Quinoa Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

I consider myself a vegetarian.  I have been one for 9 years or something crazy like that!  I avoid meat and only really eat cheese and eggs.  You will occasionally see me eat a small piece of local hormone free chicken for dinner.  This is a new thing that started after I cut gluten out of my diet.  So you will occasionally find a chicken recipe on here and even meat recipes that I make for people who are not vegetarian and are yummy enough to share :)

I was excited to find this recipe online.  Being gluten free means NO breaded chicken.  and all though this isn't breaded it has a nice crunchiness to it and plenty of flavor.

Quinoa Crusted Chicken

 Ingredients:

• 4 breasts of Organic Chicken
• 3 cups cooked quinoa (which is about 1 cup uncooked)
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 egg
• 1tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
• 1tsp pepper (or more to taste)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

 Optional:

• 1-2 tsp garlic powder
• 1-2 tsp of any other spices
• I used red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, garlic powder

(Recipe Yields 4 servings)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Rinse quinoa first. Add a small amount of olive oil to pot and saute the garlic and onions until transparent.  Add quinoa and toast for a couple minutes.  Add water and bring to a boil.  Then set temperature to medium and cover for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally so the quinoa does not burn.  When most of the water is absorbed turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork when finished (1 cup dry quinoa yields 3 cups cooked)
3. In a separate dish, combine quinoa with salt and pepper (and the other spices that you choose)
4. Scramble raw egg into another dish.
5. Dip chicken into egg, coat well. Then put chicken into quinoa mixture, coat well. Place chicken onto baking sheet.
6. Lightly brush oil over each piece of chicken to help it brown.
7. Bake for 30-45 minutes depending on thickness of chicken.

I adore sweet potatoes and yams.  One of my favorite ways to eat them is to roast them in the oven.  It is easy and they taste great!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

•  Sweet Potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Seasoning

 Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Peel and cut your sweet potatoes into chunks.  I usually make them about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Coat potatoes with olive oil and place on a cookie sheet.  Place in oven for 10 minutes.
2. After 10 minutes take the potatoes out and flip them.  I also sprinkle some salt, garlic or garlic powder and red pepper at this point.  Place back in over for another 8 minutes.
3. Take potatoes out, if they are the desired softness take them out, otherwise continue to check them every few minutes until thoroughly cooked.  Depending on how thick I cut them they usually take 20-30 minutes to cook all the way.

 Enjoy!

Bry

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

These sweet potato enchiladas were amazing.  They were filling and full of flavor.  Definitely a new favorite in my house.



Quickie Green Chile Sauce (I like more sauce so next time I will double this):

• 1 cup light vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in a little cold water
• 1 generous cup chopped roasted green chiles- hot or mild
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin or chili powder, hot or mild, to taste

Sweet Potato Filling:

• 2 heaping cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
• 1 15-oz can organic black beans, rinsed, drained
• 1/2 cup of chopped onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• Lime juice from 1 big lime
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped, more for spicier flavor
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or curry, mild or spicy, as you prefer
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

• 10-12 corn tortillas
• Shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil a pot of water. Boil your sweet potatoes until tender (about 4 small to medium potatoes).
3. While the potatoes are boiling start the chile sauce. Combine the broth, dissolved corn starch, green chiles, garlic and spices in a sauce pan and heating over medium-high heat. Bring to a high simmer. Simmer until it starts to thicken. Taste test. Set aside.
4. When potatoes are finished pull off the peels and mash the insides in a large bowl. Add black beans, onion, garlic, lime, jalapeno, spices, and cilantro. Mix well.
5. Pour about 1/4 cup of the Green Chile Sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.
6. In a skillet and heat a dash of oil. Lightly cook the corn tortillas to soften them, one at a time, as you stuff each one. Dip the corn tortillas in the chile sauce on each side, fill with about 1/4 of a cup of potato stuffing, roll and put in pan. Continue with the rest of the tortillas (10-12). Top with the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, if using.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Enjoy!

Bry

Sweet Potato Side Dishes

Sweet potatoes have been going on and off sale all winter here and have been some very good prices!  I recently discovered a love for them around Thanksgiving time.  The first of the 2 recipes is my favorite, but they are definitely both yummy!  Enjoy.

Rosemary and Parmesan Sweet Potatoes

 

 

Ingredients:

•  3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced in one inch cubes 
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped fine 
• 1/2 wedge good quality Parmesan cheese, (grated fine in a food processor) 
• olive oil 
• sea salt 
• freshly ground pepper 

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray then spread out diced sweet potatoes, drizzle to coat with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, and pepper. 
2. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, watching closely for burnt edges. As soon as potatoes have nice roasted look and are tender. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with fresh rosemary and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Stir well, and serve immediately. 

 Broccoli & Feta Sweet Potatoes

Instructions:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 cups finely chipped broccoli
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wrap sweet potatoes in foil and place on a cookie sheet and bake until soft all the way through, about an hour.
2. In a large skillet on high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes {or not} and cook until the garlic is golden, about a minute. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until most of the water has evaporated and the broccoli is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the salt and pepper and set aside until the sweet potatoes are baked.
3. When the sweet potatoes have baked, cute them in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp. Mash the pulp a bit and stir it into the broccoli mixture, along with the feta cheese. 

Bry