Mexican Quinoa

Growing up in Ivory Coast, I discovered Quinoa when I arrived in Canada. It is a very popular cooking ingredient in North and Latin America. Although I knew Quinoa is a ‘super’ healthy seed, one bite of it was enough for me to throw away my plate. No matter how many times I've tried, the bitterness and the strong taste were deal breakers. Except for one day, as I was attending a conference here in Winnipeg called ''SHEday'', they served us a plate of Quinoa during lunch break. The minute I saw my plate, I rolled my eyes thinking to myself..." please everything but this!". Fortunately enough, I gave it a try mainly because I didn’t want to be rude or get a whole speech from my colleagues about how "healthy" Quinoa is. Surprisingly, the first bite of it was pretty enjoyable; an explosion of flavours. I could taste a lot of Latin-American spices which completely numbed the bitterness.

After that experience, I tried to reproduce the same dish a couple of times and came out with this recipe; adding a sweet&sour sauce that I spray on top to balance out the taste and keep it moisturized. This has now become my go-to recipe every time I want to skip the rice. You will need the Ingredients

-2 cups of Quinoa

-3 cups of chicken broth

- 1 cup of Salsa

- Chicken breast ( or any part)

-Peppers ( yellow and red)

- one diced onion

-green onions

-fresh cilantro, black beans, corn ( optional)

Seasoning:

-Cajun Spice

-one mashed Garlic clove

-one mashed shallot

- green onion

-salt& pepper

Sweet & sour sauce: - 3 tbsp of Honey -1 tsp apple cider vinegar -1/4 cup of water

 

In a greased pot over medium heat, add the mashed garlic, shallot, and diced onions and stir for 5 min. Once they become brown ( 5 min ) add the broth, the salsa, and 1 tbsp of Cajun and bring it to a boil. Pour the quinoa then add some salt& pepper. Let it cook for 20 min until it '' fluffs up'' then add a spoonful of butter. Meanwhile, season the pieces of chicken overnight or for 2 hours with a mix made of Cajun, mashed garlic, mashed shallot and salt&pepper. Roast the chicken in the oven for 5-10 min (I grilled mine for more flavour). Finally for plating, dice some fresh peppers, green onions, and cilantro... and mix it with your Quinoa. Serve it with a sweet sauce by mixing the honey, apple cider and water. Pour a little bit on the top of your plate or on every bite you take. And Voila, bon Appetit.

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