Monday, April 13, 2015

The Healthy Casserole



I'm trying to get more super-healthy ingredients into our meals. Things they call super foods like quinoa, kale, and broccoli. They're so good for us, and they taste great, too, yet it's easy to skip over them.

When I was looking around for a quinoa casserole, I found Lindsay's recipe for Creamy Chicken, Quinoa and Broccoli Casserole at Pinch of Yum. It caught my interest right away because the quinoa and chicken go into the casserole uncooked. Not only is that fast and easy, but it means less cleanup, too. I wondered, though, about the raw chicken and uncooked quinoa. Would the chicken turn dry? Would it cook enough?

So I tried it. Delicious! Lindsay skipped using canned soup and opted for a homemade sauce. She blanched the broccoli just enough to cook it so it's lovely and fresh instead of cooked to death. She also wisely put cheese on top. Don't skip that step. The cheese doesn't overpower the casserole. There's just enough to give it a lovely bit of indulgence.

I noted that someone else who tried this recipe opted to use uncooked asparagus instead of the blanched broccoli. Honestly, we enjoyed the broccoli, but it's an option to keep in mind. I went largely by Lindsay's recipe except for a few little changes. I used sage, marjoram, pepper, and just a pinch of nutmeg instead of poultry seasoning. And I scattered some Parmesan cheese over the whole casserole before I popped it into the oven. Parmesan is kind of like bacon, it makes everything better. Right?

Speaking of bacon, there's a little bit in the casserole. I used four strips of bacon. If you make bacon for breakfast, just hide four strips to use in the casserole later on.



butter for greasing the pan
1 cup milk, divided 1/2 plus 1/2 (I used fat free, Lindsay used 2%)
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
a pinch of nutmeg
pepper to taste
½ cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water, divided
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
¼ cup cooked, crumbled bacon (4 slices)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons seasoning (I used Northwoods Seasoning from Pensey's )
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (Lindsay used Gruyere)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan very well.

Whisk the sage, marjoram, nutmeg, pepper, and flour in 1/2 cup of the milk. Combine the chicken broth and the other 1/2 cup of the milk in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Whisk in the seasoned 1/2 cup of milk and continue whisking until a smooth sauce forms.

In a large bowl, mix together the sauce, 1 cup water, the quinoa, and bacon. Pour into the baking pan. Slice the chicken in very thin strips and lay over the quinoa mixture. Sprinkle with the Northwoods Seasoning. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the broccoli in it for about one minute. Remove and run cold water over it. Set aside.

Remove the casserole from oven. Check the consistency. Is the chicken cooked through? Has the quinoa popped the cute little curls? (I went ahead and baked it another 10 minutes, just to be sure.)

Spread the broccoli florets across the top. (Lindsay says you can add water at this point, up to 1 cup but I didn't add any. It didn't seem necessary but your mileage may vary.) Sprinkle the cheddar cheese across the top and the Parmesan cheese on top of that. Bake another 5 minutes or so, until the cheese has melted.

Before baking.


 Smells so good!



 

16 comments:

  1. What kind of flavors are in Northwoods Seasoning? I'm not familiar with it.

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    1. Susan, you can use any seasoning that your family likes. We're partial to Northwoods (from Penseys). It's a blend of salt, paprika, black pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic and chipotle.

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  2. The dish looks good! Thank you for the recipe.

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    1. Thanks, Jen! The bright green of the blanched broccoli makes it pretty.

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  3. Oh, that looks very good! Definitely going to try it.

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  4. Nicely done, yummy and pretty, too.

    I have two recipes for you for chocolate babkas, both from King Arthur Flour.
    http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chocolate-babka-recipe
    and
    http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chocolate-swirl-babka-recipe
    Now you are ready for next Easter. Of course, you might want to practice now to be sure which one to make then!

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    Replies
    1. LOL! Thanks, Libby! I see there are expectations for my blog next Easter! You're right. I believe I'll have to practice!

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  5. Can't go wrong with those Penzey's seasonings!

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    1. The Penseys blends are great. Northwoods is fabulous on pork chops, too.

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  6. I'm not a quinoa fan, but this might mask it enough. I'm going to try it. Pictures are beautiful!

    Daryl / Avery

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    Replies
    1. It depends on why you don't like quinoa. Quinoa is like rice in that it picks up the flavor of the liquid in which it cooks. If you don't like the texture, though, you probably won't care for it.

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  7. I have food texture issues lol. How does the quinoa come out? Is it still "toothsome" or on the mushy side? I usually make mine with less water (a tip I discovered online) so it's more like rice.

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    1. I did not think it was mushy. But if you regularly cook quinoa with less water, then just make the casserole with less liquid. You'll see that I didn't find it necessary to add more water at the end. I wonder if that was because I used fat free milk?

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  8. I am not crazy about quinoa but I wonder if long grain white rice could work? But it does look great and broccoli, chicken and cheese combo is one of my favorites.

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    1. Margaret, I don't know why not. You would have to adjust the amount of liquid for rice, I think. And maybe watch the time carefully. If you try it, let us know!

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