Stuffed Portobello Caps

Pizza is one of my all-time favorite foods and being gluten free had not stopped me from indulging in some of the most delicious g-free pies around the city. And since most gluten free crusts are significantly smaller (in size...not price!) I end up eating a full pie almost every time I order one. 

I would never tempt myself to make a pie at home so I picked up a few portobella mushrooms and set out to make healthy mini-mushroom pizzas. These are super easy to make and about 150 calories per cap (as long as you don't sprinkle a ton of cheese on top.) 

Recipe:

3 portobella caps
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup tomato sauce 

veggies for topping (spinach, peppers, onions, etc.)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2) Carefully, scrape the stem stub and gills from the inside of the mushroom caps, using a spoon. Spray top and bottom of mushroom with olive oil spray and place on a lined backing sheet. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and pour out water that has accumulated while baking. 

*This may seem like a pain but you can pop these in the oven while you slice and dice veggies!

3) Once mushrooms are baked and dried, fill each cap with 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce, your favorite toppings and about 3 tablespoons of cheese. The veggies do not need to be cooked, though you can speed along the process by giving them a toss in a saute pan for a few minutes. 

4) Put stuffed mushrooms back in oven for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

These are super easy to make, delicious and guilt free! I ate two for dinner then saved one for a snack for the next day. The mushroom was a little soft after reheating but the flavor was amazing. I have made them several times with different veggie combinations too - like artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and pepper or kale, onion and Brussels sprouts. The combinations are endless! Enjoy.

The Leftover Miracle Pasta

*This post brought to you in Flashback Friday form.*

Back in March, I spent an entire Sunday in bed - perhaps the amount of cocktails I consumed the night before had something to do with that but a lady never reveals her secrets. ;) By 5 pm, I was starving. Carbs. Needed. So. Badly!!

I mustered up the strength to make it to the fridge and found a pile of veggies about to spoil. I didnt have any sauce but thankfully I had tomatoes and red peppers in the pile and knew exactly what to do. 

I roughly chopped up my tomatoes, red pepper, three frozen garlic cubes (thank you Trader Joes!) and an onion and tossed it in a saute pan over medium heat to start breaking down. I wanted these veggies to soften into a rustic sauce-like texture. While that was cooking, I diced a yellow and green squash into cube, a few carrots and some celery. 

I wanted a bit more than just veggies so I pulled out two frozen TJ's turkey burger patties and cooked them in another pan. They cook so quickly from their frozen state and break apart relatively easy as they heat up. The perfect addition to this nearly effortless dinner!

When all elements were cooked through and my fave brown rice and quinoa noodles were cooked, I tossed the meat into the veggies and topped with my delicious make-shift sauce. 

After a heavy helping of Parmesan, I was happily back in bed stuffing my face! 

Gluten Free Polena Cakes with Sausage and Veggies

Need a quick, easy and healthy dinner idea? I have you covered. All you need on hand is a pre-cooked tube of polenta from Trader Joe's (or any other grocery store...but we all know I only shop one place) and some veggies. This meal is great to make at the end of the week when you don't want your produce to go to waste!

Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil

1 tube of precooked polenta

1 lb sausage, ground (or links with casing removed)

1 red pepper, diced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 onion, diced small 

1 cup mushrooms, diced

2 handfuls of fresh spinach

Garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste
Balsamic glaze

Directions:

1) In a sauté pan over medium high heat add sausage and cook until fully browned, about 8-10 minutes. Make sure sausage breaks into small piece as you cook. 

2) Prepare polenta for cooking by slicing into thin discs, about 1/4" in thickness. Place one tablespoon of oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Season each side of polenta cake with salt, pepper and garlic then add polenta, in layer, to the heated pan. Cook until heated through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside. 

3) In the same pan used for polenta, add remaining tablespoon of the oil and all veggies. Cook until tender and spinach has wilted. Season with salt and pepper. 

