Moroccan Chicken with Quinoa

Not sure if I've ever posted anything with quinoa in the past, but I love it. Quinoa is a good substitute for noodles or rice, but cooks way faster. It's considered a COMPLETE protein, a very good source of fiber, and it contains nutrients like manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. Anyways, I wanted to make something with quinoa and after looking in my fridge, I noticed that I always seem to have extra onion and bell peppers I don't want going bad. I also have tons of spices in my pantry that I haven't touched very often because I'm no expert with figuring out how to use them correctly. After reading on a website somewhere about which spices to use for different kinds of cuisines, I decided to put together this recipe, classified as Moroccan (not sure where the country is). But it sounded cool... and it ended up okay!

(Serves 4)

iNGREDiENTS:

4 Chicken Breasts/Thighs, thawed

1 tsp. Olive Oil

1 cup Red Onion, chopped (I used white, but I think red would've been a better fit for this recipe)

1-2 Garlic cloves, minced

2 TBSP Soy Sauce

1 cup Celery, chopped

1 cup Red or Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1 cup Carrots, chopped

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

2 tsp. Parsley, or 1/4 cup freshly chopped

1/2 tsp. Cumin

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom, Coriander, Mace

(if you don't happen to have the last 2 or 3 spices listed, substitute one with ground ginger.)

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1 cup Uncooked Quinoa

1 Chicken Bouillon cube

* 1. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. (If you are using thighs with bones and you don't really know how to cut them into neat tiny pieces, CLiCK HERE FOR A WEBSiTE that has pictures showing how to trim and de-bone them effectively without losing any excess meat). After cutting them, set them aside.

* 2. Add the olive oil into a large sauté pan on medium heat. Wait a minute or two, and then scrape the minced garlic and chopped onion into the pan.

* 3. Meanwhile, place a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water on the stove over high heat. After it starts a rolling boil, add the quinoa and chicken bouillon cube, then turn down the heat to medium-low and cover for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

* 4. Going back to the sauté pan, add the soy sauce and chicken, then cook until the pieces look almost totally white and golden brown. Add the rest of the veggies (celery, bell pepper, carrots). After the veggies have cooked for a few minutes, pour in the lemon juice, mixing evenly. Lastly, stir in the spices and take off the heat.

* 5. Take the quinoa and drain any excess liquid from the saucepan. Spoon into a serving bowl (the quinoa should be much larger when cooked, with a light, fluffy texture). Serve the chicken/veggie mixture over the quinoa.

I ended up stirring and mixing mine together and I also added more salt and some pepper. It was very satisfying and filling! This recipe serves 4 at about 350 calories per person.

- CAMiLLE