Let the countdown begin: Recipe One

I'm officially returning to Seattle to finish up a Master's in nursing and leaving a sad fiance behind in San Francisco. He will have a long adjustment period where he realizes he doesn't know where the cutting boards are (in the far drawer near the mudroom), how to get the door buzzer to stop ringing (hit it with a spatula), or that the house doesn't have a "self-cleaning" function (call Rent-a-Wife Cleaning Services, NOT the "concierge" service). The worst of all he will be without his personal dinner chef. And I will miss Saturday morning Dan Scrambles.

For the next few posts I will be teaching Dan, and those of you less inclined to pick up a saute pan, how to cook five basic meals to get you through the long cold winter.

Starting with my favorite go-to meal quinoa with red peppers, onions and your choice of protein. I was almost sure I already posted this recipe, but I don't see it on here, so excuse the re-post if you've seen it already. It's a recipe for four serving, but re-heats perfectly! A little secret: this one is on the box of the Trader Joe's brand white quinoa, thanks TJ's!

Recipe One: Quinoa with veggies and protein

1 cup Trader Joe's Organic Quinoa prepared with chicken stock according to package directions (see below)
2 cups Trader Joe's Chicken Broth
1 1/2 pounds Trader Joe's Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Tenders OR Shrimp OR Tofu OR other protein of choice
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
20 leaves fresh sweet basil, julienne
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Quinoa prep: Place 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups chicken broth in a pot with a lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer it for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit with the lid on, when ready to mix with the rest of the ingredients, fluff it with a fork and then mix.

Cut chicken (or protein of choice) into one inch pieces. Heat large nonstick skillet over high heat and add the oil. Add chicken and saute for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add onions, peppers, and saute for one or two more minutes. Add garlic and saute until peppers become slightly limp, but still bright, about one to two minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the pan from heat. (At this point I usually use a big silver bowl and just dump all the ingredients in to make it easier to stir) Add basil and quinoa. Toss until basil wilts and garnish with parmesan cheese.


I also like to add other seasonal veggies such as, my favorite, zucchini. But, I'm sure Dan is so zucchini'd out he'll probably opt out.

Hope you enjoy! Stay tuned for four more easy-to-make recipes for one or more eaters!