Southwestern Quinoa and Black Bean Casserole

Here I go again with my love of all things Quinoaaaaa! This Mexican style dish is amazing and life changingly good! This casserole is flavor explosion of just the right amount of spice combined with crunch. It is perfect for attacking your friends and family with quinoa without them even knowing it. We all have those people in our lives who wont try the kin-o-wa since it is different and they already know they hate it {cough. Charlie Badger. cough}. The dish is loaded with Mexican flavors that make anyones mouth water just upon smelling it!
So enough with the description here is the delicious recipe...

Southwestern Quiona and Black Bean Casserole

serves: 9

Ingredients

3 large cloves garlic, minced {low-key... I bought pre-minced cloves because I can.}

1 onion minced {now I wish onions came minced because I cried for a long time doing this}

2 jalepeños, seeds and ribs removed, minced {TOTALLY OPTIONAL.. mine does not have jalepeños in it because I'm a baby when it comes to spice}

1 tablespoon oil

4 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed

1 1/4 cup vegetable broth 

2 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

4 bell peppers, diced {I used red and yellowwww}

1 1/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese {really however much you would like}

Directions

1. Black Beans. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic and onions {possibly jalepeños} for 4 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in broth and black beans and bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. The mixture should be thick, not watery. {if there is a lot of water let the mixture cook out on low heat for another few minutes}

One of the times I made the back beans I only made half the black beans and added refried beans! It was sooo delicious :)

2. Quinoa. In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toss and toast the cooked quinoa with the cayenne, chili powder and cumin. 1-2 minutes.

3. Peppers. In the same dry skillet over medium-high heat, place the diced peppers and do NOT stir. {not stiring allows the peppers to get a brown roasted look on the outside} Don't over cook the peppers because they will, at the end, become soggy if over cooked.

4. Assemble. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Spoon black bean mixture into a baking dish. Top with Quinoa, Bell Peppers and Cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 mins. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 mins, or until the top layer of cheese is golden and bubbly. 

5. Serve with sour cream, tortilla chips, on tacos, salad or as a side!

ENJOY

Spaghetti Squash

Im sure most of you have noticed the increasing number of recipes being added to FiveTimesFun! Cooking and baking are definitely two of my favorite activities and to make sure I don't blow up from all this cooking, I've started looking into healthy eating alternatives. One of my favorite favorite foods to eat is spaghetti. Pasta of any kind is my guilty pleasure. I LOVE PASTA! sooo as bikini season rapidly approaches it is time to avoid white breads and pastas! So sad. 

I have found a super yummy and delicious alternative to eating pasta... Spaghetti Squash!

Spaghetti Squash is a yellow fruit and it can be baked, boiled, steamed or microwaved. It contains many nutrietnts, including folic acid, potassium, Vitamin A, and beta carotene. This squash is low in calories-- about 42 calories per cup! The flesh is similar to most other squash but once cooked the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons similar to spaghetti.

Spaghetti Squash is super easy to cook and can be substituted in any pasta dish as the pasta! Here is our favorite spaghetti squash recipe...

Ingredients:

1 small spaghetti squash

extra-virgin olive oil

salt and peper

1 pound thin asparagus, steamed tender

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

1/2 cup part-skim ricott cheese

1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts

Preparation:

Halve the squash. 

Microwave on high for 20-30 minutes {I always do 25 minutes! but microwave for as long as you want, until it is fork-tender} Discard the seeds. Scape the squash out with fork {it should come out easily and look like spaghetti ribbons}

Place the squash into a bowl. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. 
Keep It Warm!

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Slice asparagus into small pieces and sauté with garlic and rosemary until tender {around 1-2 minutes} 

 

Stir ricotta into the squash. Then, sauté until hot and creamy and top with pine nuts {and maybe a little parmesan cheese if you wish!}

 

There is your delicious creamy spaghetti squash with asparagus and rosemary. I've changed this recipe up a little bit by adding tomatoes {sun dried or cherry} or by adding a rosemary chicken. All alternatives are great!

Let us know what you think :) and submit any recipes you have! We would love to feature some recipes right here on Five Times the Fun!

