Cooking again....

My Little Peanut is now 7.5 months old, and I feel like I am finally emerging from the new mom fog a little bit. I am measuring this by the fact that I am experimenting with some new recipes. I now feel confident enough as a mom that I can prepare something that actually requires a few minutes and some brain power (which has started to return with more regular sleep).  This time around I made panko chicken tenders with a roasted tomatoes and mozzarella accompanied by a bacon quinoa salad.

I will admit, I have never eaten quinoa in my life but have been hearing about the health benefits for a while. My Hubs is a good sport, so he said he was open to trying something new. The chicken was super simple, just dip chicken tenders in flour, egg, and panko and fry to a golden crisp. The grape tomatoes were halved (the hubs is my sous chef, and does an awesome job) then tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and broiled for 10 minutes on high.  They are then tossed while still a bit warm with mozzerella balls and spooned onto the chicken. 

I will admit, I had a bit of a snafu with the quinoa. I got the recipe from Huffpost Taste, and was supposed to add toasted slivered almonds.  Well, I toasted the almonds and didn't think they were toasted enough so I toasted them again, which resulted in blackened smoky garbage, so I omitted the almonds. I got the rainbow quinoa at Target, and I will admit that I really liked this recipe.  I also feel so good about trying something new and expanding my usual culinary routine. Here is the recipe for the quinoa:

Bacon Quinoa with Almonds and Herbs

Kitchen DailyOct 27, 2011

 40 mins |  0 mins |  Serves 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 thick slices of applewood-smoked bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 small shallot, minced

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 cups chicken stock

1 sage sprig

1 tablespoon(s) minced chives

1 tablespoon(s) chopped parsley

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the almonds in a pie plate and toast in the oven until golden brown, 4 minutes; let cool.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the bacon and cook over moderately high heat until the fat has rendered, about 2 minutes. Add the shallot and cook, stirring a few times, until softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the quinoa, stock and sage and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the stock has been absorbed, about 17 minutes. Remove the quinoa from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Discard the sage and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Stir in the chives, parsley and toasted almonds. Season the quinoa with salt and pepper and serve.

Stay Saucy, 

   Emily