Better than Take Out Beef & Broccoli

My fiance loves broccoli!  We have even joked about opening up a restaurant where every dish has broccoli in it haha.  I assume that would turn many people away.  Regardless, we enjoy beef and broccoli very much. However, we had not found a healthy option until now.  I am not a fan of Chinese take out and the frozen beef and broccoli from Trader Joe's has way too much sodium in it.  So, when I found this recipe from Rainy Day Gal, we were very excited to try it!  We used New York Strip because Trader Joe's does not sell flank steak or any other less expensive meat that we could find.  But, I am pretty sure any cut of meat will taste great.

Servings: 4
Total Time: 1 1/2 hours (meat marinates for an hour)

Ingredients:

Meat Marinade: 

• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sugar (I used coconut sugar as a healthier alternative)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp EVOO (calls for vegetable oil but I always use EVOO)
• 1 1/2 lbs meat, cut into thin strips (I find using kitchen scissors is the easiest)

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour (I used spelt as it is healthier)
• 3 tbps EVOO
• 2 heads broccoli (I used 1 microwaveable bag from store)

Directions:

Whisk together meat marinade ingredients.  Toss in meat, cover and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Prepare sauce by mixing together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and flour.  

In a saute pan, heat 2 tbsp EVOO (or vegetable oil) over high heat.  Add broccoli and saute 3 minutes, stirring often.  If you have a gas range, I would turn the temperature down a little bit (I do have gas and found it was better a little lower).   Transfer broccoli to plate.  

Reduce heat to medium or medium high.  Add remaining tbsp of EVOO and then add the marinated meat and half the sauce.  Saute for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the meat is no long pink.  Stir in the broccoli and remaining sauce and let cook for 1 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Quick 7 Ingredient Coconut & Curry Turkey Chili

On Thursday I found myself trapped in a day long of very exciting enrollment meetings.  Yes, I am being sarcastic.  While the medical carrier went on and on and on about deductibles, copays and other things no one in the audience and most of you reading this understand, I was on Pinterest dreaming about what I wanted to eat for dinner! :)  I knew I had ground turkey at home that needed to be cooked, so I was hoping to find a recipe using that.  I remembered I had recently pinned something that sounded very interesting to me.  Coconut + curry + turkey = chili.  Hmm.  Lets give it a try!  

The recipe comes from The Gracious Pantry.  It is SO EASY!  I left my meetings at 4:30 and was 45 miles from my house!  If you live in LA or have visited, you know this is a death sentence.  Luckily, I was able to navigate myself to the store by 5:50 and home by 6:10.  Anyway, the point I am making here is I was tired from the long day and found this really enjoyable and most importantly filling.  

Enjoy!

Prep Time: as long as it takes you to cut up onion!

Cook Time: about 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• Package of ground turkey
• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 lb green peas
• 1/2 large red onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 (15 ounce) can light coconut milk (It took me forever to find this in the store, it is by the Thai food/ethnic section in my store)

Directions:

1. In a large pot, cook the turkey with the EVOO.  When the turkey is no longer pink, I poured out the fat.  (The recipe I used did not)  
2. Once the turkey is cooking combine the next 5 ingredients into the pot, mix together and cover.  I had the chili on medium heat for 15 minutes.  It will be piping hot so let cool before you try :)

Quinoa & Vegetable Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

I have found another amazing quinoa recipe!  A big thanks to The Garden Grazer for the inspiration.  I altered her recipe a bit, but the combination of ingredients she came up with is delicious!  The idea of adding "dressing" is something I had not thought of yet and cannot wait to use that inspiration in future dishes.

The fun thing about this dish is that you can really use whatever you already have.  It also makes a lot!  So, if you have a lot of mouths to feed or want a healthy lunch for multiple days you are all set.  I found that it had more flavor when it sat over night.  The quinoa will soak up the flavors of the vegetables and the lemon basil dressing, making it even more delicious.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did :)  Please leave me a comment!  I would love to read them.

Servings:  6 to 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes + quinoa cook time & cool time
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

*Salad*
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 ripe avocado
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 roma tomatoes
1 bell pepper (I used orange)
1 can of corn (can use frozen)
1/2 onion (whatever you prefer)
1/4 cup Parmesan flakes

*Dressing*
4 tbsp EVOO
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
10 to 15 fresh basil leaves, washed & cut into thin strips

TIP: When cutting the tomato, cut in half length wise.  Then use your thumb to scrape out the seed/gooey part.  It will look like this before you cut it.