4) To compile the dish, plate two to three pieces of polenta then top with sausage then finally top with veggie mixture and a little balsamic glaze!

Enjoy! 

Quina Enchileda Stuffed Red Peppers

I reallllly love tossing together Tex-Mex style meals with quinoa, beans, yummy veggies and just a little cheese so when I came across some Pinterest recipes for stuffed enchilada peppers I had to give this a try! Since whipping up this dish, I have skipped the step of baking the peppers and just tossed them right in the dish so definitely make adaptions as you want but don't miss out on trying this! I guarantee it will become one of your go-to recipes. :)

Recipe:
Ingredients:
4 bell peppers (any color), sliced in half stem-to-tip, seeds removed
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 (16oz) can of gluten free red enchilada sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
toppings: sour cream, cheese, enchilada sauce, scallions etc.

Directions:
1)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Over medium high heat, cook ground turkey until browned. Add in red onion and saute until tender. Once onions are cooked through, add beans, quinoa, and enchilada sauce and heat through. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Continue stirring until cheese is melted.
4) Pour enchilada mixture into the stuffed peppers, carefully. You may have extra quinoa left out so enjoy while the meal bakes! Place peppers into a 9x13" baking dish. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 5 minutes longer.

Creamy Chicken, Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta

Anytime I take a trip to Trader Joe's, I find myself stuck in the produce section staring aimlessly at their amazing selection of fruit and veggies. I end up tossing everything that looks fresh and appetizing into my cart unless I am prepared with a full grocery list. The way I see it is you can't go wrong stocking up on nutritious ingredients... as long as you use them before they spoil.

Last weekend I knew I wanted to make my roasted tomato veggie casserole. After stocking up on the ingredients I wandered to the cooler section to grab zucchini to complete the dish and noticed the asparagus..then the mushrooms...then Brussels sprouts. I was overwhelmed and couldn't resist purchasing all three ingredients.  Within minutes, I figured out how to use it and continued on my way through the store. (Brussels sprouts will be used later this week.)

Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb chicken breast, cubed (seasoned with salt, pepper, and oregano)

1 bunch of asparagus, stems removed, diced in about two inch sticks

1 cup sliced portabella mushrooms

1/2 red onion, diced

1 glove garlic, smashed

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp butter

1/4 cup Parmesan

8 oz gluten free pasta (Trader's brown rice and quinoa pasta is the best!)
Salt, pepper and oregano to taste

Directions:
1) Cook pasta as directed on package. Rinse then set aside.
2) While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add seasoned cubed chicken and cooked until no longer pink. Remove chicken and set aside. To that heated pan, add mushrooms, onion and asparagus and cook until softened. Stir chicken and pasta in with veggies then remove from heat.
3) Once pasta and veggies are cooked heat the butter in your sauce pan over medium heat, until melted. Add heavy cream and cook until cream starts to bubble and looks thickened. Stir in Parmesan then salt and pepper as desired. Remove from heat then toss over pasta mixture.

Because I am a Parmesan fanatic, I always add more to my dish as I eat. This meal is insanely delicious!! And to me, I feel no guilt in the creamy cheesy sauce since it's packed full of healthy veggies and chicken! :)

Two Ingredient Pancakes

Okay, I have seen like 800 Pinterest and Buzzfeed posts about the miracle two ingredient pancakes using only one banana and two eggs. After weeks of curiosity, I finally found a morning where I could give it a try.

All you have to do is put one banana and two eggs in a blender until they're smooth. Pour the batter into a pre-heated, pre-greased saute pan and after a few minutes, you have yourself a pancake! Of course my first try was a fail. In the video I watched, the cook poured all the batter out at once and made a gigantic pancake. Yea... good luck flipping that. I ended up with scrambled eggs and banana. Not going to lie...it tasted pretty damn good!

The next morning, I redeemed myself and made several small pancakes. So delicious!! And they're totally guilt-free. Two eggs and a banana for breakfast?? You can't get much healthier than that!

