During the summer, I love meals that don't require heating up the oven. I also love throwing random things together. And so this dinner was born, and it's quickly become one of my favorite things to eat on a hot summer night.
At a dinner party awhile back, my friend Deirdre made this great cucumber "salsa," and while I love to scoop it up on chips or eat it by the spoonful out of the container, we decided that the mixed-veggie goodness of it would be great as a salad.
Enter quinoa. I want to love the stuff, since it's so good for you, but I always struggled with it tasting a little too bland. Once I discovered that cooking it in a light broth really jazzes it up, I was hooked. My favorite is Better than Bullion veggie flavor, which comes in a jar rather than as a powder. I use it at about half strength, rather than full.
Finally, my mother makes these really delicious chicken tostada salads. The chicken is poached, and then dressed with a red wine vinaigrette and tossed with some sliced red onion. When I feel like I need a little extra protein, I love to throw this chicken into a salad or, as it turns out, into my cucumber salsa-quinoa-chicken salad. A great one-dish dinner, and equally awesome the next day (or two) as lunch.
Boy, I need to work on the names for these things, huh? That one is certainly a mouthful.
Serves a TON. Two hungry post-gym girls plus four lunch-sized portions. I could cut it in half, I suppose, but I hate having halfed peppers etc sitting around. So I just put some background music on and resolve to chop chop chop.
2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
Red wine vinegar
Olive Oil
1 cup dried quinoa, cooked to package instructions (or use broth instead of water)
2 medium cucumbers - peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 medium tomatoes (or one pint of grape tomatoes), chopped
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
3 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
Put on the chicken to poach and the quinoa to cook; both will take about 20 minutes once they start to simmer. (Good directions on how to poach chicken can be found here). When each is ready, let it sit and wait; remove chicken from water so that it will be cool enough to shred.
While those are simmering away, chop all the veggies and herbs. This usually takes me about a half hour or forty minutes or so in total. Mix with dried dill, salt, and lime juice in a huge bowl. Add in cooked quinoa and stir. Adjust seasoning with salt or more lime, if needed.
Shred chicken, pulling it apart into bite-sized pieces. Add a small amount of finely chopped red onion, and a little extra jalepeno if you have it. Dress with a mixture of red wine vinegar and olive oil, without drenching (I like a 3-to-1 ratio, but you may have a different preference if you like it less tangy). Serve chicken on top of a bed of the quinoa/veggie salad. I also like to add a bit of cubed feta for a little extra treat. Delicious!
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