Grilled Vegetable, Black Bean & Rice Skillet {Vegetarian, Gluten Free}

This is a hearty and tasty dinner and perfect for everyone to customize to their liking.  Add in your favorite in-season vegetables and make it your own.  We used Jasmine rice but it would also be great with brown rice or quinoa.  Topped with fresh, bright, cilantro and creamy avocado this dish is filled with great flavor.  It was fun to eat with a corn tortilla as our spoon.  Enjoy!

Recipe: Serves 4
Ingredients

1 cup uncooked rice or quinoa, prepared per package instructions
olive oil
8-10 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 organic zucchini, cubed
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup organic frozen corn kernals (or of course fresh corn if it's in season)


Garnish options:
fresh cilantro, chopped
avocado
jack cheese, shredded
your favorite spicy taco sauce
corn tortillas

Directions:
1. Prepare rice or quinoa with water per package instructions
2. Add a light drizzle of olive oil or vegetable broth around a large saute pan, add in mushrooms, zucchini and bell pepper and saute over medium high heat for about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add in garlic, cumin and chili powder, still until well combined and saute another 2-3 minutes until all vegetables are tender and fragrant.
4. Add in beans and corn, stir to combine and lower heat to low.
5. Once rice is cooked through, add rice to bean and vegetable mixture and stir to combine.  Serve hot in shallow bowls topped with cilantro, avocado slices, jack cheese and taco sauce with a warm corn tortilla to scoop and dip with.

...click here for the recipe!

Southwest Quinoa {Gluten-free, Vegetarian, Vegan}

High in protein and fiber, quinoa is a great alternative to rice, and it cooks much faster! This dish brings together all my favorite southwest flavors. Try it in place of Spanish rice as a fun alternative. Click over to www.type2diabetes.com for my recipe. Enjoy! ...click here for the recipe!

Eggplant Ragu over Spaghetti Squash {Gluten-free, Low-Carb, Paleo, Grain-free, Vegetarian}

Eggplant and mushrooms are the perfect vegetables to sub in place of meat. They are hearty, hold up in cooking and both have a rich, savory flavor. This is a really light and lean recipe when you are craving some Clean Eating after the weekend. Spaghetti squash is really easy to prepare and lends itself to any sauce with it's mild flavor. Click over to www.type2diabetes.com for my recipe. Enjoy!

*Note: You can swap in Nutritional Yeast instead of the Parmesan and this dish is Vegan! ...click here for the recipe!

Kale Greek Salad {Gluten-free}

This is super duper simple and delicious! Don't be afraid of baby kale, it's really very similar to spinach and makes a great base for all the zippy flavors of this salad. Add some grilled chicken to bump this up to an entree. Click over to type2diabetes.com to see my recipe. Enjoy! ...click here for the recipe!

Greek Hummus Party Dip {Gluten-free, Party Fare, Vegetarian, Appetizers}

If you love all the flavors of a Classic Greek salad, you'll love this dip. It's savory and tart with some great crunch and creaminess. It's the perfect carry-along to bring to a party or potluck. Make it in the morning and keep it in the fridge until serving time. Every time I've made this the plate is licked clean...I'd say that's a success. I love to serve it up with some simple baked pita chips. Mmmmm. Click over to www.type2diabetes.com to see my recipe. Enjoy! ...click here for the recipe!

Cauliflower Mac N Cheese {Gluten-free, Low-carb}

The ultimate comfort food now without all the calories! Cauliflower is such a versatile vegetable and has a great mild flavor. This dish is really delicious and my kids loved it!! Click over to type2diabetes.com to find my recipe. Really just 114 calories per serving!!! Enjoy! ...click here for the recipe!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup {Gluten-free, Vegan, Dairy-Free}

Roasting vegetables (& fruits) brings out so much flavor and that is evident in this easy and delicious soup. It's creamy and thick without any cream or any dairy at all in fact. It's great for entertaining as it can be made in advance and it's perfect for a passed appetizer in a tea cup or shot glass with a sprinkle of sprouted pumpkin seeds on top. Click over to type2diabetes.com to see my recipe. Check back here tomorrow for a tasty and beautiful way to use up any leftover butternut squash cubes. Enjoy! ...click here for the recipe!

Oven Roasted Vegetable Medley {Clean Eating, Vegetarian}

Roasting vegetables is my most favorite way to prepare them. Roasting brings out such amazing flavors and aromas. Choose veggies that are hearty and will hold their shape such as broccoli, squashes, mushrooms, bell peppers and cauliflower. Click over to type2diabetes.com to see my recipe. Enjoy! ...click here for the recipe!

