As you know from my earlier post, we’re working as Amazon Camperforce associates in Tennessee for 3 months.
Hours are long, and I’ve been cooking dinners on our days off to reheat and eat when we get home — starving and exhausted — on work days.
So here is my version of a recipe post, a direct slap at all the Foodie Blogs that contain miles and miles of annoying and unnecessary background information and far too many precisely staged photos of every step. Are you ready? Here goes:
I made this. It’s delicious. I would make it again. Maybe you’ll like it too. Here’s the recipe.
Versatile Mediterranean Quinoa
I put in all the Mediterranean-inspired things I like. Feel free to make it your own by omitting, adding, and substituting at will. Want a veggie version? Omit the chicken. Hate spinach? Replace it with zucchini. Can't find Kalamata olives? Use plain black olives. You get the idea.
Makes 9 1-cup servings of 270 calories each.
Ingredients
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas), rinsed and drained
- 3.5 ounce jar capers drained
- 1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 6 ounces roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
- 5 ounces kalamata olives, halved or quartered
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 2 cups veggie or chicken broth (For an added flavor boost, reserve some of the juice from the capers, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and/or kalamata olives, and use that as part of the 2 total cups liquid.)
- 10 ounce bag fresh baby spinach leaves
Instructions
-
In large (at least 6-quart) sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat, brown chicken and garlic in oil.
Stir in thyme, red pepper flakes, dill and turmeric.
Add next 7 ingredients (garbanzo beans through broth/liquid) and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25-30 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed the liquid and becomes light and fluffy.
Remove pan from heat and stir in spinach leaves, about 1/3 of the bag at a time, until wilted and combined.
Serve immediately or refrigerate/freeze in smaller portions for a future meal.
You can find more stuff I’ve cooked by going to my “Categories” drop-down bar and selecting “RECIPES: Or, we’re basically a food truck.” This feature appears on the left or near the bottom of any page, depending on what type of device you’re using.
Coming up in a week or so: a mid-point assessment of our Amazon Camperforce gig
