Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

At long last I have found the elusive pictures of this truly AMAZING wrap filling.

And when I say wrap, honestly you could use this filling for whatever you want: wraps, quesadillas, nacho topping, just plain on a spoon..... there's no judgement here!

So easy. So good!

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
Recipe slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Prep time: 15 minutes   Cook time: 5 minutes

1 cup cooked quinoa, warm or at room temperature
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese
Sour cream (optional)
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

1.  Mix quinoa together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. 

Quinoa is so much like rice. But BETTER.

Admit it. You could eat this as is.

2.  Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. (Option: dollop little bits of sour cream over the cheese before arranging chicken mixture down the center for a creamier filling) Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open and slightly flatten the wraps with the palm of your hand. Spray seam-side of the wrap lightly with cooking spray.

Special thanks to my 6 year-old for helping me with the pics of this process.

3.  Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange wraps, seam-side down, in pan or griddle and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Cooking them seam-side down first helps seal the long edge so they don’t fall apart. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve warm.

Cooking seam-side down first ensures they won't open when you flip them.

I just have to say again how much I love the versatility of this recipe.  Even if you stick with using this as filling for wraps, you can still play around with it!  The recipe calls for burrito-sized tortillas, however I used smaller, taco-sized ones and thought they were perfect for small kids OR appetizers at a party.  I also found myself wishing I had the bigger ones to wrap up some extras for my freezer.  And a couple days later when it was leftover night, I was too tired to even make wraps.  But slapping the filling in between tortillas and cheese for quick quesadillas was just as good!  Sadly I think we finished this off that night so I could really test the nacho idea but rest assured I will!

Broccoli, Chicken, & Quinoa Casserole

Can I share a little pet peeve I have with you? 

It really, really, REALLY drives me bonkers when I hear someone either imply or outright say that healthy food has a similar taste and texture to cardboard.  Seriously?!  Cardboard?!?

What happened to us??  Once upon a time we ate real, wholesome foods and enjoyed every last bite of it.  When did eating right for our bodies, making the right nutritional choices, become so bland and tasteless that now it's assumed that ALL healthy food is gross?  Some days it just makes me want to scream. 

Instead of screaming though, I just get reinvigorated to go to my kitchen, and pull together something that tastes totally decadent and wonderful, but is PACKED with as many healthy choices as I can figure out.  So when I find recipes like this, that have already done most of the work for me, I tend to do some serious happy dances, especially when they taste every bit as wonderful and "sinful" as I'd hoped!

So if you've ever mentally cringed at the idea of eating a healthy dinner, I DARE you to make this.  Make this, devour it, and then just try to tell me it even remotely resembles cardboard.

In fact, I triple-dog dare you!

Broccoli, Chicken, & Quinoa Casserole
Recipe adapted from Eating Well, Living Thin
Prep time: 10 minutes   Cook time: 40 minutes (60 if you need to cook the quinoa first)

To cook quinoa:

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 tsp salt

1 can (10ish oz) condensed cream of broccoli soup

1/3 cup mayo

2 tbsp milk

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Dash freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups cooked broccoli (preferably fresh and steamed)

2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded

1 1/2 cups  COOKED quinoa (see above)

Grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear.  In a small saucepan combine the quinoa, water, and salt.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until fluffy and the white ring/tail is visible.  Fluff with a fork.

Similar to rice, but with more texture and a LOT more protein

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a shallow (9×9 in or 5-6 cups) casserole dish – or individual ramekins – with cooking spray.

When you need fats, use the healthiest ones you can.

3.  In a medium bowl combine the soup, mayo, milk, yogurt, shredded cheese, sugar, pepper, and nutmeg until well mixed. Set aside.

Now, I ask, does this look healthy to you?  Looks like creamy, sinful goodness to me!

4.  In a large bowl, toss together the quinoa, shredded chicken, and broccoli.  Poor the cream sauce over top and stir to coat.

This looks good even unbaked.

5.  Spoon mixture into prepared casserole dish.  Sprinkle on a couple tablespoons of Parmesan and bake for 35-40 minutes (20-25 minutes for ramekins) or until bubbly on the edges and golden.

A little Parm will make for a glorious, browned, cheesy crust.

Well?  What'd you think?  Creamy?  Cheesy?  Comforting?  Down-home deliciousness?  Yeah, probably doesn't even occur to you just how much protein you're eating between the quinoa, the chicken, the cheeses, and the yogurt.  Or all the fiber and nutrients from the broccoli.  Go ahead, have another helping!  It's good for you!!

Tomato Basil Quinoa Salad

I'm bored. 

Yup, as much as I cook every single day... As much as I experiment with new dishes, I. Am. BORED. 

I'm bored with our side dishes.  I'm just not that kind of person (yet) who can experiment with a new main dish while also putting together a multi-step side dish that also requires me to examine a recipe.  So I'm left with the usual Side Dish Suspects: nuking some potatoes, rice, boiling pasta, maybe mashing potatoes because that doesn't require much thought, more plain rice, my bread maker...

*yawn*

Not only am I bored with the process of making my brainless sides, I'm bored with my ingredient options.  What other kinds of starches can I play with that my family won't clearly balk at eating?

Duh Jeanna.  Grains!  And what better one to start with than quinoa?  Oh, and FYI, it's pronounced "KEEN-wa".  Not "kwi-NO-ah" as my husband likes to tease me by saying. ;)

Tomato Basil Quinoa Salad
Recipe slightly adapted from Diva Dish
Prep time: 15 minutes   Cook time (if you need to make the quinoa for this): 25 minutes

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Zest of one small lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups prepared quinoa [This is about 1/2 cup unprepared if you don't have leftover lying around and need to make some just for this salad]

3 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

2 cups spinach, chopped

1 cups packed basil, chopped

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, EVOO, garlic powder, lemon zest, salt, and pepper, and set aside. 

I love balsamic dressing.  L.O.V.E.

2. In a large bowl add quinoa, tomatoes, chopped greens, and dressing. Mix until combined, and add more salt and pepper to taste.

Quinoa Before.

Quinoa After (1 cup uncooked = about 4 cups cooked)

3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

My boys inhale tomatoes.

Basil and spinach... I think I need a bigger bowl.

I think I have a new favorite salad.  This salad is bright, lemony, and refreshing!  I love the texture of the quinoa; it's kind of like rice but has a firmer texture with a slight crunch as you chew it.  It's awesome!!  Now, if you don't like quinoa, can't find it, or can't afford it (it's a little pricey), feel free to use rice or pasta in this salad.  It'll be just as yummy!

Oh and can you imagine how good this would be at the height of tomato and basil season???  *drooling!!*

[Ok so I looked it up, and before anyone flames me let me just say that though I called quinoa a grain, it is technically a seed.  See?  I learned something new!  And I'm sharing my new-found knowledge with all of you.  Everybody wins!]