Directions:

Cook quinoa according to package directions, mine took about 17 minutes to cook.  While quinoa is cooking, mix together the ingredients for the dressing.  Then slice the veggies into small pieces.  When quinoa is done, set aside and allow to cool (about 15 minutes).  Once the quinoa is cool, mix all ingredients including the dressing in a large bowl.  Either enjoy now or refrigerate over night to allow the flavors to absorb more.

Enjoy!! I served mine with bbq chicken!

Cajun Shrimp & Couscous

First, I am sorry that I have not been able to post for at least a week now!  It has been a crazy for me in the past week, but all good things!  Last Wednesday was my fiance's birthday and he wanted shrimp.  So, like most of you, I took to Pinterest to find a recipe.  I liked the Paula Dean Fiery Cajun Shrimp recipe, however, did not want to use two sticks of butter!  Instead of using the sticks of butter, I used coconut butter.  Coconut butter and oil have many health benefits and are better for you than butter.  (here are some health benefits).  The coconut flavor does come through a tiny bit in the food, but for this recipe I think it works well.  I paired the shrimp with Pine Nut Near East Couscous.  This was a quick, easy and flavorful dish.  I hope you enjoy!!

Serving Size: 2 hungry people
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb cleaned up shrimp (purchased mine at Whole Foods, not frozen)
1 cup coconut butter, melted (about 15 seconds on high in microwave)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp hot sauce (can use less if you do not like spice)
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.  Combine all ingredients, but lemon slices & shrimp in a bowl.  Mix together.  Combine shrimp in mixture.  Lay shrimp in pan and add lemon slices.  Bake in oven for about 12 minutes.

Healthy Mexican Quinoa

If you have not noticed by now you will not find a recipe on here using rice.  I find that quinoa is a great substitute for rice and other less nutritious grains.  You can always use rice instead of quinoa if you do not like it, but I recommend giving it a try :)  Quinoa has less carbs, more protein, more fiber and more unsaturated fat (the good fat) than brown rice.  

We picked up some chicken bombers from Whole Foods, which I felt would pair well with a Mexican side dish.  The chicken bombers, in case you are wondering, are chicken with a jalepeno in the middle and wrapped in bacon.  Basically, it is amazing :)  I created this Mexican quinoa to be a perfect complement with spiciness of the chicken bombers.  It is packed full of yummy, healthy ingredients.  I hope you enjoy!!

Servings:  4 to 6 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 pepper, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 can black bean, drained 
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup salsa
Juice from 1/2 a lime
1/2 tbsp cilantro 
Mexican cheese to sprinkle on top

Directions:

Cook quinoa according to directions on package.  Prepare other ingredients.  Once quinoa is cooked and cooled completely, about 15 to 20 minutes, mix all ingredients together in large bowl.  Stir well and serve!

Chicken Bomber & Mexican Quinoa 

Balsamic Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella Quinoa Salad

A few years ago I would have not eaten tomatoes.  It is funny how your taste buds change over time, or maybe you just become less picky.  Regardless, this recipe combines some of my favorite ingredients!  The basil provides a fresh flavor that when combined with the tomato and creamy mozzarella is heavenly.  I paired this salad with a protein for my fiance, but I just ate this as my dinner.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! :)

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa

10 oz package cherry tomatoes, quartered

8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into bite size pieces

15 to 20 basil leaves, cut into thin pieces

1 1/2 tbsp quality balsamic vinegar

1/2 tbsp EVOO

1 tsp 21 season solute (Trader Joe's spice)

Directions:

Cook quinoa according to directions on package.  Once done, let sit to cool.  While quinoa is cooking, prepare your other ingredients.  Once quinoa is cooled (about 30 minutes), combine all ingredients into large bowl.  Mix in spices, balsamic vinegar and EVOO.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Serve cold.

Enjoy!!!

