Recipe: Sauteed Chicken and Mushrooms with Quinoa

If you know me, you know that “Hala” and “diet” don’t go in the same sentence. So I wouldn’t say I’m on a diet, but I’m pushing myself to eat better for my health. And better doesn’t mean boring or flavorless, not in the slightest!

I’ve been playing around with some of my favorite go to recipes and ingredients to come up with this delicious yet healthy dish. Sauteed chicken and garlic mushrooms, atop tri-colored quinoa with a side of salad mixed with home made goat cheese dressing. It barely took 30 minutes to prepare and cook, so it’s excellent as a weekly meal prep option.

Sauteed Chicken and Mushrooms
2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, optional to cut into halves or cubes
6 cremini mushrooms, de-stemmed and sliced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, optional
Quinoa
1 cup tri-colored quinoa
2 cups of water
Salad and Dressing
1 romaine lettuce, chopped
3 vined tomatos, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1 tablespoon of goat cheese
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of tajin
salt and pepper to taste

Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides while the olive oil heats up in a saucepan. You can bring the heat a few notches lower before adding the chicken, letting it saute through for about 5-7 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Set the chicken aside and use the same pan to saute the mushrooms for about seven minutes before adding the garlic. You may add another tablespoon of olive oil and lightly season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add the chicken and let it cook for another 5-7 minutes, making sure to taste should you need to add any more salt or pepper.

In a small saucepan or pot, warm the quinoa for a minute before adding the water. Bring to a boil like you would rice or lentils before lowering the heat. Lid the pot and let it cook for about ten minutes.

In a big bowl, start making your dressing. Add the goat cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, and tajin and mix with a fork. The goat cheese should break down to the texture of your choosing. Dressing is good for up to a week in the fridge. Chop the lettuce and add it to the mix, that way the lettuce is coated with the dressing. Mix again after adding the diced tomatos and cucumbers.

The whole process shouldn’t take you more than 30 minutes. If there are any leftovers, package the chicken and mushrooms, quinoa, and salad separately in airtight tupperware. Should last you at least four days in the fridge. But let’s be honest, this is so good, it won’t last that long!

Belhana welshefa! Buon appetito! Enjoy!

What Did You Eat This Ramadan?

During Ramadan, our foodie family has been taking turns cooking iftar meals. These past couple of weeks of making old favorites and trying new recipes has been absolutely fun. Here are our top three dishes that I hope inspire your cooking as we near the end of the holy month.

Nothing beats Mama’s cooking! I mean, she’s the one that has truly inspired us kids to be the foodies we are today. We can’t go through the holy month without Mama’s delicious kushary. A popular Egyptian street food dish that consists of rice, lentils and pasta that’s drizzled with garlic marinara sauce, and topped with crispy fried onions.

What makes my mama’s take different than most traditional takes is that she makes the typical Egyptian rice with vermicelli noodles and uses two kinds of pasta, both spaghetti and salad macaroni. If this isn’t carb heaven, it’s not kushary.

For Mother’s Day dinner, my brother Samy took a risk from his usual steak and curry dishes to make a slow cooked brisket. Alongside all the fixings, it came out pretty good! We’re talking baked potato, roasted tomatoes, garlic and corn as well as a side of sauteed asparagus for good measure.

The meat was tender and seasoned to absolute perfection. Kudos to my brother because I can’t wait for the encore!

Speaking of encores, when I make something the family loves, I’m usually almost asked to remake it. Now when my nephew raved for days about my crispy chicken tenders and waffles -from scratch might I add- I couldn’t say no when he asked for more chicken.

Thus I combined two of his favorites that I’ve made for the family throughout Ramadan into one simple dish. Crispy chicken tenders atop Parmesan penne pasta. I use boneless chicken breasts, cut into four pieces each and use seasoned breadcrumbs. As penne pasta is one of my favorites, I love coming up with varying recipes for it. This one however has always been a favorite with the family, with a light fresh tomato sauce with cheese cooked in the sauce as well as garnished on top.

Who can say no to more cheese? And I’m lactose intolerant!

Do share in the comments what’s a dish you must have in Ramadan? What’s a dish you tried for the first time? What’s a favorite you’re favorite dish to cook up?

International Coffee Day

Wherever I’ve been in the world, I’m blessed to have sipped some ridiculously good coffee.

Happy International Coffee Day!!

Picture of the Day

Still thinking about the delicious Thai yellow curry chicken with potatoes and purple carrots with a side of seasoned steamed rice my young brother made for the family iftar last week. 😋 I’m so proud!!

Is Ramadan really ending this week?

Picture of the Day

Mama got spontaneous with Natural Delights medjool dates the other day, filled some with Philadelphia cream cheese and Nutella hazelnut spread. The results were finger licking delicious! Would you try these? Have you tried other fun filled dates?