I’ve been on a bit of a quinoa kick lately. . . thus, two quinoa posts in the same week.  I love the stuff, especially when I know how to make it taste yummy instead of bland.  I knew that having “Mexican” in the title meant that this quinoa would be FAR from bland.  And, that was indeed the case.  It had just the right amount of flavor to add a Mexican flair to the quinoa without over-powering the quinoa itself.  I mean, how can you not fall in love with a dish that has black beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime in it!?

This made for a quick and delicious weeknight meal.

Mexican Chicken Quinoa
Adapted from Annie’s Eats

1 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well and drained
1 ¼ cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 can (1 ½ cups) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb. cooked and shredded chicken
1/3 cup shopped fresh cilantro
1 quarter of a lime, juiced

Optional toppings:
reduced fat shredded cheese, light sour cream, salsa, and/or avocado

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and jalapenos to the pan and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the quinoa, veggie broth, beans, diced tomatoes, corn, salt, and chicken to the pan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium0low and cover.  Simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the liquid is fully absorbed.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the cilantro and lime juice.  Serve as desired with cheese, salsa, avocado, and/or sour cream.

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1/6 the Recipe or about 1 full cup.)
Calories:  306
Protein:  25.1g
Carbs:  43.7g
Fat:  5.3g (1.1g = Sat.)
Fiber:  6.7g
Sugars:  5.7g

Note:  If you cut the black beans and the corn in half, it drops the overall calorie count to 266 (and carbohydrates change to 34g). 

Vegetarian Option:  Omit chicken.  This drops the overall calorie count to 226 (and protein changes to 9.1g).