Sweet Potato with Ground Turkey and Veggie Hash

Sweet potatoes!! Another delicious nutritious food that I recently started eating. Yes, at 30 years old, this is a newer food to me. For some reason, I always disliked the taste. What's not to like?? They're starchy, sweeter and packed full of health benefits.

I've been on a huge sweet potato kick the last two months. Usually, I eat them as a side dish but I saw a great recipe for sweet potato sliders, using the potato as the bun. I really liked the idea but wanted to make the meal more rustic and put together a burger-like hash. It was great! The ingredients came together making each bite very balanced from a flavor perspective.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 lb ground turkey
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/4 cup of corn
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 cup mushrooms
1 clove garlic, smashed
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Wash then bake potato until fully cooked. I popped mine in the microwave so I didn't have to put in much effort.
2) Over medium-high heat, heat olive oil then cook turkey until fully browned. Add in onion, pepper, corn, garlic and mushrooms until all veggies are softened. Season with salt and pepper.
3) Cut cooked potato in half on a plate then spoon turkey and veggie hash on top.

Voila! A fully balanced dinner in 20 minutes or less.

Protein Packed Spinach Salad

Sometimes after a long day I just want a quick, flavor packed meal. As I have started to shop for healthier options I've expanded my palate and have fallen in love with beets! I absolutely love putting beets in salads. Those Greek's really got it right with their salad prep. Tonight, I threw together an amazing, protein packed salad and even pushed my flavor envelope and included cooked lentils!

There was no real measuring when it came to this salad but I included spinach, beets, lentils, edamame and low-fat feta cheese. I topped it with balsamic glaze, a little olive oil and black pepper. It was super delicious and filling. Each bite had the perfect mix of crunch, tang and creaminess. This will definitely be a new go-to salad for me.

Corn Tortilla Veggie Pizza

When I think of healthy dinners, pizza isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind. It's  absolutely delicious covered in gooey, yummy cheese topped with pepperoni or prosciutto and of course, once I start eating pizza, I can't put it down. Naturally, when making pizza at home, you have full control over the ingredients and can make healthier pizza pies!  I decided to do just that!

Rather than making or purchasing a gluten free crust, I used corn tortillas as my crust. Not only are they great for personal pizzas, but tend to be lower in calories than most crusts of the same size. I stuck to veggies and portion control on the cheese for these pizzas and they turned out delicious! I couldn't put my fork down.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 corn tortilla
3 to 4 tbsp of your favorite marinara sauce (I am obsessed with New Jersey Gravy brand!)
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup of spinach
1/2 cup of sliced red and yellow peppers

Directions: 
1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2) In a saute pan over medium high heat, heat olive oil then saute mushrooms, peppers and spinach until tender.
3) Meanwhile, on a lined baking sheet, spread tomato sauce on top of your corn tortilla. Once veggies are cooked through, spread evenly on top of sauce then sprinkle mozzarella.
4) Bake in oven for 6 to 8 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
*Double recipe to make two pizzas. 

Tuna and Veggie Pasta in a Greek Yogurt Sauce

You know that awful feeling... when you can't think of what to make for dinner? That happened to me tonight. On my FREEZING walk home I tried to think of what the heck I had in my fridge that would come together as a health meal. (Unlike last Thursday, when I made popcorn and at that for dinner.)

I had plenty of veggies on the brink of spoiling, pasta, quinoa, tuna, frozen ground turkey, some frozen veggies and Greek yogurt. After staring into my pantry for what felt like 20 minutes I realized a yummy tuna pasta dish would be great! I grew up on buttered noodles with tuna and peas but wanted to incorporate a few more veggies so with a little finessing, I concocted a delicious tuna, red pepper, and pea pasta with Greek yogurt sauce! It was ridiculously easy and super delicious!

