Quinoa Biryani

Yield: 12-13 servings (6 oz each)

What You'll Need:
For the Chicken:
2.25 lb boneless chicken thigh, trimmed and cut into large pieces (about 3 pc per thigh; you can use breast meat as well)

1 c. white onion, finely chopped or sliced
1/2 c. low-fat plain yogurt
1/8 c. water
3 Tbs. coriander powder
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs. olive oil (I use extra virgin from Trader Joe's)
1 Tbs. garlic powder (granules)
2 tsp. ginger powder
1.5 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. chili powder (use more/less according to heat preference)
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
1/4 tsp mace powder
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp clove powder
a dash of cinnamon powder
7-8 cardamom pods, with seeds
7-8 cloves, whole
1 bay leaf
3 drops kewra (flavoring; available at most Indian grocery stores)

For the Quinoa:
2.5 c. organic white quinoa
5 c. water
6-7 cardamom pods, with seeds
6-7 cloves, whole
1 stick of cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
                                                                                                         
In a separate bowl:
1 Tbs water
1 tsp olive oil
2 drops kewra



What To Do:
Preheat oven to 350º

For the Chicken:
Heat 1 Tbs oil over med/high heat; add garlic and ginger powder and saute until the powder begins to turn slightly golden brown. Add 1/8c water and chopped (or sliced) onion. Continue to saute until the onion begins to turn transparent and starts to brown slightly (about 3-4 minutes); if spices begin to stick to the pot, add water (2 Tbs at a time) and scrape the bottom of the pot. Once onion is ready, add cubed chicken meat; cook until chicken slightly browned from the outside (about 4-5 minutes).

Sprinkle all remaining spices (salt, chili, coriander, turmeric, paprika, nutmeg, mace, cardamom, cloves, pepper, cumin, cinnamon and bay leaf) over chicken; mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes (add additional water, 2 Tbs at at time, if needed to prevent spices from burning). Add lemon juice.

 

Turn up heat to high; once heated add 1/2 c. yogurt, in the center of the pot (directly touching the bottom of the pot). Stir quickly; once yogurt has turned to liquid, mix so that all chicken pieces are coated with the yogurt/spice mixture; cook, stirring frequently, until the yogurt/spice mix begins to thicken and begins to form a thick curry. Reduce heat to med/high (should be at a med/fast simmer); cook chicken, covered, for 8-9 minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add 3 drops of kewra and stir well; remove from heat and set aside. (Taste: the chicken mixture should be slightly salty).

For the Quinoa:
Thoroughly rinse and drain quinoa. Place all ingredients (quinoa, water, salt, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf) in a shallow pan. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat so that the water is at a med/fast simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed and quinoa has sprouted/spiraled; turn off heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and allow to cool slightly.

 

Putting it Together:
In a shallow baking pan or glass dish, layer half of the cooked quinoa on the bottom of the pan followed by the chicken and curry; top with remaining quinoa. In a small bowl, mix together 1 Tbs water, 1 tsp olive oil and 2 drops kewra (note: traditional biryani recipes add yellow food coloring in this step; I leave out the coloring). Sprinkle water/oil mixture over biryani and tightly cover pan (or dish) with foil; bake for 20 minutes. Once the biryani is baked, carefully mix the quinoa and chicken/curry together so that all is evenly mixed. Serve with raita.

  

 

Tips:
* You can make the same recipe using brown rice; use 2c. brown basmati rice with 4.5c. water. Cook covered for 30 minutes, or until water is evaporated.
*The amount of salt may need to be adjusted based on personal preference and/or sodium intake restrictions.

Calories per 6oz

Turkey & Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Yield: 6 servings

What You'll Need:
For the meat mixture:
1lb ground lean chicken or turkey breast
2 green onion, chopped
1/2 roma tomato, chopped
1/8 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c. white onion, chopped
3/4 c. white mushrooms, chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder (slightly heaping)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp Shaan Tikka Boti spice mix* (optional)
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1 Tbs. tomato paste

For the quinoa mixture:
3/4 c. quinoa
1 1/2 c. water
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 c. black beans
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp fresh lime juice

3 whole red or green bell peppers

What To Do:
Preheat oven to 350º

1) For the chicken mixture:
In a shallow pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute garlic powder in the oil heat, until it begins to turn slightly golden in color. Add in thawed ground meat; stir in remaining spices (i.e. red pepper, salt, cumin seeds, Shaan and lemon pepper). Reduce heat to medium and cook until meat begins to brown (about 4-5 minutes). Stir in all chopped vegetables (tomato, bell pepper, green onion, mushrooms and onion). Cook meat for about 13 minutes, until almost cooked through; stir in tomato paste and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.