Salad Skewers with Homemade Ranch Dressing {Appetizers, Cooking with Kids, Gluten-Free}

These are so much fun! Pretty much any food you put on a stick instantly becomes fun and enticing for adults and kids alike. My boys loved helping me make these and they ate them all up! They're perfect as a make-ahead appetizer for your next get together, as a side for your family barbecue or just a fun new way to serve salad for dinner tonight. You can make them ahead and store covered in the fridge for a couple hours! Skewer up your favorite veggies and then dip them in the tangy and creamy Ranch dressing that will have everyone coming back for more. Click over to www.type2diabetes.com to see my recipe. Enjoy! ...click here for the recipe!

Quinoa Black Bean Burgers {Gluten Free}

Here's a fun meatless dinner idea!  In the spirit of trying out some new recipes I gave these a try.  I blended half the mixture and left half in it's whole form, which gave the burgers great texture.  They have some savory mushrooms in them too, which gives them a great depth of flavor.  We enjoyed ours on our favorite Udi's Gluten Free Buns.  Although flavorful, ours came out a bit soft, be sure to cook out most all of the moisture in your mushroom mixture and bake a touch longer if needed.  I think these would be super yummy without the bun as a topping for a crisp green salad too!  Try them for dinner tonight.  Enjoy!

Recipe: (serves 6)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups baby bella mushrooms, diced
1 (15oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 cup fresh grilled corn kernals (or frozen corn)
cooking spray
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350'F.  In a small pot, over high heat, combine 1/2 cup dry quinoa with 1 cup water, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until quinoa is soft and water is absorbed.  Fluff with a fork and set aside.
2. In a pan over medium-high heat, saute mushrooms in olive oil for about 5 minutes until soft.  Add 3/4 cup of the black beans, 3/4 cup of the cooked quinoa, garlic powder, steak seasoning and 1 cup water to the pan, cook for another 10-12 minutes until nearly all the moisture is cooked out.
3. Transfer mushroom mixture to a food processor and blend for 2 minutes, until very smooth, scrape down the sides as needed.
4. In a bowl, combine the pureed mixture, remaining 3/4 cup whole black beans, remaining 1 cup cooked quinoa, corn kernals and stir to combine.  Season to taste.
5. Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop out the mixture and form into patties, place on a baking sheet that's been sprayed with cooking spray.  You should get 6-7 patties.  Lightly spray the tops of the patties with cooking spray as well.  Bake in 350'F oven for 35-40 minutes, flipping once half-way through, or until crispy and hold their shape.  Place on your favorite bun with all the fixings.
...click here for the recipe!

Sweet Potato Toppings Bar {Gluten Free}

Everyone loves a good baked potato bar with all the fixings so I thought why not try it with sweet potatoes! They were so tasty and the kids loved it. I'm not a fan of short order cooking for each family member. Sure I do it a bit at breakfast and lunch but dinner, sorry, "this is what we're all eating". Tonight's dinner was fun as it allowed each family member to personalize and create their own potato.  The kids and I enjoyed some tangy, creamy goat cheese on ours!   Bake off some sweet potatoes and fix up some scrumptious toppings {get the kids in the kitchen to help} and you're set. Enjoy!

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400'F.  Scrub sweet potatoes well under running water, place on a baking sheet
      {I like to use a Silpat or piece of foil to make clean up easier}
2. With a fork, stab each potato a few times on top to allow steam to escape
3. Bake in a 400'F oven for 45-60 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes, until soft and knife tender
4. While the potatoes bake, get some helpers in the kitchen to chop, stir and saute {with adult supervision of course}

our oldest (5yrs) sauteing the mushrooms

5. Arrange toppings in small bowls for everyone to make their own
6. Slice each, slightly cooled, sweet potato in half lengthwise and top with your favorite toppings such as...

Topping ideas:
-steamed broccoli, green beans or asparagus
-sauteed mushrooms, zucchini
-goat cheese, cheddar cheese, blue cheese or sour cream
-diced bacon
-Canadian bacon pieces
-fresh chopped cilantro, diced onions or scallions
-beans
-sunflower seeds
-whatever you like

...click here for the recipe!

Farm Fresh Vegetable Corn Chowder {Gluten Free, Vegan}

This recipe was my hubby's idea and it turned out great! This soup has great flavor and is a brighter version of traditional corn chowder with the addition of fresh seasonal vegetables like green beans and sweet potato. I love that he grilled some of the corn for a great roasted flavor, you could also roast it in the oven for a similar effect. Garnish up this sweet and savory chowder with some lemony cilantro and creamy avocado. Enjoy!

