Cozy Chicken & Quinoa Casserole

A heavy hearted weekend filled with Prayers for Paris, extra snuggles from those we love, and questions about humanity that have no answers, calls for some comfort on this Monday. This recipe is from the archives on the old site and it is the perfect pre-feasting dinner. It tastes just like thanksgiving, without the guilt. It can be made in advance, travels well, and freezes well. Pretty much perfect. I make more than one every time and pop one in the freezer to have on hand for a lazy winter night. The recipe is simple, delicious, and full of healthy ingredients. Feel free to make this with ground turkey and leave out the mushrooms if the kids are not into them. Add in any other veggies you like as well. 

Chicken & Quinoa Casserole 
serves 8

1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 cremini (or white) mushrooms, thinly sliced
2/3 cup cup acorn squash, large dice (about one small squash)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb ground chicken or turkey
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups quinoa (look by the grains or pasta in your market)
2 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cup reduced fat Monterrey jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, saute onion in olive oil on medium high heat for 5 minutes or until translucent.

Add mushrooms, squash and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken, breaking into small pieced as it browns, about 5 minutes.

Add poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, stock and quinoa and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer ten minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and 1 cup of the cheese. Transfer ingredients from pan into 9 x 9 casserole dish or baking pan. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of casserole and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Serve warm.

To make in advance, cook casserole all the way through the recipe. Then refrigerate and reheat at 350 degrees until warmed through. You can also freeze it. And either thaw or put straight in the oven frozen at 350 degrees. It will take about 1 hour to reheat. 

xo
Erin

Crunchy Thai Stir Fry

I started my Sunday with a pilates class (haven't been in months) and a trip to the grocery store. I was home and ready to enjoy the rest of my day by 10am. That is so unlike me. I am more of a let's leisurely have breakfast and start the day at noon because it is the weekend kind of person. It felt great and motivated me make great dinners this week. My new slow cooker came on Friday, so I am psyched to use it. I have a jambalaya recipe that I usually make on the stove and a Southwestern brisket from Smitten on the agenda. 

Last week, I made this delicious Thai stir fry that was easy to put together with ingredients I usually keep around the kitchen. I keep a lot of Asian ingredients around, probably more than most. Having a bottle of soy sauce, rice vinegar, Sriracha, and sesame oil in the pantry can make it easy to whip up a non-take out Asian dinner. With a few other items, mostly healthful, this came together quite nicely. 

Crunchy Thai Stir Fry

serves 4

For the sauce: 

1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter that has been heated in the microwave

2 cloves of garlic, minced

juice of two limes

1 teaspoon agave nectar or honey

Sriracha or any hot sauce to taste

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce

1 teaspoon fish sauce

Whisk all the ingredients together until well combined. Taste and adjust to your liking. Set aside. 

For the stir fry: 

about two cups shredded or diced cooked chicken. I use a rotisserie chicken from the market

1/2 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup carrot, diced

1/2 cup cooked quinoa (if you do not have this, use more rice or more veggies)

8oz package of "ready brown rice" like Uncle Ben's, cooked

1 can sliced water chestnuts

1 can sliced bamboo shoots

handful of chopped cilantro

3 chopped scallions

handful of crushed peanuts

Heat a large skillet or wok to medium high heat with a couple glugs of vegetable or peanut oil. Once hot, add the onions and carrots and saute until carrots are just tender. Add the chicken, quinoa, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and the sauce. Cook, stirring well, until everything is well heated and combined. Taste and adjust for seasoning. 

Serve hot with cilantro, scallion, and peanuts sprinkled on top. 

Enjoy! 

xo

Erin