Creamy Chicken, Quinoa, and Broccoli Casserole

 So it has been a while since I have had a full week at home to cook a great meal!  I spent a full week at home about two weeks ago and had fun getting some new recipes cooked!  We are trying to eat very healthy so you will see a trend in that.  Casseroles can often be fattening are heavy and high in calories, but this one was so refreshing and used some of our favorite ingredients.  If you cannot find Gruyere cheese, Swiss cheese is a good replacement for it and has a similar taste. This was absolutely amazing and made for great leftovers! 

Ingredients

• 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• ½ cup flour
• 2 cups water, divided
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ cup shredded Gruyere cheese (any kind will work)
• 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Sauce: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish  Bring the chicken broth and ½ cup milk to a low boil in a saucepan. Whisk the other ½ cup milk with the poultry seasoning and flour; add the mixture to the boiling liquid and whisk until a smooth creamy sauce forms.  Do not add to quickly because then it may form chunks.
2. Assembly: In a large bowl, mix the sauce from step one, one cup water, and quinoa, and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Dice the chicken and lay the chicken breasts cubes over the top of the quinoa mixture. Sprinkle with the seasoning if you would like. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
3. Broccoli: While the casserole is in the oven, place the broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute until it turns bright green and then run under cold water to blanch it. Set aside.
4. Bake:  Remove the casserole from the oven, check the mixture by stirring it around in the pan, and if needed, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes to get the right consistency. When the quinoa and chicken are cooked and the sauce is thickened, add the broccoli and a little bit of water (up to one cup) until the consistency is creamy and smooth and you can stir it up easily in the pan. The amount of water will depend on how thick the sauce is.  At times I do not add any.  Top with the cheese and bake for 5 minutes, or just long enough to melt the cheese.
   
   Recipe slightly changed and photo from here.

A week at home means a week of home cooked meals!

So a while back Joe and I started planning our meals together every week.  Since I Pinterest a lot, we always had a couple of meals every week where we tried a completely new recipe and quite frankly all of them have been AMAZING!  Since I eat out all the time when I am traveling, we tend to keep things very healthy when it comes to eating at home.  I had wanted to make this recipe for a long time, but I knew Joe wasn't a fan of wild rice.  Today I didn't have time to run to the grocery store and conveniently had all of the ingredients in the fridge, so I finally got to make the meal!  This recipe was taken from Better Homes and Gardens and it turned out wonderfully!  I left out the bacon because I didn't have any and it kept the recipe healthier but I'm sure it would be just as great with it so I kept it in the recipe for everyone else! I already ate one piece before I remembered to take a picture and it was super tasty :)

Artichoke-Chicken Casserole

Artichoke-Chicken Casserole 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup  chopped carrot (1 medium)
• 1/2 cup  chopped red sweet pepper (1 small)
• 1/4 cup  sliced green onion (2)
• 1 tablespoon  butter or margarine
• 1 10 3/4ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 8-9 oz. canned artichoke
• 1 1/2 cups  chopped cooked turkey or chicken (see tips)
• 1 cup  cooked long grain rice or wild rice
• 1/2 cup  shredded mozzarella cheese (2 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon  dried thyme, crushed
• 2 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled
• 3 tablespoons  grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large skillet cook carrot, sweet pepper, and green onion in hot butter over medium heat until carrot is crisp-tender. Remove from heat. Stir in soup, artichoke hearts, turkey, rice, mozzarella cheese, milk, thyme, and bacon. Transfer turkey mixture to a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

2. Bake, covered, in a 350 degrees degree oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake about 20 minutes more or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.  Each serving is about 250 calories with the bacon in it!

Hope you enjoy as much as we did :)  Now we are off to play tennis for the first time since I fractured my ankle.  I will be wearing a brace and taking it very easy but it's so nice out I couldn't pass up an opportunity!