Chicken Flavored Quinoa

I was terrified of quinoa, especially right after it became super trendy a few years back.  It just... looked weird.

And then I tried it, and OMG!  It's kinda the perfect side dish to so many of my favorite things.

Chicken flavored quinoa and roasted brussel sprouts is one of my favorite combinations now and it couldn't be easier.

I'll post my roasted brussel sprouts recipe here: (once I get it done)

Key:
Palm = roughly a tablespoon
Pinch = roughly a teaspoon

Ingredients:
1 cups whole grain quinoa (there are several yummy kinds)
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp Better Than Bullion chicken bullion
2 pinches of onion powder

Greek Inspired Farro Salad
 
I grew up eating boxed mac and cheese and burgers.  Ancient grains were about as far removed from my diet as it gets.
 
However, after I realized there is a whole world of food that is not found in the typical American diet, I decided to start branching out to include more foods my ancestors would have prepared.
 
Absolutely packed with nutrition (see bottom of recipe), this Greek inspired farro salad is a combination of a variety of recipes found online, where I took just my favorite flavors from each.
 
If you look up other recipes you will find this salad can be made dozens if not hundreds of different ways and still tastes fantastic.
 
*If you grow a garden in the summer this is an excellent way to use up a lot of your fresh herbs and veggies.
 
Key:
Palm = roughly a tablespoon
Pinch = roughly a teaspoon

Ingredients:
1 cup dry Farro
1 quart (4 cups) vegetable or chicken broth
1 can drained and rinsed great northern beans
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 palm of onion powder
2 pinches garlic powder
2 pinches salt (I like pink Himalayan in this)
1 palm of dried or fresh basil
1 pinch dried or fresh oregano
1 palm of dried or fresh parsley (I prefer flat leaf)
1 cup feta crumbled cheese
1 cup chopped red peppers
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup diced tomatoes
¼ cup sliced banana peppers
½ cup diced red onion
1 cup seeded and diced cucumber
1 tbs lemon juice
Black pepper to taste
 

When I first left home I didn't know the first thing about cooking most things.  And tacos were one of those things I was absolutely confused by.  So, for the first decade or so I used those store-bought packages and called it good enough.

Then my health started to tank and my budget started to decrease, so I decided to learn how to make it for myself - for beef, chicken, tofu, and fish tacos.  (Fish tacos I'll post as a separate recipe, as it's cooked quite differently.)

And you know what?  It's ridiculously easy.  Like... so easy, I am ashamed I never bothered to try before.

Hint: as long as you have two magic ingredients you can fashion yourself a decent taco.

The Two Magic Ingredients:
Cumin
Ancho Powder

Key:
Palm = roughly a tablespoon
Pinch = roughly a teaspoon

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef or chuck, or 2 large chicken breasts diced, or cubed tofu
1/2 palm granular or powdered onion
1 palm cumin
1 palm ancho
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch salt (good quality salt helps neurological processes - I prefer pink Himalayan)
1 glug (2 tbs approx.) of white vinegar
a bit of black pepper
2 tabs of butter
1 cup of filtered water