Tag Archives: kid friendly recipes

Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

I found this recipe last winter when I was searching for kid friendly quinoa recipes. I can’t remember if it was passed on to me or if I found it on-line, but I can’t seem to find the original source…my apologies. I have modified it slightly from the original. This Mexican recipe is tasty and can easily be whipped up in under 30 minutes. My kids request it often and it is relatively healthy which scores big points in our house!

Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

Ingredients:

1 finely chopped onion
olive oil
1 cup of cooked quinoa
1 can of refried beans
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 Tablespoons quinoa flour (or flour of choice)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 to 1 1/2 cups of chopped tomatoes
4 tortillas
1/2 to 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Sour cream, optional

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Sauté onion in olive oil until tender. Add cooked quinoa and cook for another few minutes.
  3. Melt butter in a separate sauce pan and add garlic. Cook for about a minute or until fragrant. Stir in flour until a paste is formed. Continue to whisk and add broth, taco seasoning, spices and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes.
  4. Reserve 1/2 cup of the tomato mixture and add the remainder to the quinoa and onions.
  5. Spray the bottom of a quiche plate with cooking spray. Lay down one tortilla. Cover it with about 1/4 of a can of refried beans. Top with about 1/2 or a bit more of quinoa mixture and a small amount of cheese. Repeat the layers until all 4 tortillas have been added. Add the reserved 1/2 cup of the tomato mixture to the top of the casserole just before the final layer of cheese.
  6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese melts and it appears to be heated through.
  7. Cut into wedges and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

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Easy Chicken Fajitas

You can see in this picture that I didn’t have avocado on hand and didn’t add greens either…still delicious though!

This Chicken Fajita recipe is one of our family favourites and makes the menu at least twice a month.  This recipe was taken from a collection of Mini Canadian Living Cookbooks that I got “free with a fill” at a local gas station when I was in university. When I look back now, I realize how lucky I was to have managed to collect the whole set ~ LOL!  I tried to search for it on the Canadian Living archives, but couldn’t find it.

Chicken Fajitas

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 Tablespoons lime juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 – 8 flour tortillas (depending on how much you stuff each)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 small sweet red pepper, cut in thin strips
1 hot banana pepper, cut in thin strips
salt

Garnish:

Salsa
Chopped tomatoes
Sour Cream
Avocado
Lettuce (optional)

Instructions:

  • Slice chicken crosswise into strips.  In a bowl, combine the stock, lime juice, garlic, cumin, coriander and pepper. Add chicken and stir to coat; set aside. (The recipe doesn’t really indicate how long to marinate, but I like to let mine sit a minimum of 10 minutes, but up to an hour).
  • The recipe suggests warming the tortillas by wrapping them in foil and placing them in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until heated through. (I always skip this step.)
  • Heat 1 Tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over high heat. Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade. Pat the chicken dry (I often skip this as well) and add it to the hot skillet. Stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes or until it is no longer pink inside. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
  • Add the remaining oil to skillet.  Stir-fry onion, red peppers and banana peppers for 1 minute. Pour in reserved marinade; cook, stirring for about 30 seconds or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Return the chicken to skillet and heat through.  Season with salt to taste.
  • Garnish: Spoon salsa and tomatoes over the tortilla. Top with the chicken mixture, sliced avocado and a dollop of sour cream.  Fold and serve.

This recipe has great flavour and is a pretty healthy meal. It is often included in our weekly menu plan because it is easy to make and liked by the whole family. Enjoy!

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