Recipe:
Ingredients:
8 oz of your fave gluten free pasta - linguine, fettucine, or spaghetti
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 can of tuna, packed in water
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of frozen peas
1 red pepper, diced small
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Cook pasta as directed on package. When the noodles have about one to two minutes left until finished, add frozen peas to pasta water to cook through. Before straining, reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water to add to sauce.
2) Meanwhile, saute red pepper over medium high heat with 1/2 tsp of the olive oil, until softened.
3) Combine remaining 1/2 tsp of oil, tuna, yogurt, salt, pepper and garlic salt together in a bowl and stir until the tuna and all other ingredients are event distributed.
4) To assemble dish, combine pasta and veggies together in a bowl then add yogurt sauce and stir. The sauce will be a bit thick, despite the heat from the noodles so add a bit of the reserved pasta water to thin out until sauce is at a creamy consistency.

Enjoy this quick, healthy dish!

Quinoa, Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprout Hash

I have a small problem with walking into Trader Joe's or Whole Foods without a grocery list. As soon as I see stocked aisles of produces my mind reels. Whatever looks fresh and yummy usually ends up in my cart. My feeling is that I can always make a great salad or scrumptious soup.

Shopping over the last week has left me with the following ingredients: spinach, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, onions, red pepper, grapes, pomegranate seeds, mushrooms, edamame and raspberries. So far, I've made a salads and had plenty of fruit filled snack breaks. Tonight, I wanted something warm, filling and comforting.  I think I put together the perfect dish! Quinoa, Butternust Squash and Brussels Sprout Hash. It turned out absolutely delicious!! If you prefer different veggies, feel free to swap for them. :)

Recipe:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1 lb Butternut Squash, diced square
1 small onion, diced
1 small sweet potato
1/2 lb Brussels Sprouts, finely chopped
1/4 cup mushrooms, diced
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Pop the sweet potato in your microwave and click the baked potato button. A few minutes later, you'll be all set!
2) Next, cook the quinoa. Combine 1/2 cup of quinoa with 1 cup water in a stock pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil then simmer until water has evaporate. Quinoa will be moist and fluffy.
3) While the quinoa cooks, heat a sautee pan over medium high heat. Add the butternut squash and sautee for about 5 minutes. Next,  add onion and Brussels sprouts. Season with garlic powder, salt, pepper and cook for about 10 minutes. Finally, add mushrooms and sweet potato and cook until all vegetables are tender and browned. 
4) Add cooked quinoa to vegetable mix, stirring thoroughly. Once combined, top with pomegranate seeds. Serve and enjoy!

I loved the kick of sweet crunch the pomegranate seeds gave the dish! I could add those things to almost anything.

Gluten Free Brownie Ice Cream Cake

Thanksgiving was an extra special holiday this year. It was also Bradley's birthday!! The big 21! (JK, he's much older than that!) ;)

We spent the day with Brad's family, me mostly in he kitchen. It's always a bit tricky cooking for a big group of people especially when I'm the only one with a food allergy. It worked out pretty seamlessly. We had turkey, potatoes, green beans and a few gluten filled dishes that I avoided. My meal was all delicious.

For dessert I whipped up a special treat for the birthday boy: gluten free ice cream cake! I prepared a box of gluten free brownie mix and once it cooled, I topped with a thick layer of slightly melted ice cream then popped it in the freezer for a bit. Before serving, I sprinkled some broken Butterfinger bars around the top as garnish. It was a bit hard to cut at first but chocolate brownies and vanilla ice cream are always perfect together!

Avocado and Egg Salad

Some days I am just plain lazy. I don't feel like making dinner, therefore I don't have a lunch to bring to work the next day. That was the case today. I'm traveling later this week so I opted not to go to the grocery store. Thankfully, last week I snagged an avocado on my way home. I had every intention of making a really great salad but that never happened. Instead, it gave me the base for my lunch today.

