Chicken and Quinoa Casserole

     You may be thinking, “quinoa?”  I thought the same thing when I first heard about it while having dinner at the home of my good friends Meghan and Rob. Meghan, a dear friend and fabulous cook, served turkey-quinoa meatloaf as the entrée to an unforgettable meal. The meatloaf was so delicious that Andrew and I each had two servings. Over dinner Rob explained that quinoa, a whole grain, is one of the only grains that is also a complete protein.  Rob quizzed my undergrad biology knowledge and I failed to remember what a “complete protein” actually was. For those of you who may have daydreamed in bio that day too, a complete protein is one consisting of all of the essential amino acids (Rob, 2010). In simpler terms, quinoa=extremely healthy. Since that dinner, I have recreated turkey-quinoa meatloaf numerous times and have begun to experiment with my own quinoa creations.

     What you have here is a dish akin to the feel good favorite, chicken and rice. I have successfully made is sub-par in the health department with the inclusion of butter, cheese, and cream of chicken soup. However, you may substitute any full fat items for their reduced fat counterparts, as I likely will in the future. Hope all you health nuts and brainiacs out there enjoy this new spin on an old classic!

Ingredients:

1 c. quinoa

2 c. low sodium chicken or vegetable stock

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 T. dried sage

1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 T. butter

kosher salt

pepper

paprika

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly rinse quinoa in cold water. Combine quinoa and stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer 10-15 minutes or until most of the cooking liquid is absorbed.

2. To the saucepan add butter, soup, sage (grind in the palm of your hand first to release flavor), ½ c. Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Layer a 9X9 inch casserole dish with ½ of the quinoa mixture, chicken, and the second ½ of the quinoa mixture.  

4. Top the casserole with remaining Parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake 45-55 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

* Quinoa may be purchased at any local health food store such as Earth Fare, Trader Joe's, or in Bainbridge, GA at Health Products and Yogurt Too. It may also be found in some grocery stores on the rice aisle. 

Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches

     Andrew and I LOVE chicken Parmesan and I have a fabulous Emeril Lagasse recipe that I use on special occasions (or when we decided to completely abandon all notions of good health). It takes a ton of time and is a ton of trouble not to mention it is breaded, fried, and smothered in cheese. These chicken Parmesan sandwiches are a simple and healthy take on the classic dish. Trust me reader, I will never post a healthy dish that does not taste amazing! Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb thinly sliced or pounded thin boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 breasts)

1 c. Kraft Light Zesty Italian Dressing

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

½ - ¾ c. of your favorite pasta sauce (I use Prego Traditional Heart Smart)

1 c. low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese

Any thin whole wheat/whole grain buns (I use EarthGrains 100% natural, 100% whole wheat thin buns)

Your favorite buttery spread (I use Fleischmann’s Olive Oil Spread)

Garlic Salt

1. Place chicken in a large zip-closed bag with Italian dressing and marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Remove chicken from bag and sprinkle both sides with salt and freshly ground pepper.

3. Cook on a grill pan or sauté pan sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat about 4 minutes per side or until cooked throughout (longer if your chicken beasts are thicker).

4. Meanwhile, spread both sides of your sandwich buns with buttery spread (about ½ tsp per side), sprinkle with garlic salt to taste (about 1/8 tsp per side), and toast under the broiler until brown and crispy.

5. Once cooked but still in the pan, spread about 1 tablespoon of sauce on top of each chicken breast (more or less to taste) and top each breast with 1-2 tablespoons of cheese. Place lid on pan to create steam to melt the cheese, about 2 minutes.

6. Spread one side (bottom) of each bun with another ½ tablespoon of sauce. Place chicken cheese side up on sauced side of bun and top with the other half of the bun.

* We ate these with homemade sweet potato fries but a salad or baked potato would compliment well too! 

Healthy Pasta Bake

     Originally, I was not planning on blogging this recipe because it was sort of a whim and didn’t seem too special as I was making it. However, when it came out of the oven it was a different story! Luckily I have been taking pictures of all food creations for such a time as this. I am proud to share with you a healthy, delicious, easy to assemble casserole that you (as I did) can make a day or two ahead or freeze.

Ingredients:

1 ½ c. cooked 100% whole-wheat penne pasta (I used ½ of a 13.25 oz box)

1 c. chopped fresh or frozen broccoli florets

1 c. sliced or diced carrots, peeled (I used baby carrots and skipped the peeling)

1 c. of your favorite pre-made pasta sauce (I used Prego Traditional Heart Smart)

1 lb diced boneless, skinless chicken breast

8 oz reduced fat sour cream

2 c. low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

½ c. freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slightly undercook pasta according to package directions in heavily salted water.

2. Layer a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish with cooked pasta, broccoli, carrots, chicken, and sauce.

3. In a medium sized bowl combine cheeses, sour cream, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until well blended.

4. Spread mixture evenly on top of the casserole. Bake for 1 hour until top is brown and bubbly. 

* We were extremely hungry by the time this came out of the oven and I completely forgot to take a final picture before digging in. Use your imagination to picture the cheesy top, juicy chicken, and tender vegetables and you may want to make this tonight! (And I may want to think about writing romance novels!)

Real Woman Indeed

     Earlier this year I participated in an online cooking competition hosted by Paula Deen and Philadelphia Cream Cheese called "The Real Women of Philadelphia." I entered four recipes in hopes of becoming one of these so called "real women" but alas, I did not win. Even so, it was a fun experience creating original recipes and pretending to host my own cooking show. Better still was flirting with my handsome camera man/husband. Just in case you are wondering, I feel as "real" a woman as I ever have. I hope you enjoy watching these as much as I enjoyed making them. Bon Appétit!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuk92ZcXd1U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za4duJpNRtc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY0e3vy4oTg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9yYcuGTC2A

One of the creations that didn't make the cut, summer vegetable tart.