Tag: chicken

Quinoa Chicken Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers

I’m a huge fan of stuffed peppers but for some reason they always seemed complicated with too many steps.  It also takes about an hour of prep/cook time which usually is too much time for my hungry stomach.  However, today I was craving something cheesey and I also happen to have ground chicken I didn’t know what to use for (it was on sale so I stocked up).  I could have made tacos, but I figured why not get a little more adventurous.  I looked at a few recipes, then realized I want to use different ingredients in different quantities because well what I had available wasn’t the typical beef and rice and beans. I’m also a spice addict and the recipes I saw mostly called for too much salt with too many steps so I decided to go rogue.  Luckily, this actually worked out and I think is a winner for a repeat.

Stuffed Peppers Recipe

6 bell peppers
1 pound ground chicken
1 medium size onion
Several cloves of garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup chicken broth
Pepper, salt, oregano, red pepper flakes, paprika to taste
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers, and remove the seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain and put to the side
  2. In a large skillet, saute garlic first for 3 minutes, add onions and saute for 5 minutes.  Add chicken and saute until cooked (took me about 8 minutes).
  3. Stir in the tomatoes (I drained the water), quinoa, 1 cup chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce, pepper, oregano, paprika, red pepper flakes. Cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.  I used weight waters Mexican cheese because it’s what was in my fridge but I think sharp cheddar would have been yummier
  5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C). Stuff each pepper with the chicken, quinoa mixture, and place peppers open side up in a baking dish. I had some juices left in my pan from the mixture so I put a little bit in each pepper to make them juicier.  I sprinkled a little cheese on top and cover the pepper with the top that I cut off earlier
  6. Bake  25 minutes – I baked uncovered

Munching away!

Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken

It’s no secret that my idea of cooking involves taking three frozen things (veggies, salmon burger, more veggies) and putting it together with a carb and calling it a healthy balanced meal.  Braising, marinating, sauteing  even my food processor are relatively foreign to me.  However, after getting a slow-cooker for my birthday, I have fully accepted it into my regular cooking routine among the microwave and the wok.

The slow-cooker has expanded my grocery shopping into a new territory… the raw meat aisle. While I love to eat, there is nothing pleasant about cooking with meat, it’s wet, raw, potentially contaminated and gross.  Luckily with the slow-cooker, I barely have to touch the meat beyond putting it in the slow-cooker.  I can set it, go for a run, clean the house and when I’m, my dinner will be ready for me.  Here is a Balsamic Chicken recipe I used last weekend while once again hiding from the snow.

Slow Cooked Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms

Slow cooker balsamic chicken

Ingredients

  • 4 Chicken Breast
  • 1 Cup Mushrooms
  • 1 Medium Sized Onion
  • 5 or however many you want garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley

1. Pour olive oil on the bottom of the pot, chop up garlic and line the bottom of the pot.
2. Mix the garlic salt, dried basil, and black pepper in a bowl and spread over chicken on both sides.
3. Place chicken in the pot, cover the chicken with mushrooms and chopped up onions.
4. Pour the balsamic vinegar over the chicken, mushrooms, onions and everything.
5. Set the slow-cooker to 4 hours on high and go for a run!

Slow cooker balsamic chicken