Quinoa (Pronounced KEEN-wah).

I eat my fair share of junk food and have never met a piece of chocolate that I did not like.  In fact, I find it very hard to resist anything with nuts, peanut butter, caramel sauce, whip cream or chocolate.  That being said, my true love is healthy food.  I am a firm believer in the notion that you are what you eat.  I view food as my body's fuel, but also seek pure enjoyment in the refueling process.

 

One of my favorites is quinoa.  I found it a bit tricky to cook at first, perhaps it was my impatience in waiting for it to soak up the broth.  It has a nutty flavor that I cannot resist.  I found the following recipe in one of my fitness magazines and tried it on the family last night.  I am pleased to announce that the girls actually ate it (and loved it).  I just finished up the leftovers for lunch.  The beauty of the recipe is how simple it is to make.  If you have not given quinoa a try, this is a good place to start!  I doubled the recipe for the family.

 

Ingredients

• 3 5-oz skinless/boneless chicken breast
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cups uncooked quinoa
• 1/8 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 cloves garlic, crushed
• Dash each sea salt and pepper
• 1 cup fresh spinach

Instructions

1. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray and saute onions over medium heat until translucent. Set aside in a bowl.
2. Saute chicken in olive oil in the same skillet, about 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
3. Pour chicken broth into skillet along with uncooked quinoa, basil, garlic and cooked onions, and stir. Nestle the chicken breasts into the quinoa. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the quinoa is fluffy and has absorbed all of the liquid.
4. Stir spinach into the mixture until it is wilted. Serve hot.

Source: Oxygen Magazine January 2013