Kale, Sweet Potato & Bean Soup

Yes, I am on a soup kick!  I am in love with this soup that was inspired by Food Wanderings. I substituted the russet potato for a sweet potato, which provides much more nutrition.  I have been trying to incorporate as many vegetables as possible into our meals and find that soup provides me with the easiest method of doing that.  Plus, it has been "cold" (anything in the 50s is cold to me), which makes the soup extra yummy in my belly!  It has also been fun to expose my fiance to different things he is not used to eating.  He is in shock he has not had meat in several days and is still satisfied!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:


1 bunch kale, cut ribs and stems out and coarsely chop2 15oz cans of white kidney beans, rinsed and drained1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced1 large onion, diced4 garlic cloves, minced2 medium carrots, cut into small pieces2 celery ribs, diced2 medium tomatoes, cut into small pieces1 8oz can of tomato paste2 tablespoons olive or canola oilblack pepper to taste½ cup chopped parsley6-8 cups or more low sodium vegetable broth

Directions:

Sauté onions and garlic in oil over low/medium heat and stir occasionally until onions are translucent. Add the celery, potato, and carrots and continue sautéing for a few minutes longer until they are semi soft (al dente). Add the kale and sauté for couple minutes further. Add fresh tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for a couple minutes. Add the beans, vegetable broth or water, parsley, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce to low/medium and cook partially covered for about 35 minutes or until potatoes and vegetables are fork tender.  Stir occasionally.

Hearty Veggie & Quinoa Soup

I am growing quite fond of making soup.  I have found many inspirational recipes on Pinterest that are healthy and filling.  It is also convenient to be able to freeze the leftover soup for the following week.  I decided to make this soup because I already had the majority of the ingredients at home, which is always a plus!  The recipe I based my soup off of is from Two Peas and their Pod.  I substituted a few things and added chicken sausage.  I hope you enjoy this or your own version of the soup :)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 yellow squash, chopped

1 can low sodium green beans

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 package precooked chicken sausage (flavor of your choice)

1 box (32 ounces) low sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil (refer to my tip on how to prolong basil life)

2 cups cooked quinoa (one cup uncooked)
Shredded Parmesan, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large pot (I only have a large saucepan so I used that) over medium low heat.  Add the onion once the pan is hot and cook until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.  Then add the carrots and yellow squash, cook for about 5 more minutes.  Remember to stir occasionally.

Add vegetable broth, green beans, chicken sausage, bay leaves, thyme and basil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender.  It took about 35 minutes, but make sure to monitor the progress.  Stir in the cooked quinoa.  Add some shredded Parmesan on top.  Make sure to remove the bay leaves before serving!

Enjoy!!!

How to Keep Basil Fresh

I LOVE basil.  But, I do not use it enough to not waste some of it.  I knew there had to be a better way to preserve it.  I turned to my friend, Google to find a solution.  I found a suggestion from Rachael Ray and decided I would try it.  She made it sound so simple; I was in shock.  All you do is treat basil like you would flowers.  When you bring it home, cut the end and place in a small amount of water (I just used a glass that I had).  Then place a plastic storage bag over the top to make a greenhouse type effect.  It has been almost a week and my basil is still fresh!  Definitely will be doing this from now on :) 

Sweet Tooth Satisfyin' Grapes!!!

I saw on Pinterest a recipe for sour patch grapes.  I have been meaning to make them for quite some time now, but kept forgetting!  I am not a produce expert, but I do not think grapes are really in season as I have not seen them at the store much.  Anyway, I bought some black cherry sugar free Jello and some red grapes.  I got into them last night when I was craving a Skinny Cow (if you have not had they are amazing).  The grapes are sooooo good.  Tastes better than a sour patch and they don't stick in your teeth!  I am excited to dig into them tonight :)  You can do any flavor combination you want, I am sure it will taste good no matter what, so have fun and experiment!

Ingredients:
One container of grapes
1 package of sugar free jello of your flavor choice

First, wash the grapes and remove from stems.  Do not dry grapes as they need to be wet for the Jello to stick.  I tried to follow the instructions from puresugar.net, however, I thought it was too difficult.  The sugar was not coating well and I was getting it all over my hands.  So,  I just dumped the grapes into Tupperware and poured the Jello over the grapes in thirds, mixing the grapes around each time.  When the Jello was gone I put the lid on the grapes and shook.  It coated the grapes well and was quite easy.  Let refrigerate for at least an hour and keep in refrigerator :)  Enjoy!!! 