Recipe: (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
2 leeks, {white and light green parts only}, thinly sliced (remove outermost dark green fibrous ends and discard)
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 ears of fresh corn on the cob
3 cups low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
5 1/4 cups water
5-7 Yukon Gold potatoes (or similar), cubed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large sweet potato, cubed
1 large carrot, diced
1/4 cups Sherry cooking wine
1 big handful, fresh green beans, roughly chopped (~1 1/2 cups)
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish such as cilantro, avocado, corn chips, etc.

Directions:
1. In a soup pot add 1 tablespoon olive oil, saute sliced leaks over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes until leeks become fragrant and translucent.
2. Grill or roast 2 ears of corn, set aside.

3. Take remaining 3 ears of corn and, standing them on end, carefully cut the kernals off the cob by running your knife down the sides. Add these kernals to the soup pot and saute for another 2 minutes. 4. Add chicken broth, 5 cups of water, cubed Yukon potatoes and garlic powder to the soup pot and bring to a boil for about 15 minutes.
5. In a separate skillet, saute the sweet potato cubes and carrots in a drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Deglaze the skillet with the Sherry cooking wine and 1/4 cup water. Add the green beans and simmer for an additional 5-7 minutes.
6. Puree the soup mixture with an immersion blender until smooth (or working in batches use a blender and then return soup to the pot)

7. Finally, mix your sauteed sweet potato, carrot and green bean mixture into the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro, avocado, corn chips or whatever you like. ...click here for the recipe!

Shiitake Mushroom Rice

My whole family loves mushrooms! They add such great depth of flavor to any dish. Shiitakes are a favorite around here. I used a combination of Shiitake and baby bella (small portabello) mushrooms for this dish, white button mushrooms would work too although they have a less intense flavor. This made a great side dish for our turkey and spinach with white beans entree. This is a fun way to jazz up your rice, Enjoy!

Recipe: (serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp paper towel, sliced
1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp paper towel, sliced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 cups white rice (I used jasmine) *You can also use brown rice for added fiber, just lengthen the cooking time to 30-35 minutes and add another 1/2 cup of broth
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
salt & pepper

Directions:
1. Over medium high heat melt the butter in a medium saucepan that has a tight fitting lid. Add the mushrooms to the melted butter and saute until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and saute about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir frequently until it's slightly toasted, 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the chicken broth and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low and cover for 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Check it for doneness at 15 minutes to avoid burning. Remove from heat and serve hot. ...click here for the recipe!

Cool Summer Quinoa Salad {Gluten Free}

Summer is here and it's hot this week! I really don't feel like cooking at all in the heat but especially not anything heavy, hot or that requires me to heat up the kitchen by using the oven. This was my solution and the family enjoyed the crunchy texture and bright lemony dressing. You can make the quinoa ahead of time and allow it to chill in the fridge or do like my last minute self and spread the steaming cooked quinoa on a rimmed baking sheet and pop it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. I wish I could pop myself in the freezer on hot days like today. This salad makes a great side dish for some barbequed chicken or works great as a meatless entree too since the quinoa is packed with protein. Enjoy!

Recipe: (serves 6)
Ingredients:
Salad:
2 cups quinoa
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium zucchini, cubed
2 medium carrots, cubed
1/2 english cucumber, cubed (~3/4 cup)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium vine ripe tomato, diced
handful of toasted sunflower seeds (~1/2 cup) or substitute your favorite nuts

Dressing:
Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon (~2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Garnish:
2 scallions, thinly sliced (greens and white parts)
1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned (sliced thinly)

Directions:
1. Prepare quinoa first, it's similar to cooking couscous or rice if you aren't familiar with it. Add chicken broth and quinoa to a pot over medium high heat until it comes to a gentle boil then immediatly reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer. Simmer 10-15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed then fluff quinoa with a fork and chill.
You can either make the quinoa in the morning for dinner tonight and let it chill in the fridge or spread the quinoa thinly on a rimmed baking sheet and chill in the freezer quickly for 5-10 minutes. *You don't want to add the cool crunchy ingredients until the quinoa is chilled.
2. In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat, add olive oil, zucchini and carrots and saute until crisp-tender, about 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, prepare the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
4. Assemble your salad. In a large bowl combine the chilled quinoa, crisp-tender carrots and zucchini, cucumber, bell pepper, tomato and sunflower seeds.  Next drizzle the dressing over and stir to combine. Garnish with scallions and fresh basil.  Try substiting any veggies you like or have on hand. ...click here for the recipe!

