Mexi-style Quinoa Salad, Chipotle-Lime Dressing

I've decided this deserves a post even though it's pretty similar to my other post for Grilled Chicken over Quinoa Salad, Cilantro-Lime Dressing because it's a meatless version that incorporates the best part of the chicken into the salad - the chipotle peppers of course!

We went to a Mexican themed potluck this weekend, and this salad, with a slight chipotle kick, got a lot of love!

Serves 4-6

• 1 1/3 cup quinoa
• 2 1/3 cups water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• Dressing
• Juice squeezed from 1 lime
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 (14oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 1/3 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 hothouse cucumber 
• top half of a bunch of green onion
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 ripe avocado

Quinoa should be cooked in advance so it has time to cool. Add quinoa, water, salt, cumin and bay leaf to a medium pot over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce to low and cover with lid. Set timer for 15min. Remove from heat, let stand 5min. Discard bay leaf. Fluff and set aside to cool to room temperature (or refrigerate if making well in advance).

Drain and rinse black beans in a colander. Measure out frozen corn and place in colander with black beans. 

Mince the chipotle peppers with a little bit of adobo sauce. Store remaining peppers in airtight container. Add all dressing ingredients to a cup/jar, stirring well to incorporate. Set aside.

Dice cucumber. Chop green onion and cilantro.

Remove pit from avocado. Slice lengthwise into 8 strips and remove the peel. Give the peeled avocado a quick cold water bath to prevent them from turning brown. Remove from water and dice into bite size pieces. 

Place cooled quinoa, beans and vegetables in a large salad bowl and toss well with dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.

Shredded Chicken Soft Tacos

There are days when I don't get asked "what's for sups?" so much as I get told what's for sups. This recipe came from one such decisive day. The request was for soft tacos, specifically with shredded chicken if possible, so I tried my best to deliver on this demand. As it turned out, the tacos were a hit and B now wants this meal added to the list of regulars on our dinner rotation!

Yields approx 6 soft tacos (depending on how heavily or lightly you stuff them)

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Chicken marinade: 

• 1 1/2 tbsp coke (the carbonation & chemicals in coke work great to tenderize meat)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper 
• 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
• 1/2 tsp cajun powder
• pinch red chili flakes
• 1 cup tomato sauce (or spicy pasta sauce!)
• 1 package whole wheat/multigrain 6-inch soft tortillas (I like the Mission brand pictured below as they are high in fibre)
• 1/2 hothouse cucumber
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 3/4 cup skim mozzarella (or low-fat cheese of your choosing)
• optional: taco sauce or hot sauce, to taste

Start by marinating the chicken well in advance (a couple hours up to overnight). Trim any fat off the chicken breast, slice in half to maximize the surface area being coated in saucy goodness. Add all marinade ingredients, mixing well to coat evenly. Cover and set aside in fridge til closer to serving time. 

  

Heat a small amount of olive oil (~1tsp) in a small non-stick pan over med-high heat. Add chicken breast halves, including any excess marinade. Cook for 3min, flip, then cook the other side for another 3min. Pour the tomato/pasta sauce over the chicken, reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and let simmer for 20min (or til chicken is no longer pink inside).

While the chicken is simmering, wash and prepare the taco fixins: Slice cucumber and spinach into thin strips. Chop cilantro. Grate mozzarella. Set aside on a serving plate, keeping refrigerated until the chicken is ready.

Preheat the oven to 350. Wrap tortillas in tin foil, and warm in preheated oven for 5-7min.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from pan, and shred with two forks. Place the shredded chicken back in the pan, stirring to coat in the remaining sauce, cover, and continue simmering for another 10-15min. 

Once the tortillas are warm and the shredded chicken is ready, I set up a build-your-own-adventure style taco station on the kitchen counter or at the dinner table. I put a bottle of taco sauce and hot sauce out as well. 

Vegetarian Tikka Masala, Turmeric Brown Rice

Meat lovers pizza twice in one week? Ugh. Time for another vegetarian meal to lighten things up. I decided on a meatless version of my Chicken Tikka Masala (recipe: here), subbing out the chicken for cauliflower and potatoes. 

And since I keep reading articles (like this one) that remind me about the amazing health benefits of turmeric, it seemed a good idea to add a scoop in with the brown rice... Wow! The rice turned out gloriously golden, a brilliant pop of color that contrasts vibrantly with the curry! 

I also served this with store-bought naan (boo :( still haven't got my homemade whole wheat naan recipe right) because the curry is pretty spicy and you'll want more than just your mouth soaking up the heat directly! 

Serves 4

• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 inch fresh ginger
• 2 dried red chili peppers*
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 cups cauliflower
• 2 red potatoes (2 cups)
• 1 roma tomato
• 2 tsp garam masala, heaping
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne*
• 1 can (6oz or 170gr) tomato paste
• fat-free milk (enough to fill emptied can of tomato paste twice)
• dollop of fat-free, plain yogurt
• 1 1/4 brown rice (2 1/2 cups water)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder, heaping
• cilantro, garnish (All I had was fresh mint and that worked too)
• 1 pkg naan

* Feel free to adjust the amount of dried red chilis and cayenne powder to taste! 

Start by prepping the veggies -- Mince garlic, ginger and dried chilis together. Dice the onion. Wash and chop 2 cups worth of cauliflower florets. Dice the potatoes and tomato. 

Measure out the spices and set aside. 

Heat a small amount of olive in frying pan over med-high. Add minced garlic, ginger and chilis. Cook for a couple minutes, stirring, til fragrant and edges of garlic turn golden. Add diced onion and cook for another few minutes. 

Add the spices which have been set aside and stir. Then add diced tomato, tomato paste, skim milk, and yogurt. Stir well to incorporate until the paste becomes a thick sauce. 

Add cauliflower and yogurt, mixing well to coat the veggies in sauce. Once the curry starts to bubble, turn heat to low, cover with lid, and let simmer for about 40min. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom. Feel free to add more skim milk or water to achieve desired consistency. 

Once the curry has been set to simmer, set the brown rice and scoop of turmeric powder to cook (rice cooker or stovetop are both fine).

Closer to serving time, preheat oven to 350, wrap naan in tin foil, and bake for 5-10min so the naan is soft and fresh for dinner.

Serve with fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!