Beach Themed Wedding Table Numbers

I am getting married on April 6th on the beach in Florida.  The theme of the wedding is beach inspired, as you may have guessed.  Last weekend I was half asleep around 3 am when I got the idea for how to make table numbers for the reception!  I did not want to just frame numbers, as that is kind of boring.  The place cards, which I have not done yet, will be sand dollars and starfish.  I wanted something that went along with the beach theme.  So, below is what I created.  It was very easy and inexpensive.  I cannot wait to see these on the table at the reception :)

Supplies Needed:
Wood numbers
Craft paint in one of your wedding colors (tan is one of the colors)
Shells
Hot glue gun

I went to JoAnn's this past weekend because they had a 20% total purchase coupon that I could use.  I bought two bags of shells to save for future projects, the paint and 4 numbers for $18, including sales tax of over 9%!

I first painted the letters. Once they were dry (only takes about an hour depending on how much paint you use) I poured out the shells.  Then I looked through and played around until I liked what I created.  Then I just hot glued the shells on.  SUPER EASY!!! :):):):) I am in love...

200 Calorie Spaghetti

Do you love spaghetti but hate the carbs?  I avoid Italian food in general because of the carbs and fat in all of the food (generally).  But, when I do want some spaghetti I go for Shirataki noodles, which are tofu noodles.  You can find them at your grocery store in the refrigerated section.  I have found them with the tofu products and by the  ravioli/tortellini pastas.  I chose to make my own pasta sauce by roasting the tomatoes. But, when I am in a hurry I just use a good jar sauce.  You can have a yummy meal in less than 5 minutes if you jar sauce!  Not to mention VERY healthy with 200 calories and 30 g carbs. 

Servings: 1 LARGE portion
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hr and 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 package Shirataki noodles
2 cups halved tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp EVOO
1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning 
5 to 8 basil leaves
1 oz feta cheese 

Cut tomatoes hot dog way.  Put into bowl with EVOO and seasoning.  Place cut side up on parchment lined baking sheet along with garlic cloves.  Bake for 1 hour at 260 degrees.  

When the tomatoes are almost done, rinse noodles and cook according to package.  I recommend using kitchen scissors to cut the noodles while they are in the pan.

When tomatoes are done place into blender or food processor and puree.  Place noodles, sauce, basil and feta into bowl.

Bon Appetite! 

Momma Susie's 6 Ingredient Peppered Steak

Lately, I have been craving some of my favorite dishes from my childhood.  I was very lucky to grow up with a mother that had a home cooked meal on the table every night.  It was nice to sit with my family at dinner time and share a delicious meal and talk about our days; I look forward to this tradition with my own family.  Last night I made one of my favorite dishes, peppered steak.  My mom always served it over rice, but I chose quinoa (it is always my substitution for rice).  I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did!

Servings: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/2 lbs of round steak
1 pepper
1 can fat free cream of celery soup
3/4 can water
1 tbsp Kitchen Bouquet
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
Pepper

In large skillet, cut up round steak into strips.  Set timer for 30 minutes.  Brown for a few minutes on medium heat.  Add can of soup.
 

Let cook a few more minutes.  Then using cream of celery can, fill 3/4 full with water and pour into skillet.  Mix well.  Start quinoa according to directions on package.

Cover skillet and let simmer.  While simmering, cut up your pepper.  Make sure to stir every few minutes to prevent any sticking.  When there are about 15 minutes left, add Kitchen Bouquet.  If you want it darker, you can add more.  I also added some pepper.  With 5 minutes left add pepper, cover and let simmer to thicken.

Once it is done serve over quinoa :)

4 Ingredient Asian Sesame Crock Pot Chicken

Tonight for dinner I made my NEW favorite chicken recipe.  It was SO easy and has SO much flavor.  We had some left over frozen quinoa mixture from Trader Joe's to eat, but some quinoa or rice and broccoli with this chicken and the sauce would be heaven in your mouth!  Seriously! :) Enjoy!