Summer Vegetables with Polenta

We had a wonderful Saturday morning at our local farmer's market this weekend.  I just love the variety and freshness of food you can find there.  We picked up Japanese eggplant, summer squash, Shiitake mushrooms, Beech mushrooms, green beans, corn, cilantro, tomatoes, lettuce and fresh local honey.  Tonight I made this summer vegetable ragout with our finds and of course added some zucchini from our own garden since we have so much of it.  The veggies were flavorful and fresh and so yummy on top of some Parmesan polenta.  yum!

Vegetable Ragout Recipe: (serves 4)
Ingredients
1/2 small white onion, diced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large zucchini, chopped into 1 inch cubes
2 yellow summer squash, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced thickly at an angle
2 cups mushrooms of your choice, sliced in half
1 Japanese eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves)

Directions:
1. Add onions, garlic and olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat, saute until translucent, ~1-2 minutes. Add carrot, zucchini, summer squash and a pinch of salt and pepper, stirring, cook about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, eggplant and thyme leaves, reduce heat to medium let sauté about 10-15 minutes until cooked through but still crisp-tender.
 
Polenta Recipe (serves 4) *as published previously on Wholesome Dinner Tonight
Ingredients:
5 cups water
salt
extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup yellow polenta (cornmeal)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon butter

Directions
1. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil, add a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt
2. To the boiling water, SLOWLY add the polenta, whisking constantly to avoid any lumps. Add Parmesan cheese and butter and lower the heat. Cook, stirring nearly constantly until the polenta gets thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan, usually about 20 minutes.** Don't go too far from the stove, you'll need to stir the polenta often to avoid sticking/burning.
3. Serve hot polenta in soup bowls topped with vegetable ragout.

**Note: a fun alternate way to prepare your polenta is to prepare it as through steps 1-2 above and pour hot polenta into a pie pan or casserole dish, cover and allow to cool (~1 hour).  As it cools it will firm up. 
1. Once it's cooled and firm, slice the polenta into triangles or use a cookie cutter or large ring for circles. 
2. Place the firm polenta on a baking sheet in a 350'F oven and bake for ~15 minutes until heated through and crisp on the edges
3. or grill the firm polenta on a grill pan until heated through and golden brown.  Great technique for a different texture of polenta. ...click here for the recipe!

Grilled Zucchini with Lemon and Thyme

Our little backyard vegetable garden is starting to produce and like every other year the zucchini is thriving! Time to get creative with more ways to cook it. Tonight I marinated it along with some red bell pepper wedges in a zesty lemon-garlic and fresh thyme sauce. The lemon paired so well with the mild zucchini it was delicious! We had ours along side some chicken sausages and quinoa, which I flavored with garlic and thyme as well. Enjoy!

Recipe: (Serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
5-6 large zucchini squash (or one the size of your forearm like we used), thickly sliced in rounds or strips (~1/4 inch thick)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 5 large wedges
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon (~2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
3-4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
1. Whisk vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, thyme and olive oil in the bottom of a large glass baking dish with sides.
2. Add the sliced zucchini and peppers and toss to coat in the marinade using tongs.
3. Place marinaded veggies on a hot grill or grill pan (dredge each one again in the marinade before placing on the grill).  Grill approximately 7-9 minutes, flipping once 1/2 way through or until crisp tender.  Every grill is different so watch your veggies.  Once they have nice grill marks they are ready to flip.
4. Serve hot along side your favorite summer entree.  We served ours with some garlic thyme quinoa.  Simply prepare quinoa using low-sodium chicken broth as a substitute for the water and add 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder.  Cook per package instructions, fluff with a fork and serve hot. ...click here for the recipe!

Black-Eyed Pea and Turnip Soup {Gluten Free}

We got some white turnips in our box this week and had fun cooking with them. My hubby came up with this soup recipe which also used some black-eyed peas we were wanting to try. If you decide to use dried beans you'll want to make them the day before or overnight. The soup turned out to be very tasty. The turnips were mild and really tasted similar to a potato and the broth was delicious! On one of these oddly cool summer evenings why not make some tasty soup!

Recipe: Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
3 pieces of uncured bacon, diced
1 tbsp butter (or olive oil)
1 medium onion, diced
5 celery stalks, chopped
5 carrots, chopped
5 turnips, chopped
3 cups of black-eyed peas (cooked)
4 cups of vegetable broth
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
1. If you have pre-cooked black-eyed peas then skip this step. I started with dried peas so I cooked them per the instructions on the bag which was boil for a couple minutes and let soak for 4 hrs. Then drain and rinse with water to wash off the peas. At this point I noticed that the peas weren't fully cooked so I put them back in the water for another couple hours with the heat on low. They still were a little al dente but I decided to finish them off in the soup.

