Beet and Quinoa Salad

We made this beet & quinoa salad
Original recipe: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/beet-and-quinoa-salad

But, it was so bland and seemed to be missing something so badly that it doesn't even get a picture here :)  Not recommended. 

Pistachio Crusted Chicken with Shallot Garlic Lemon Quinoa

This was a quick dish that we put together for dinner. We split the chicken breasts in half lenghtwise to make them thinner and ensure that they would cook faster.
The quinoa we made in our new multi-cooker! We had a Tim3 machine one, but it got recalled, and even though we submitted everything for the recall back in November, we haven't received a new one yet. So, we went to Costco and got an Aroma multicooker (which has a sushi rice button! Very excited to use that in the near future).

We also made a simple green salad with cubed cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh dill and parsley all with a mixture of olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. This resulted in a refreshing green salad which went well with the rest of dinner.

Shallot Quinoa with Pistachio Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

Quinoa:
1.5 cups Quinoa
1 shallot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 lime

Chicken:
2 chicken breasts cut in half to make them thinner
1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Directions:

Quinoa:
1. Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into multi cooker. Add shallots and garlic. When softened, add rinsed quinoa and chicken stock. Cover and cook (we had a quinoa button on our multi cooker!) When ready, add the rest of the olive oil and juice of 1/2 lime. Toss and serve.

Chicken:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. Place chicken into an ovensafe dish. Spread dijon mustard over chicken, Season with salt and pepper. Add pistachios.
3. Bake for about 25-30 minutes uncovered until chicken is done. Serve

What we liked:

Easy and delicious dinner

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He liked the quinoa. Astrid also loved all aspects of this meal. 

Next time:

No changes needed. 

Balsamic Chicken and Pears with Confetti Quinoa

We bought some pears last week and this seemed like the perfect dish to use them in. We love quinoa and although we didn't have all the "confetti" ingredients, just carrots seemed to do just fine. An added bonus was that Kaspian actually liked it because there was no "green stuff" in his quinoa. Astrid of course happily consumed anything given to her.
We also did not have white balsamic vinegar so we just went with the regular one and it worked out okay. The color was most likely the biggest difference. Overall the dish was very flavorful and everything seemed to go very well together. Surprisingly, the cherries and rosemary complemented the dish and were delicious. For the Quinoa, we used our turkey stock that we made from the Thanksgiving turkey, this gave it a little bit more flavor and we would recommend using chicken stock if you have it instead of water.

This is an easy recipe that looks and feels very fancy.

Original recipe can be found here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/balsamic-chicken---pears

Confetti Quinoa: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/confetti-quinoa

Ingredients:

Chicken & Pears:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup chicken or turkey broth
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 medium unpeeled pears, each cut into 8 wedges
1/3 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries

Confetti Quinoa:
2 cups stock (turkey or chicken)
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Chicken & Pears:
1. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until a thermometer reads 165°, 8-10 minutes. Remove.
2. Meanwhile, stir together next five ingredients until blended. Pour into skillet; add pears and dried cherries. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until pears are tender, about 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet; simmer, uncovered, until heated through, 3-5 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with additional minced rosemary.

Confetti Quinoa:
1. In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add next five ingredients. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed, 12-15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and oil; heat through. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork.

What we liked:

The dish went together very well and it was fun to try something new and different!

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great. 

What Kaspian and Astrid thought about it:

He liked the carrot quinoa. Astrid loved everything! Although she did seem to think at first that the cherries might be chocolates and was very excited. Upon realizing that they were still a fruit, she was happy. 

Next time:

Try with white balsamic vinegar. 

Chipotle Lime Steaks with Shallot and Parsley Quinoa and Baby Carrots with Herb Dressing

Tonight, we didn't feel like going out and shopping for ingredients, so this was just made from stuff we already had. The steaks were previously frozen, and they were thin cut flank steaks - a thicker cut might have needed more time than the 4 hours we marinated it for. However, for the thin cut, 4 hours was perfect and the steaks were perfectly limey and just the right amount of smokey spicy - not too overpowering, just a hint of spice.
The carrots were absolutely perfect, the sauce was delicious! (Nick thought they were a bit too limey).
The shallot quinoa was also very good. It was a very citrus-y dinner!

Original Shallot and Parsley recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/shallot-parsley-quinoa
Original Baby Carrots with Herb Dressing: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/baby-carrots-herb-dressing-olives

Plated

Quinoa with shallots and parsley

Cooked Steak

Yummy Herb Citrus Carrots

Ingredients:

Meat:
2 lbs flank steak
juice of 6 limes
2 chipotle peppers, chopped (from a can)
5  cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons oil

Shallot and Parsley Quinoa:
2 cups water
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 chopped shallot
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon butter

Carrots:
1 pound baby carrots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Meat:
1. Combine all ingredients in a bag and marinade for at least 4 hours
2. Grill on medium high until desired done-ness

Quinoa:
1. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add wine and shallots and cook until softened.
2. Add water and salt. When boiling, add quinoa, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Add parsley and serve.

Carrots:
1. Place carrots in a steamer basket set over a saucepan of simmering water. Cover and steam 15 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender.
2. Combine chopped dill, chives, oil, lime rind, lime juice, cumin, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix. Add in carrots and serve. 

What we liked:

Great dinner for just using the items we had on hand. 

What we didn't like:

It was great. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was really busy with his trains.

Next time:

No change. Great impromptu dinner

King Ranch Chicken and Quinoa Casserole

This recipe looked really appealing with quionoa and rotisserie chicken. It was a little harder to make than expected. The "roasting" of the quinoa in the oven for 14 minutes seemed really un-necessary as it made the quinoa too dry and crunchy. We would avoid that next time.
We substituted bell peppers for poblano peppers as we did not want to make it too spicy.
Overall, this was a pleasant recipe with lots of flavor and quinoa "crunch". It was very different.Here is the original recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/king-ranch-chicken-quinoa-casserole.
We also used more cheese as 3.5 oz really did not seem like enough. Also, we used more quinoa as there was lots of tomato/chile/chicken mixture. This was a good move. And, we also had to use a bigger pan, there was no way that everything was going to fit into an 8 inch square dish.

Plated 

Cooked - you can see how it's a little crispy on top

Before going into the oven

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa
5 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups chopped bell peppers
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 can chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can unsalted fire-roasted tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) mild chopped green chiles frozen or can
2 cups skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast, shredded
1.5 cups cheddar cheese, shredded and divided 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine cooked quinoa and 1 tablespoon oil in a bowl. Spread quinoa on a parchment-lined baking sheet; bake at 400° for 14 minutes. - (NEXT TIME - WE WOULD AVOID THIS STEP!)

3. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil; swirl. Add bell peppers, onion, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in flour, cumin, and chili powder; cook 1 minute. Add stock, salt, tomatoes, and chopped green chiles to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat; stir in chicken. Pour half of chicken mixture into the bottom of a  baking dish; top with half of quinoa mixture and half of the cheese. Repeat layers once with remaining chicken mixture, remaining quinoa, and remaining cheese. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes.

What we liked:

It was very different from what we normally make. The rotisserie chicken was very soft and delicious. The quinoa was also very good. 

What we didn't like:

The top was too crispy. Would not crisp the quinoa in the oven next time. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

Nothing. He was too preoccupied with his bread and butter sandwich. To which he added sour cream. And then dipped it into sour cream. How could any dinner compare to that? He then decided to supplement his dinner with pepperoni. 

Next time:

No crisping of the quinoa.