Baked Quinoa & Cheese (like Mac & Cheese)

Adapted from this recipe  It's a little time-intensive but most of that is waiting for it to cook on the stove or in the oven.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• a handful of fresh chives, minced
• 1/2 cup diced tomato, or red/green pepper
• 1/2 cup finely diced carrot
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• good pinch of salt
• a few grinds of seasoning salt (Lawry's)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups of water (or stock)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling- NOTE: (You may find you need more cheese, BUT I use this amount to still keep the dish 'lighter' yet very flavorful.)
• Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping
• Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions (you get the picture)

Directions

1. Heat oil in med. saucepan over med. heat. Add carrots and tomatoes (or bell peppers-or any veggies you want really); cover and cook 5 mins or until tender. Stir in quinoa, chives and garlic, and cook, uncovered, 3-4 mins, or until grains start to turn opaque.  (They will not fully be cooked yet.)
2. Add 3 cups water (or stock) and season with salt and the Seasoning Salt. Cover and reduce heat to med-low and simmer 15-20 mins or more, (depends and also what kind of quinoa you use) or until most liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand 5 mins.
3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish with cooking spray. Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese (if you feel you need more cheese, add here.) Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt. (Will seem a little "soupy", do not worry, it will all mold together.)
4. Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs, add now.You can also sprinkle a bit more cheese on now if you prefer for topping. Bake 25-35 mins, (or until browned around edges.)   In my PC Stone it took close to 35 minutes.

Baked Italian Tilapia

Why did I not try this sooner? It's so simple and delicious - not "fishy" at all!

6 small tilapia fillets
1 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

Heat oven to 350.  In a 13x9 baking dish, put a little bit of the juice from the tomatoes in the bottom, lay fillets down in a single layer.  Combine Italian seasoning with diced tomatoes and pour over fish. Bake 20-30 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Artichoke, Garbanzo & Tomato stew

	1 cup(s) cooked chickpeas
	1 cup(s) canned diced tomatoes 1 can tomato puree
	1/4 cup(s) (chopped) uncooked onion(s)
	1 cup(s) canned artichoke hearts, without oil
	1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s)
	1/4 cup(s) crumbled feta cheese Sautee onion until translucent in a little EVOO. Add garlic about 5 minutes in. Once onion and garlic are soft, add garbanzo beans, tomatoes, artichokes and salt and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve over rice or quinoa or bulgur. Garnish with feta cheese.

Slow Cooker Duck Stew

4 duck breasts, skinless/boneless

3 Tbsp Worchesterchire sauce

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp pepper

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

3 Tbsp tomato paste

2 cans beef broth

1 can petite diced tomato

2 packages frozen stew veggies (or fresh stew veggies - carrots, onions, celery, potatoes)

1 package pre-cooked sausage, cut into slices

2 cans navy beans, drained and rinsed or 3 cups cooked beans.

Cut duck breasts into 1/2 inch cubes and combine with next 4 ingredients in a ziploc bag. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.

In a skillet over med-high heat, dump bag of duck breasts and sauce and brown duck pieces. While duck is cooking, combine veggies, diced tomatoes (with juice), sausage, and 1 can of broth in slow-cooker. Add duck after it's browned. Put skillet back on the stove, add tomato paste and cook for a few minutes to wake up the flavors. Add the other can of beef broth to the tomato paste, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan, and stir to combine. Pour over all other ingredients in slow-cooker.

Cook on high for 30 minutes then reduce to low for at least 5 hours (the longer it goes, the more tender the duck gets!) Stir in the navy beans 30 minutes before serving.

Note: To cook dried navy beans, allow for at least 3 hours to prep. Then follow these instructions.

Chicken and Lentils

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1 lb. lentils (rinsed and sorted)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 large or 1 small onion, finely diced

2 large carrots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, pressed

2 Tbsp tomato paste

6-8 cups chicken broth

1 cup tomato sauce/soup (I had roasted red pepper/tomato soup on hand)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt

In a 12" skillet with high sides, saute' onion until soft. Add carrots and garlic and saute' 3-4 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to wake up flavors for a minute. Add 6 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Add lentils, reduce heat to simmering. Simmer until lentils are tender (refer to package for approximate time - my package said 15-20 but it took closer to 40), adding more broth if needed. The end result should be thick with little liquid. Once lentils are soft, stir in soup/sauce and chicken and cook an additional 5-10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and balsamic vinegar, and season with salt to taste.

Notes: This made a TON - will have enough for 6 or 7 leftover containers - great for freezing lunch meals! Victoria ate her whole bowl - amazing!