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours on high in crock pot

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken
• 1 1/2 cups lite Asian Sesame dressing
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 minced garlic cloves (I use the frozen kind in picture)

Cut chicken into cubes.  Whisk rest of ingredients together in a separate bowl (if you use frozen crushed garlic like I did then put that directly into pot).  Pour on top of chicken.  Cook on high for 3 hours.  Look at that juice!  Yummy on rice with some veggies!  Note: I added red pepper flakes :)

Game Day Food

We got home just in time for me to make some yummy food for the big game!  We settled on nachos and Philly cheese steaks.  However, I has just eaten way more bread than I care to admit the night before at dinner.  So, to try to reduce the carbs we had cheese steaks without the hoagie roll.  We also got the "reduced guilt" chips from Trader Joe's.  They are still tortilla chips, but it tell me I should not feel so guilty for eating them, so naturally I believe it :)  We may have also had some Maker's Mark to complete our game day experience, but you can omit that hehe.

Serving Sizes:

Nachos: 2 if really hungry, otherwise 4 to 6

Philly Cheese Steaks: 2 

Nachos:

1 package ground turkey 

1 red onion (can reduce if you do not like onion as much as we do)

1 orange pepper (or color of your choice)

1 tbsp taco seasoning (Make your own! Omit the salt)

2 jalapenos 

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 bag tortilla chips (10 oz)

1/2 package Lite Mexican cheese

Cook ground turkey on medium low and add taco seasoning.  Drain grease from turkey.  While turkey is cooking cut up pepper, onion and prepare other ingredients.  Make sure to wear gloves or something over your hand when cutting jalapeno!  Burning fingers are not fun!  Set oven to broil.  Put foil or parchment paper on cookie sheet.  Lay chips and 1/3 of rest of ingredients.  Repeat twice to use all ingredients.  Put nachos in oven for about 8 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

Philly Cheese Steak:

Above is the link that was my inspiration

1 large pepper (I chose yellow because we did not have green available) 

1 medium onion 

EVOO

12 oz flank steak

4 slices Provolone cheese

Worcestershire Sauce

Garlic Powder

Seasoning Salt

Pepper

Heat oven to broil.  Place steak on baking sheet lined with foil and apply last four ingredients.  Broil for 4 to 5 minutes.  Remove from oven, flip and repeat with last four ingredients.  Let it cool for a few minutes and then slice into thin strips.  Reserve juices.

While steak is in oven, coat pan with EVOO and saute pepper and onion.  Add the reserved juices to the pain and then the steak.  Lay cheese slices over the top of the mixture, reduce heat and cover with lid.  

Dig in once cheese is melted!!!

Peanut Butter Oreos

I am several days late on this post!  This weekend we were going to visit my fiance's great aunt and uncle.  I wanted to bring something yummy for them.  I searched for something on the healthier side and easy to transport.  I settled on Chocolate Covered Katie's homemade peanut butter Oreos.  I went to Whole Foods to get a few of the ingredients I did not have.  I bought spelt flour, soy milk, coconut sugar and cocoa powder.  I had coconut oil, but did not have coconut butter.  It was $12 for a jar of coconut butter, so I decided to use Katie's alternative.   There are a few things I would do differently.  Katie does not specify how thick or big her cookies are.  I used the top of my cooking spray and that was probably too big.  I also would buy the coconut butter as I do not think the filling had enough moisture.  I am really not sure how you can roll out the dough without using flour as it is so sticky.  However, I think using the flower to roll out the dough made the cookies brittle.  So, the cookies were good, but I am a little disappointed.  I definitely recommend giving them a try!!!

Serving Size: Mine only made about 14 sandwiches, not the 20 to 25 Katie suggests

Cookies:

• 3/4 cup spelt flour 
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp dutch cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 3 tbsp milk of choice
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Filling:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter 
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• a few tsp milk of choice  (I found that it absorbed the milk very quickly)

Combine first 5 ingredients, and stir well.

In a separate bowl, combine all liquid ingredients for the cookies.  Make sure to MELT the coconut oil.  I just microwaved mine on high for 15 seconds (about 45 seconds total).  Mix wet into dry to form a dough, then refrigerate 30 minutes before baking. 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Put dough in a plastic bag, and smush into one big ball. Remove from bag, roll into a thin dough, and cut flat circles using a circle cutter or a circle-shaped lid. Bake on a greased cookie tray for 11-14 minutes (depending on whether you want softer or crispier cookies). 

For the filling I just combined the ingredients into a bowl and mixed together with my hands.  I do not have a food processor, but if you did it would probably make it easier to create.