While at my desk, I mashed the avocado together with the hardboiled eggs I brought in for breakfast (and never ate.) After they were fully mashed, I added a few dashes of salt and pepper. It tasted perfect! If I had lemon or lime juice I would have added that too but who keeps that at work? Not me! This will definitely become a new go-to recipe for me.

Broccoli, Scallion, Chickpea Pasta

Brad and I just got back from an amazing weekend with my nephews and family in Nashville. My little brother surprised us and he and his girlfriend decided to drive down for the weekend as well. We visited the Honky Tonks downtown, went to the Chiefs vs Titans game and had authentic BBQ (that made me sick... Yuck).

When we got home, exhausted after playing with the boys from sun up to sun down, the last thing we wanted to do was cook and I had nothing to work with. My hunger won and I threw together scallion, broccoli and chickpea pasta. With a little bit of salt, pepper and Parmesan, it was amazing. For 15 minutes work in the kitchen, I was a happy lady!

Recipe:
8oz gfree pasta
2 tbsp butter or oil
1/2 can chick pea, rinsed
2 cups frozen chopped broccoli, cooked
2-3 Scallions, chopped
Salt, pepper and Parmesan to taste.

Directions:
1) Cook pasta as directed on package, any shape noodle with do.
2) Heat broccoli until cooked all the way through then toss with chickpeas and scallions.
3) When pasta is finished cooking, toss with butter, broccoli, chickpeas and scallions then season with salt, pepper and Parmesan to taste.

It's really that easy and delicious! 

Quinoa with Red Peper and Onion

Since this summer has been sweltering hot cooking at my apartment (with no AC) has been out of the question! Thankfully, my lovely boyfriend has central air so I've spent a very large chunk of my time over there. :) One thing that an apartment shared by three guys lacks is proper kitchen gear so many nights I do my best to whip up something easy.

Tonight was no problem at all! A few nights ago, I made our FAVORITE salad so I had left over red peppers and onions. I tossed those in a pan with some oil and cooked until they were tender. Meanwhile, I boiled quinoa, which has a two to one water ratio. Once finished, I tossed the peppers and onions in with the quinoa then topped it with some salt, black pepper and Parmesan. Boom! That's one fast meal.

Tuscan Turkey Chili

Although a hearty bowl of chili is crowd favorite in colder months, once in a while I just get a craving that I can shack, regardless of the season. This week, I wanted something strong in protein with veggies but really wanted to avoid my normal go-to starch of choice: pasta a la meat sauce. After a few (or many) minutes surfing pinterest, chili came to mind. My mouth was immediately watering!

It's pretty much the perfect meal: heavy on meat and beans and has a great blend of veggies. Plus, you really don't need to have it with anything else. To lighten the dish a bit and keep bikini ready, I took a tuscan twist rather than your average beef and kidney bean flavor. It was delish!

Recipe:
1 tablespoon olive Oil
2 onion, chopped
2 bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 can tomato paste, 6 oz. 
1/4 cup chili powder 
2 teaspoon cumin 
2 15 oz cans white beans
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook onions, peppers, and garlic and cook until soft.
2) Add turkey and cook until browned.  Add Tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin and cook, stirring for 2 min. Finally, add beans, tomatoes and their juices,  salt and pepper.  Simmer until thickened, 20 min.

Martha Stewart's One Pot Pasta!

If you've been on Pinterest anytime in the last few months you've probably seen this recipe. I mean, come on... A full homemade pasta dish in one pan? You can't be serious. I was dying to try it but had my concerns with how it would turn out with gluten free corn noodles. I figured "what's the worst that can happen?"  It's sad to say this but I was thoroughly disappointed. I completely forgot how starchy corn noodles are. Now that I'm always cooking g-free I rinse my noodles in scalding hot water after cooking. This recipe does not allow for that.

When I was finished, I ended up with a gel-like, starchy, tomato-y substance. Gross! I promise to try this again after doing some research on the best g-free option. In the meantime, I would encourage you to try with regular wheat noodles! I can't imagine Martha would steer general public wrong.

