Stir the spiced up pepper-onion blend into the hot quinoa/beans

·         Stir another ¾ c of shredded pepper jack

·         Add about ½ c more broth/water and stir it in well

Set the timer for another 30 minutes.  Go dance for a while.

Serve with chips, tortillas if you want.  I usually just serve it with my favorite taco toppings:  shredded iceberg or thinly sliced romaine, chopped tomatoes & olives, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, jalapenos.  Lime & tequila optional.  Well, kind of optional.  It depends on the day...

When you add the peppers, you could add leftover steak or shredded chicken or fish or more black beans.  Or frozen corn -- kiddo liked that a lot.  I even thought about finely chopping up kale or spinach & stirring it in -- if the pieces are small enough the kiddo wouldn't ever know the difference, especially if it's with kale.  Or even a sweet potato cut into really small pieces to help cook quickly.  Basically, you can hide all kinds of nutritious stuff in this.  Even from yourself!  :)

If you want to add chicken & don’t already have some here are a couple ways:

• Buy a rotisserie chicken at the store, remove the meat & tear into pieces (sort of a gross process but highly effective), and stir in with the peppers & spices.

• Cut chicken breast into pieces, toss with spices, cook with a little olive oil for 5-8 minutes (til mostly cooked).  Stir into the hot bean-quinoa mixture when you add the peppers.

• OR: the easy version: buy chicken thigh meat pieces (plastic bag in the freezer section) – defrost briefly in the microwave, toss with spices & pan-cook for 5 minutes then stir in with the peppers.  SO much faster than dealing with chicken breasts and it won’t dry out.

Source:  http://pinchofyum.com/easy-mexican-chicken-quinoa-casserole