One Dish Mexican Quinoa Delish

This recipe is dedicated to the recently married couple, Shannon & David. Shannon is one of my dearest friends. We met when we were four years old in Junior Kindergarten… and have remained best of friends since. Last weekend, she married her best friend and I could not be happier for them!

At the wedding brunch, it was brought to my attention (again) that I have taken a fairly lengthy leave-of-absence from my postings. Shannon has mentioned to me before that they often cook my recipes, and how she would appreciate if new ones would be added to the blog…., but when David was asking for me to please post more recipes, I knew it was time to get back into it. So one week after the wedding, I set out to create a new dish for them. I wanted to come up with something that was easy to make during a busy week, would make for great leftovers, and packed with flavor. Taking inspiration from a recent Italian recipe I made, I created a Mexican version of the meal. Healthy clean eating, easy to make & clean-up, and lots of flavor… what else can you ask for in a meal? So Shannon, David, & Eleanor… this one is for you! I hope you enjoy it as much as I loved creating it for you!

Ingredients

1 Cup Quinoa, uncooked
1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Orange Pepper, diced
1/4 Onion, diced
2 Garlic Gloves, minced
1 Can Red or Black Beans
1 Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 4.5 oz can Green Chiles, chopped
1 Cup Enchilada Sauce
4 Green Onions, chopped
1 Avocado, Diced
3 Handfuls Shredded Mexican Cheese Mix
Salt & Pepper to taste, and any other favorite Mexican seasonings
Optional: Dollops of Sour Cream & Corn
4 Chicken Breasts, skinless/boneless

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Chop the onion, orange pepper, and mince the garlic. Toss them all into a glass pyrex pan. Add the beans, tomatoes, green chiles, quinoa (not cooked), chicken broth, enchilada sauce, (corn) and seasoning. Mix well. If you decide to add chicken, place the chicken on top of the mixture, and push down so most of the chicken is submerged. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the dish and place into the oven. Cook for 20 minutes uncovered. After 20 minutes, add the rest of the cheese, and cover with tinfoil. Continue to bake for another 40 minutes. When done, the liquid should be gone, the quinoa fluffy, and if cooking the chicken, juices clear. Sprinkle with the green onions and avocado, and add dollops of sour cream on each serving. Yum!