2) For the quinoa mixture:
In a shallow pan or frying pan, bring 1 1/2 c. water and 1/8 tsp salt to a boil. Add quinoa, cover pan and reduce heat so that the water simmers (med/med-low heat). Cook for about 20 minutes, or until water is evaporated and the quinoa is cooked through and sprouted. Once the quinoa is cooked, mix in black beans, olive oil and lemon juice.

3) Fold quinoa mixture into the ground meat mixture and set aside.

4) Remove stems and seeds from whole bell peppers and slice lengthwise. Wrap each bell pepper in a separate piece of foil and place in a baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes.

  

Remove from oven and remove each bell pepper from foil wrapper.  Arrange bell pepper halves in the baking dish and fill each bell pepper half with 1/2 c. of the meat/quinoa mixture; pack it in with your hand, if needed.

 

Once bell peppers are stuffed, cover baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until bell peppers are tender. Serve with tomato-less corn salsa (I got mine from Trader Joe's) and a light sprinkle of shredded low-fat mozzarella!

Spicy Popchips Chicken

What You'll Need:
2 lb boneless chicken (I used chicken breast halves)
1 bag tortilla Chili Limón Popchips, finely crushed
1/2 c. egg whites
2 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
2 capfuls liquid smoke



What To Do:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

In a shallow bowl, combine egg whites and liquid smoke.  In a separate shallow dish, combine crushed Popchips, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon pepper, salt and chipotle chili powder.  Dip chicken in the egg white mixture first, then dip in the Popchips mixture; coat evenly with crumbs.  Place coated chicken pieces on a baking tray, lined with foil or lightly oiled glass baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, or until meat is white and juices run clear.

   

Tips:

*If you are using boneless chicken thighs, decrease the baking time to 25-30 minutes

*For chicken sandwiches: you can cut the chicken to sandwich-sized pieces before getting started so 

 that you will have the perfect sized fillet for your sandwich

Chicken Tikka on Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Burger

Yield: 2 burgers 

What You'll Need:
For the Chicken:
(there will be left over chicken; there will be enough for at least 6-8 burgers):
2lb boneless chicken thigh meat
1 roma tomato, chopped
1/4 c. yellow or white onion, chopped
1/8c. white vinegar
2 capfuls Liquid smoke
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs. garlic powder
2 tsp. coriander powder
2 tsp. ginger powder
2 tsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/4 tsp red chili powder (use less for mild heat)
1 1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp (heaping) dried parsley flakes
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garam masala (can be found in most Indian stores)
1/2 tsp ajwain (carom) seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon

For the Stuffed Mushrooms:
2 portobello mushroom caps (flatter caps are better)
1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. cilantro, minced
1 Tbs red wine vinegar (optional)
1/8 tsp lemon pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper


What To Do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chicken:
In a large bowl, combine all spices, vinegar, liquid smoke and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Make sure the chicken is well coated with the spices; set aside and allow it to marinate at least 30 minutes (longer is better).

In a sauce pan, heat approximately 1 tsp olive oil over high heat. Add chopped onions and saute for about 2-3 minutes, or until they begin to turn slightly transparent. Reduce heat to medium-high (closer to medium) add in marinated chicken; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan as necessary to prevent the spices from burning. Add chopped tomatoes; stir well. Cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes,  add 1 Tbs. tomato paste and cook the chicken uncovered for an additional 5-7 minutes to evaporate most of the liquid. Turn the heat off, garnish chicken with fresh cilantro and set aside. Note: instead of cooking on the stove top, you can also grill the chicken; leave out the roma tomato and tomato paste. (grill approximately 6 minutes each side).

                                

Mushrooms:
In a bowl, combine the bell pepper, cilantro, vinegar, spices and minced garlic.  Place mushroom caps, gill side up, on a foil-lined tray. Divide veggie/spice mixture in to two portions and spoon on to the mushrooms (including the juice). Bake for 20 minutes in the oven.

To Assemble the Burger: 
Stack the chicken pieces on top of the mushroom cap (gill side up) on a burger bun. Add condiments and/or other toppings (I like sauteed onions with reduced fat provolone cheese and low-fat mayo).

Tips:
* You will have more than enough chicken left over for lunch or dinner the next day! You can enjoy with brown rice or naan (will be posting recipe soon).
* To reduce the sodium content further, you can reduce the amount of salt in the chicken and squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken while cooking.
*To mix things up a bit you can make the burgers with just the mushroom caps or chicken; Or even serve as chicken tikka burgers with stuffed mushrooms as the side