2. In a large soup pot over medium high heat brown the diced bacon ~3min. Add the butter (or olive oil) and the diced onions. Cook until onions are slightly caramelized 3-5min.

3. Add the celery, carrots, and turnips and sauté for about 5 min. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a medium boil. Simmer for 20-30 min or until beans and other veggies are fully cooked and fork tender. Remove bay leaf.

Serve hot with corn bread. ...click here for the recipe!

Lentil Vegetable Soup

This is a tasty and hearty soup.  Many thanks to my mother-in-law, who was visiting for the day, for making this for all of us while I was at work, it was tasty! This soup is even better the next day and freezes well. We had some crusty bread and green salad with ours. Enjoy!

Recipe: (Serves 6-8)
olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups lentils
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups water, plus more if needed
6 small (golf ball sized) Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed (or other small potato)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Directions
1. Sauté onions, carrots, celery and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot, about 5 minutes.
2. Mix in salt, lentils, thyme, bay leaf, pepper, broth, water and potatoes and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until the lentils are tender, 15-20 minutes longer. Add the vinegar. Discard the bay leaf and season to taste as needed. You can always add alittle extra water or broth to achieve the consistency you want. Serve hot. This soup freezes well so consider making a double batch for a quick reheat meal next week. ...click here for the recipe!

J's Country Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

I woke up this morning to my hubby making some tasty breakfast, a breakfast potato hash he came up with on his own.  It was colorful and delicious and the kids loved it too!  Here's his recipe and what he had to say about it...
"Your house will smell like a gourmet breakfast diner. Sweet potato is something I haven't had in a country potato hash but it sounded like a good way to sweeten things up to have a potato dish taste a little more breakfasty and a little less dinnery."

Recipe: (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
6-8 small potatoes (such as gold, red & purple), about 1 lb, diced into 1/4" pieces
2 large sweet potatoes (diced into 1/4" pieces)
1 small zucchini (diced into 1/4" pieces)
3 strips of bacon (nitrate free), diced {*omit and add a tbsp of olive oil for vegetarian}
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 sprig of rosemary finely chopped (leaves only)
2 dashes of paprika
2 dashes of chili powder
3 dashes of garlic powder
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 pinches of sea salt
1 pinch of pepper (fine ground)

Directions:
1. Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp of oil and the bacon and shallots saute about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the rosemary leaves and zucchini and cook until al dente (~5 minutes)
3. Remove the bacon zucchini mixture to a plate, reserve any oil and grease in your pan and add the potatoes and sweet potatoes as well as the rest of the spices, salt and pepper, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 10 minutes stirring occationally
4. If the potatoes are sticking and appear dry add a couple of tbsp of water as needed.  Cook potatoes until they are just about done, then add the bacon and zucchini back in and stir to combine.  Serve hot. ...click here for the recipe!

Quinoa Stir-Fry

I chuckled alittle to myself when I heard a lady ask the clerk in Trader Joe's, "could you help me find the 'quinn-oh-ah'?".  Quinoa, pronounced keen-wah, is a tasty grain that has more protein than most other grains but is somewhat unknown.   Good for her for trying someting new!  You can often find it in the bulk bins of most markets.  It has a delicate flavor similar to rice or couscous.  You can use it in soups, salads, breads or even as a breakfast cereal.  This stir-fry was delicious and I couldn't help but smile as our 3 year old shouted, "this stuff is really delicious Mom".  Add whatever vegetables you like, I hope you give it a try.  Enjoy!

Recipe: (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 cup Organic Quinoa
2 cups Low-Sodium chicken broth
1-1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless, chicken breast tenders
olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
4 oz Crimini mushrooms, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil, julienned, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1. Place 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of chicken broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until all broth is absorbed about 10-15 minutes.  When done, the grain will appear soft and translucent, and the germ ring will be visible along the outside edge.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, season the chicken tenders lightly on both sides with salt and pepper, grill on a grill pan or flat skillet over medium-high heat about 3-4 minutes per side or until they reach an internal temperature of 165'F.  Set aside.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add onions, bell peppers, zucchini, carrots and mushrooms, saute for 5-7 minutes.  Dice the chicken tenders into one-inch pieces.  Add the chicken, minced garlic and Italian Seasoning to the vegetables in the pan and reduce the heat to low, saute another 2-3 minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and add the quinoa, stir to combine; garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil. *substitute vegetable broth and omit the chicken to make this dish vegetarian.
Recipe adapted from Trader Joe's Organic Quinoa box recipe ...click here for the recipe!