Here is the finished product! (not the best photo, sorry!)

Mexican Goulash

I don't know about you, but I love mixing everything into one pan for dinner.  Lots of flavors and textures mixed together is delicious and I thoroughly enjoy it!!  I had several ingredients on hand that when mixed together made a wonderful Mexican dinner.  It had so much flavor and obviously was very healthy!  

Serving Size: 4 to 6 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 bell pepper sliced (your favorite color)

1 can corn

1/2 sweet onion sliced

1 can black beans

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup chicken broth

8 oz your favorite salsa

112 oz package chicken sausage (I got mine precooked jalepeno flavor from Trader Joe's)

1 tsp cumin 

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp red pepper flakes (omit if you do not like spicy food)

Mexican cheese for sprinkling

1. Put quinoa in sauce pan with chicken broth.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Watch quinoa to ensure it does not over cook or burn.  If your sausage is not precooked cook now as well.
2. Cut pepper and onion. Place about a tbsp of olive oil in large skillet.  Cook onions and peppers on medium to medium high heat for about 4 minutes or until almost soft as they will continue to cook. 
3. Pour salsa in skillet with onions and peppers and reduce heat to almost low (I put it on 2 on my gas stove).  Add black beans and corn.  Tip: rinse black beans with water to reduce sodium.  Add spices at this time.  
4. Add cooked quinoa and sliced sausage.
5. Let simmer 10 minutes to meld flavors.
6. Top with cheese and ENJOY :)

Healthy Chicken Parmesan (gluten free too)

While at work today (I obviously wasn't very busy) I was brainstorming and looking through Pinterest for something yummy and healthy for dinner. I did not want to go to store and had some grape tomatoes to use up. I had pinned a recipe for caprese salad that looked really yummy (didn't have mozzarella at home and Trader Joes at 4 pm is a nightmare).  I also new I had a chicken breast in the fridge that needed to be eaten, thus healthy chicken parmesan was born. Instead of bread crumbs, which adds carbs I used almonds flour.  I substituted quinoa for pasta.  Enjoy guilt and gluten free chicken parm!

Serving size 2 (easy to double though)
Total time about an hour and a half including prep

Ingredients:
One chicken breast
8 oz grape tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic (can alter if you really like garlic)
1 tbls extra virgin olive oil x2
1 cup almond powder (I made my own with slivered almonds in blender)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg (I used egg whites in carton which is 3 tbls for one egg)
5-8 basil leaves
1/2 tbls  balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Italian seasoning x2
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup chopped broccoli
Feta for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 275. Cut the grape tomatoes hot dog ways. Place into bowl with garlic. Season with pepper (note I do not add salt to any of my dishes so add salt if you care for it) and Italian seasoning. Add 1 tbls  evoo to the garlic and tomatoes.  Mix together. Place the tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet with parchment paper along with the garlic.  Bake for about an hour.

While the tomatoes are in, prepare the chicken. Remember it needs to sit for at least 10 minutes after it has been coated to prevent the coating from coming off. Either blend the almonds or use the almond flour. Add tsp italian seasoning. I also added tsp red pepper flakes for spice.  Pound out the chicken to 1/2 to 1 inch thickness then cut breast into about four pieces.  Place the almond flour and Parmesan in bowl.  Dip chicken in bowl with egg then in bowl with breading mixture. Place on a plate lined with parchment paper.

Next, cook quinoa in one and a half cups of water. I like to play it safe with the amount of water I add to ensure it cooks properly. Add in broccoli. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to low for 15 minutes or until quinoa is translucent. Turn off once done and let sit with lid on.

While quinoa is cooking, put a tbls  of evoo in a skillet on medium to medium high heat. I cook with gas so I turn it down a bit. Once the oil is hot (few minutes) place chicken in with lid covering. Let cook for 3 minutes, flip and cook another 3 minutes. If you like a more done outside I suggest you cook for 5 minutes each side. Reduce heat and cook until internal temperature is 165*.  When chicken is done place on paper towel covered plate.

Tomatoes are now done. Remove from oven and place in blender with balsamic vinegar, unwrapped garlic, basil and Italian seasoning. Purée.

Scoop quinoa onto plate making sure to not get any residual water with it. Add chicken on top and then roasted tomato sauce. Top with feta. Bon appetit!!