Curried Quinoa with Green Beans, Carrots and Scallions

I was really pleased with this recipe.  My skepticism was birthed from the mediocre turnout of "Stuffed Peppers Picadillo" I made from the same book 2 nights earlier....I guess that's how weight-watchers recipes go.  Very flavorful and simple. I followed the recipe word for word, except for the fresh mint...I had some dried, so I just added a couple sprinkles of that instead. I will certainly make this again, and probably try adding some tofu to make it more filling. Delicious!


1 cup quinoa
1 cup orange juice
2 cup water
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 carrots sliced
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup raisins
2 large scallions, chopped
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1) Combine quinoa, orange juice, water, curry powder, coriander, salt and cinnamon in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until all of the liquid has been aborbed, 12-15 minutes
2) Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook 3 minutes; drain and transfer to a large bowl.
3) Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and onion and cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes; stir in the almonds and cook 2 minutes longer. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the bowl with the green beans. Add the raisins, scallions, mint, lemon juice, lemon zest and quinoa.

Chicken Ragout with Potatoes and Olives

This recipe served as lesson #1 in my efforts to teach Brent to cook this summer, and I have to say that he did an awesome job! We covered slicing onions, mincing garlic and chopping tomatoes, potatoes and herbs...all of which he did by himself =)  The recipe turned out so well (how could something with 1/2 a cup of fresh basil not?), and I will certainly be using it again in the future.

Another pleasant surprise from Make it in Minutes- Weight Watchers

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 large aking potato, pealed and cubed
10 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-hight heat. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper and saute until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic; cook until the onion is just tender, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the tomatoes, potato, olives, broth, and wine. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the potato tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.