Balsamic Steamed Chicken

In a previous post about Warm Quinoa Salad With Edamame & Basil I served my meal with a Balsamic Steamed Chicken. This chicken is quick and easy to make! It is a very moist chicken  with a balsamic glaze. So here is how to make your Balsamic Steamed Chicken

Ingredients

-Chicken Breast

-Balsamic Salad Dressing

-Aluminum Foil

-Circular Cake Pan

1. Take two sheets of aluminum foil and place them onto your circular cake pan. 

2. Place your chicken breast onto the middle of your circular cake pan.

3. Pour the balsamic salad dressing {1/4 cup} onto the chicken breast. You can add more dressing depending on how you want you chicken to taste.

4. Fold the aluminum foil over the chicken. Don't secure the foil tightly! Let it be loose so that the chicken can steam

5. Put the chicken in the oven for about an hour and let it cook

6. Take the chicken out and serve!

Its that easy! 

Warm Quinoa Salad with Edamame & Basil

I have recently been trying to eat healthier foods and after researching different recipes I found a grain called quinoa. Quinoa is a super food from South America and it is packed with protein and fiber. It is quick to cook, gluten-free, and whole grain. Quinoa takes on the flavor of what it is cooked with {so don't eat a bowl of quinoa, it would't taste of anything}. I am going to share with you my delicious dinner that only took 30 minutes to prepare!

Warm Quinoa Salad with Edamame & Basil

Ingredients

-1 cup of quinoa

-2 cups of vegetable broth

-2 cups of frozen shelled edamame {also called

-1 tablespoon of freshly grated lemon zest

-2 tablespoons of lemon juice

-2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

-2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil

-1/2 cup of drained and diced jared roasted red peppers

-1/4 cup of chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Toast the quinoa in a dry skillet {stir it often} until it begins to crackle {about 5 minutes}. Rinse the toasted quinoa thoroughly.

    

 {toasting quinoa gives it a slightly nutty taste}

2. Bring the vegetable broth to boil in another pan. Add the quinoa and return to boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 8 minutes. 

3. Remove the lid {without disturbing the quinoa} and add the edamame. Cover and continue to simmer until the edamame is cooked {7 to 8 minutes}. Drain any excess water {I doubt there will be any water!}

4. In a small bowl, mix together the lemon zest, juice, oil basil and peppers. Add to the quinoa and mix. 

  

5. Add walnuts to the top and serve!

This should serve about 4 people {1 1/2 cup serving} if it is the main dish. I, however, made my quinoa salad as a side and served it with balsamic steamed chicken.

{balsamic steamed chicken}

Here are some nutrition facts about the meal you just made...

Calories 404, Total Fat 18 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat 6 g, Sodium 645mg, Carbohydrate 46 g, Fier 16 g, Protein 17 g, Potassium 319 mg. Daily Values: Vitamin A 20%, Vitamin C 20%, Iron 25%. {Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet}

Hope you enjoy this meal as much as my family and I did! It is so quick and easy to make and it is absolutely delicious! 

Ham & Cheese Croissants

Ham and Cheess Croissants are probably one of my favorite quick-to-make snacks. They are perfect for lunch boxes, grab-n-go breakfasts, and snacks at the beach or on the boat. Best of all, they are super easy to make!

You'll need: 

-Ham

-Crescent Rolls

-Cheese {any kind works} 

First you need to pre-heat your oven to the number on the crescent roll package {375} and unroll your  dough onto an un-greased cooking sheet. The longer the dough has been out of the fridge the stickier and harder to work with the dough gets. Next, pull apart the crescent dough triangles along the dotted edges.

Then take a piece of ham {or more} and place it on the thick end of the crescent dough. It doesn't matter if the ham does not fit perfectly!

After you've added ham, it's time for cheese! Take whatever kind of cheese you would like and make it small enough to find onto the crescent roll {the kind I used needed to be cut in half}.

Once the ham and cheese have been added you can roll up your crescent rolls. Start at the thicker end and work your way to the small end. It doesn't have to be perfect!

Pop those puppies in the oven and wait until they are golden brown {around 12 minutes}

Finally, enjoy your quick and easy Ham & Cheese Croissants!