Despite micromanaging almost every aspect of my day to day life in the last two weeks, I still haven’t found more time to squeeze in blogging my recipes. I made a New Years resolution to try one new recipe a week and post the recipe (given that it turned out well), and I’m already slacking. This was a recipe I posted on instagram last week, and it was amazing. Despite having to work on internship applications and study for the GRE, it feels great to come home after work and just be done for the day. No homework, no research, no cramming for tests. I can RELAX. And cook! Which is pretty much all I’ve done. Even though I have a good amount of time I can spend in the kitchen, I still find myself creating meals that are relatively quick and easy because maybe my patience needs some practice…
This week’s feature recipe is Grilled Chicken with Garlic Lime Quinoa & Avocado Greek Yogurt Sauce, and it was “nom” worthy. I actually cringe at the word “nom” so I’m not sure why I felt I needed to throw that in, but you get the picture. The real standout of the meal was the chicken with the avocado greek yogurt sauce, as I maaay have burnt the quinoa a bit..minor details, really. This is an easy meal to make and doesn’t require much “hands on” time, which is great.
I think by now most of us have heard about quinoa and know what it is…that is, most of us except my dad, apparently. (Sorry for the call out, love you anyway!). While I was home over Christmas break, my dad asked me: “have you ever heard of something called g-i-n-o-a-h?? It is kinda like rice?”. To which I lovingly responded “….I think you mean quinoa…and yes, some people replace rice with it in dishes”. I guess you have to know my dad to really think that is funny, but I promise it was. This dinner conversation showed me that there are still people that don’t know what quinoa is, so I figured it would be nice to give a quick run down on it:
- Quinoa is gluten free, meaning it is not made from wheat, barley or rye!
- It is however, often seen as a “whole grain”
- Quinoa is a complete protein (it has all 9 essential amino acids), making it a great protein choice for vegetarians or those that don’t consume a lot of meat protein.
- A serving size of 1/4 cup (dry) is roughly 160 calories, 6 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and offers 20% of your daily Iron intake.
- Quinoa is extremely versatile; you can use it as a side dish, a main dish, as a salad ingredient, a base for casseroles, or even in place of your usual bowl of oatmeal at breakfast.
Grilled Chicken with Garlic Lime Quinoa & Avocado Greek Yogurt Sauce
For Grilled Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
For Garlic Lime Quinoa
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
1/2 cup quinoa
juice from 1 lime
For Avocado Greek Yogurt Sauce
~3 oz. plain nonfat greek yogurt (about half a single serving cup)
1/2 avocado
1 teaspoon milk of choice
1) Preheat oven to 425*F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2) Rub chicken breasts with seasonings and pepper.
3) Allow to bake for 30-35 minutes, or until internal temperature is 165*F.
4) While chicken is baking, heat 1 teaspoon EVOO in medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Add in minced garlic and allow to cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
5) Rinse quinoa with cold water until water runs clear, then add 1/2 cup of quinoa and 1 cup of water to sauce pan. Bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer for 15-20 minutes.
6) In a small bowl, roughly mash 1/2 of an avocado before adding in half of the plain greek yogurt. Mix both together well until fully combined. I also added in a splash of milk and a squeeze of lime juice to thin it out a bit.
7) Once quinoa is done cooking, squeeze in juice from 1 lime and mix to coat.
8) Serve grilled chicken topped with avocado greek yogurt sauce with quinoa to side. Or however you want, its your dish!!
That’s pretty much it! It leaves a lot of room for additions or subtractions if you want more or less flavor. I’m not a huge fan of cilantro, but if you are then it would add even more flavor to either the quinoa or the greek yogurt sauce!
I promise to be more prompt with my recipes posts as internship application season is coming to a close soon. I’m still due a blog post highlighting my new job, too!
ciao down,
clara
