Apparently I DO like quinoa!

So last summer, I did a cleanse for 30 days and ate TONS of quinoa. I hated every bite of it.  I usually just bought the pre made stuff from Whole Foods in the deli section.  It really became stuffing spoonfuls of the stuff in my mouth and swallowing as much as possible.  Sometimes I don't even think I chewed.  However, Eric has this huge bag of it that has just been sitting around for over a year and it is healthier than rice so I decided to give it a shot last night...this time made by me and not Whole Foods.

Last night's dinner was chicken with a side of "broccoli and cheese casserole."  The ingredients were as follows:

chicken breasts

Italian dressing

Apparently I didn't take a picture of this process but I just put the chicken in a ziplock bag and threw in some Italian dressing.  I let it marinade in the fridge for about 5 hours, turning after about 3 hours.  At time for dinner, they went on the grill for about 25 minutes, flipping halfway. 

For the broccoli and cheese, I substituted rice for quinoa.  For the quinoa, I used salt, chicken broth, and beef broth.

I threw it all in a pot and let it cook for about 25 minutes, until it was cooked through and then fluffed with a fork.

The broccoli was chopped and destemed and then placed in a pot to steam.  I didn't cook them all the way through since I knew they'd cook more in the oven.

 Once all the precooking was done, the casserole was ready to be put together.  In order to do this, I just put all the ingredients into a bowl.  These ingredients were:

broccoli cooked
quinoa cooked
shredded cheese (I chose pepper jack)
cream of mushroom soup
mayo
salt
pepper

I let it cook in the oven covered in foil for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  At this point, I removed the foil and topped it with parmesan cheese, stuck it back in the oven for about 12 minutes just to let the top cook and get some color.

Final product was delicious! The chicken was tender and juicy as it should be.  I was really excited about the casserole since all of my horrible experiences with quinoa.  This casserole was awesome!! It was just as good this morning for leftovers cold! I will definitely begin substituting rice for quinoa since it is much healthier and less calories! I suggest anyone who has never tried this option to do so, just make sure you make it how you like it.