Tex-Mex Chicken Quinoa

Ok, so today I am back with another quinoa recipe of sorts.  It is more of a dump this, dump that, mix, bake and serve type of recipe.  I have found this blogging recipes thing is kinda hard for a person who very rarely cooks with a recipe and never makes a dish the same way twice.  Hmm, maybe I should have thought this blog thru a little better before I started?  Too late for hindsight. Instead of beating myself up about presenting this to you in proper "recipe" format, I am just going to throw it out there.  Trust me, this dish is easy to make and tastes great.  How you get to that point doesn't really matter, does it?  We are going to pretend, at least for now, it doesn't. Enjoy!



Tex-Mex Chicken Quinoa

cooked chicken breast meat chunked or shredded- enough to feed your crew
cooked quinoa- more or less depending on your carb intake. I usually use 1 cup per 3 ck breasts
canned tomatoes- undrained, mexican recipe. I use one can for the ratio above but add if you need
shredded cheddar cheese- some to mix in and some to put on top
chipotle seasoning-I love Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle (season to taste)
1/3 block softened cream cheese or several The Laughing Cow Light Queso Fresco & Chipotle wedges (see below)
chopped fresh cilantro

Mix all the ingredients together, pour into a glass Pyrex that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, top with extra cheddar and bake at 350* until cheese is melted.  Serve with tex-mex condiments.



I love to use these wedges in place of cream cheese.

Repeat After Me, {KEEN-wah} Gluten-Free Cajun Quinoa




Gluten-Free Cajun Quinoa



I have mentioned Quinoa a few times here and there and publicly professed my love of the stuff.  I discovered quinoa on my quest for a gluten-free grain and well, it was love at first bite. This versatile wonder is a South American seed containing all 8 amino acids, is an excellent source of protein, B vitamins, iron and contains no sugars.  It is prepared like rice and while it has a somewhat nutty flavor it can accompany most any dish. It can be eaten hot or cold and can even be served as a breakfast cereal.  I could go on and on.  I buy Nature's Earthly Choice Organic Quinoa in 4 lb bags at Costco for about $9 a bag and 1 cup of the stuff goes a long way. I hope you enjoy this recipe. It is a "Kristin Original" so let me know what you think.

Gluten-Free Cajun Quinoa

Here is a list of what you will need:

1/2 cup quinoa*
1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth*
2 cups kale chopped*
1/2 red bell pepper chopped*
1/2 green bell pepper chopped*
2 green onions chopped (only the green ends)*
2 tbs dried chopped onion or 1/2 onion chopped (I cheat with dried, as I hate to chop onions)*
1 tbs dried celery flakes or 1/2 cup chopped celery (the celery didn't look very good this week)*
2 oz andouille or any keilbasa type gluten-free, nitrate-free sausage chopped
1 lb raw, shelled, deveined shrimp
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Old Bay low sodium seasoning
1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning (I used Tony's)
Ziplock bag
*organic if available

Gather ingredients and prep veggies, sausage and shrimp.  Place the thawed, clean shrimp in baggie with olive oil and Old Bay seasoning then return to fridge.

Heat a large skillet to medium heat, add sausage, onion and celery. Cook until onions are lightly carmelized. Add peppers and stir while continuing to cook over medium heat. Once the peppers are slightly soft, add quinoa then stock. Bring stock to a boil while stirring, reduce heat to simmer, cover and simmer for apx 15-20 mins. When quinoa is ready (it will have spiral-like projections from the seeds) add cajun seasoning, shrimp, stir and return heat to medium. Cook on medium until shrimp are opaque, add the kale, cover and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook for 5 mins or until kale is wilted. Remove from heat, garnish with green onions. Serves 4.