Skip to main content

Chicken Quinoa Veggie Bowl

This is a satisfying high veggie, high protein, low fat dinner for those who need comfort and fitness all at the same time.



Quinoa:

1 cup multicolor quinoa

2 cups good chicken broth

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp Ajika seasoning (I used Trader Joe’s - see notes)

1 Tbsp parsley, finely minced

1/4 tsp garlic powder


3 Kirby (Israeli, or miniature) cucumbers, sliced

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar (see notes)

1/4 cup cider vinegar

Freshly ground pepper


12-14 grape tomatoes, sliced in thirds along their length

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely minced

2 Tbsp favorite vinaigrette dressing (see notes)


Salad topping:

4 small Belgian endives, sliced

2 cups radicchio, torn into small pieces

2 cups arugula

2 Tbsp favorite vinaigrette dressing (see notes)


1.3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch wide strips

1/2 Tbsp butter plus 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

8 oz sugar snap peas

1 yellow pepper, cored and sliced 1/4-inch

1/2 cup dry white wine


1 ripe avocado, halved, cored, peeled and sliced

1/2 lemon, quartered


Toast the quinoa in a medium pot (1.5-2 qt) in a dash of avocado or canola oil.  Stir almost constantly over medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes, until aroma becomes nutty.  Add remaining quinoa ingredients and bring to a gentle boil.  Stir. Cover and cook on low for about 15-20 minutes, until the quinoa has absorbed the water.  Gently fluff with a fork and turn out onto a large rimmed baking sheet.  Shake to spread evenly. Allow to cool, stirring once or twice.  Toasting and then resting on a baking sheet both assure a firm quinoa and avoids a gummy texture.


Meanwhile, marinate the cucumbers in the vinegars and pepper.  Stir often.  

Also, marinate the tomatoes in the vinaigrette and parsley, stirring often. 

Toss together the salad topping ingredients (except the dressing) in a bowl and refrigerate.


Season both sides of the chicken strips with salt and pepper.  Melt the butter in the oil in a large non-stick skillet.  Add the peas and peppers and cook over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes.  Set veggies aside in a bowl.

Drain the tomatoes and the cucumbers and discard their marinade liquids.


Add chicken to the skillet along with another tablespoon butter.  Brown both sides for about 2 minutes each, but no longer.  You should have a slight browning on each side, but the chicken will still be undercooked.  

Add white wine and bring to a gentle boil.  Cook about another 5 minutes, flipping chicken once.  

The chicken should then be cooked through, to about 160-165F, and most of the braising liquid should have cooked down quite a bit.


Lightly dress the salad toppings with vinaigrette.


While the chicken is cooking, reheat the quinoa in a microwave for 2-3 minutes.  Spoon about 3/4-1 cup quinoa into a shallow bowl or on a plate.  Top with 2-3 strips chicken. Top that with a quarter of the salad toppings.  Top that with a quarter of the tomatoes. Spoon a quarter of the cucumbers alongside the chicken. Garnish with avocado and serve with a lemon wedge.


Serves 4.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs.  Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have.  Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade.   Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat...
Post a Comment
Read more

Haddock Roasted with Aioli and Tomatoes

This is a simple yet suculent way to roast fish. Here I use haddock, but you could use most any fish including cod or tilapia, or as I did on the west coast, wild-caught Rockfish (delicious). The tomatoes offer a fresh flavor complement to the fish slathered with a rich aioli topping. This is a quick, easy way to prepare fish on a busy weeknight. 1-1/2 lb haddock fillet (Captain’s cut preferred - thicker), patted dry Aioli: 1/4 cup good real mayonnaise 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp favorite hot sauce 1 pint grape tomatoes 1/2 tsp dried dill weed Fresh parsley, minced, for garnish Lemon wedges for garnish Preheat oven to 375F. Oil a medium baking dish (about 7x10-inch). Lay haddock fillet in dish. Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard and hot sauce in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, cover the fillet evenly with the aioli sauce. Toss the tomatoes with a dash of olive oil and scatter them over the fish. Season with dill and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bake fish for about 20 mi...
Post a Comment
Read more

'Back-of-the-bag' King Arthur Oatmeal Bread

This is one of the best loaves of bread I have ever made, based on a famous recipe.  Friends swear about King Arthur recipes, and now I do too.  I only modified King Arthur's recipe slightly, adding the yolk of the egg I used for the eggwash on the crust. Goes great with a big pot of bean soup.  And it toasts up so nicely - aroma therapy for the whole house! 3-1/4 to 3-1/2 cups bread flour 1 cup old fashioned oats 2 tsp active dry yeast 2 Tbsp honey 1-1/2 tsp salt 2 Tbsp butter, finely diced 1 egg yolk 1-1/4 cup lukewarm (about 100F) milk 1 egg white plus 1 Tbsp water about 1/4 cup old fashioned oats for topping Mix ingredients to a firm but still tacky dough.  You’ll have to adjust the final amount of dough to the humidity of your kitchen and flour - err on the sticky side for a lighter, moister loaf.  Knead dough 5 minutes.  Roll dough around in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise an hour. ...
Post a Comment
Read more