Quinoa Chicken Dinner

#StayHealthy

Quinoa is one of my favourite grains to cook with. It makes a fantastic wholesome dinner or a delicious addition to a lunchtime salad. This recipe is a nice mix of crunch from the broccoli and soft, melt in the mouth, roasted sweet potato. It's not only incredibly nutritious, but it is lovely and colourful on the plate.

Ingredients

*Quinoa (one mug)

*Stock

*One large sweet potato

*Half a Broccoli

*Pine Nuts

*One red onion

*One clove of garlic

*One large chicken breast

*Olive oil

*Salt and pepper

Start by preparing the sweet potato into smallish chunks, place in an oven tray and drizzle will oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for around 25-30 minutes at 180degrees.

Now rinse your quinoa to get rid of the soapy residue. Once dry, toast in a hot pan until you smell a nutty aroma. Then, add two cups of boiling water with half a stock cube and leave to cook. The water will soak up into the quinoa so don't be tempted to stir or add more water, unless it's looking particularly dry. See the top picture for an idea of what you are looking for.

Next get started on the additional ingredients. Chop the onion and garlic and fry in a little olive oil in a frying pan. Once softened, add the sliced chicken breast. Whilst this is cooking, put the chopped broccoli into a microwave proof bowl, just covered in boiling water and zap for three to five minutes until bright green and slightly softer than raw. Drain the veg and once the chicken is cooked add the broccoli and pine nuts to the pan.

Finally, add the quinoa and sweet potato to the chicken and veg mixture and serve. Enjoy :)

TIP: You can also serve this dish cold as a salad the next day! See below...

Health Benefits of Quinoa:

*Quinoa provides minerals, essential vitamins, and fiber, known to regulate the digestive system and to keep you fuller for longer

*It is naturally gluten free

*It contains iron, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, vitamin E and B-vitamins.

*It is a good source of protein

*Quinoa has been found to help reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure among others... Basically, it's bloody healthy so get some quinoa in your diet!