Keen for Quinoa | recipe

Bright colours and bold flavours packed with protein.

You'll notice a trend in my posts for protein... it's constantly on my mind when I create recipes, as it's been drummed in that this is what your muscles need to rebuild rapidly.

This Cajun spiced chicken mixed with quinoa and puy lentils dish is great because it has a double punch of protein from both the chicken and the quinoa. Not only that, but it's packed full of flavour, with both sweet and spicy tones, thanks to the dried fruit mixed with the Cajun spices.

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Ingredients

Serves | 2

• 2 chicken breast fillets - diced into bitesize chunks

• 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning

• Up to 1 tsp finely chopped red chilli (optional - depends on how spicy you like it!)

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium red onion - sliced into thin wedges

• 50g quinoa

• 300ml chicken stock (boiling)

• 125g ready-to-eat puy lentils (I use half a pack of Merchant's tomatoey French green and puy lentils)

• 50g sliced dried apricots

• 50g sultanas

• 1 spring onion - sliced

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Method

1. Marinade the chicken with the Cajun seasoning, chilli (if using) and 1 tbsp olive oil.

2. Preheat the oven to 180c.

3. Place the chicken in a single layer into an ovenproof dish/baking tray and bake for 20minutes.

4. Meanwhile, add the hot chicken stock into a saucepan with the quinoa, and cook for 10minutes. After 10minutes, drain excess stock, leaving about a cm of it in the saucepan.

5. Add the apricots, sultanas and puy lentils into the quinoa. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

6. In a frying pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil, and cook the red onion over a medium-low heat. Stir often to prevent any burning.

7. Combine all the cooked ingredients together.

8. Serve with a sprinkle of spring onion.

Bon appetit!

Tip: Make this veggie by replacing the chicken with halloumi. Just dice the halloumi into large cubes, marinade and pan fry.

#easymeals #highprotein