Recipe:
12 oz linguine pasta
1 15oz can of diced tomatoes with liquid
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions: 
1) Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.
2) Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated.
3) Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with parmesan cheese.

Despite my messy outcome, I loved putting this meal together. It came together so beautifully that took step-by-step pics. (Well, beautifully until the end.) 

 

The final product - a sad mess!

Breakfast Quinoa

Over the last few years, I have fallen in love with quinoa. It's my go to side dish, or base for quick shrimp or ground turkey dishes. When saw a recipe for apples and cinnamon breakfast quiona I was beyond excited! I made a few tweaks to better fit my tastes and I am not even embarrassed to say that I eat this dish EVERY single work-day. Literally, every week I make a batch on Sunday and eat off it all week.

 Recipe:
1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon + more for sprinkling
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup  milk, per serving

Directions:
 Combine quinoa, water, cinnamon and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes until quinoa can be fluffed with a fork.
*If eating immediately, divide cooked quinoa between four bowls then stir in apple sauce, raisins, and milk.
**If saving for work, I scoop out what looks to be one fifth of the quinoa, pour in the milk and microwave for one minute. Once heated, stir in apple sauce and raisins. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired. This time around I topped with a few apple chunks, but it's equally great with just raisins and apple sauce.

Gluten Free Broccoli Parmesan Rositto

People tend to complain that risotto is so hard to make and that's it's so easy to mess up. I've never understood that. Maybe when I first made it  I had a great recipe to work off of but I've made other variations since and still haven't had any issues.

This recipe was a quickie that I tossed together for a friend earlier this week. To be honest, I was too lazy to defrost any chicken or ground turkey so it became broccoli parm risotto but the addition of meat would have been great as well. If you decide to do that, cook the meat and onions first, take them out of the pan then add them in just before adding butter below. Here is the full recipe:

Recipe:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1  1/2 cups ariboio rice
3 cups gluten free chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup Parmesan
2 cups frozen broccoli, defrosted
Directions:
1) Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion until softened then add chicken broth. Bring broth to a boil then stir in rice. Stir continuously for the first 3 minutes. Put a lid on the pan and cook for about 15-20 minutes until broth has almost dissolved, stirring every 4-5 minutes.
2) Once broth is almost dissolved the rice will be fluffy and look a little soupy, that's ok. Add the butter, Parmesan and broccoli. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Gluten Free Greek Chicken Quinoa

They say that cooking at home will help to ensure that gluten isn't in your food because you have full control over what you put in your meal. Well that doesn't help very much when your fail to read labels. Yes, people, I accidentally glutened myself. And when I started to get a headache while eating I got concerned.

I had made dinner for a few friends in honor of the Mad Men premier Sunday night. My menu was planned solely on what foods I knew were at my boyfriends apartment and what I had left in my fridge to bring over. It worked out perfectly, until of course I came home after dinner and read that WHEAT GLUTEN was an ingredient in the chicken broth. Ugh!! I was finally feeling good for the first time in months and then I poisoned myself. Luckily, it was nothing an excessive amount of water and sleep couldn't fix.

Take this as my Celiac PSA: always check labels!!

Now on to the recipe. It was realllllly good, regardless of my ridiculous error.

Recipe:
3 large chicken breasts, halved
1 1/2 uncooked quinoa
3 cups gluten free chicken stock
2 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup olives, halved
1/2 cup feta
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Place them on a rimmed cookie sheet and pop them in the oven to cook for about 25-30 minutes, flipping half way through.
2) Meanwhile, heat oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Sauté peppers and onion until softened, about 8 minutes. Next, add garlic and stir until fragrant, about one minute. Remove from pan and set aside.
3) In the same pan, add quinoa and chicken broth and cook over high heat until boiling then bring to a summer and until almost all water has absorbed.
4) After the chicken and quinoa have finished cooking, combine together with onions and pepper. Stir in feta, olives and salt and pepper to taste.