Sweet Potato Quinoa with Chicken and Honey

Fall is here, and I couldn’t be happier! I love the nutritious hearty ingredients that are in season this time of year - especially the sweet potato! Sweet potatoes contain loads of vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, and Iron. This recipe is gluten free, and vegetarians can sub the chicken for black beans or grilled tofu. Hope you enjoy!

Cackalacky Sweet Potato Quinoa – 486 Calories

Restaurant Quinoa Bowl – 688 Calories*

* Most dishes with quinoa and veggies will be good for you, it is just important to consider portion size and activity level.

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Cup of dried quinoa
• 2 Cups of water
• 1 Sweet potato
• 3 Cups of chopped kale raw
• 1 Cob of sweet corn (small can of drained sweet corn can be used here if corn is not in season)
• 2 Teaspoons of honey
• 1 Teaspoon of fresh parsley
• 1 Teaspoon of cumin
• 3 Teaspoons of margarine
• 1 Tablespoon of grapeseed oil
• Dash of crushed red pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Large pot with steamer insert
  

1. Start by peeling and chopping your sweet potato into small cubes.
   
   
   
   
2. Bring 2 cups of water to boil in your pot with the steamer insert, and add one teaspoon of margarine and a dash of salt.
3. Add the chopped sweet potato to the steamer insert first while the water is coming to a boil.
   
4. Once the water is boiling, add the quinoa to the pot and reduce the heat to low so your quinoa can simmer. 
   
5. Use this time to remove the husk from your corn and chop the kernels from the cob.
   
6. Season your chicken with salt and pepper.
   
7. Heat 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil over med-hi heat in a skillet, and add your chicken to the skillet. Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side, or until the center is no longer pink. 
   
8. After the Sweet potato has just started to get tender after about 10 minutes, add your corn to the steamer. Do not remove the sweet potato at this time. Check the quinoa and stir it at this time.
   
9. After five minutes of steaming the corn, add the kale and parsley to the steamer. Let the kale steam for about 2 minutes, and then stir. It should only need about one more minute of steaming at this point.
   
10. Stir in the cumin, crushed red pepper, and salt to the quinoa at this time.
    
11. Add the steamed vegetables along with one teaspoon of margarine to the quinoa and mix everything together.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
12. Slice the chicken, and serve it on top of the sweet potato quinoa. Drizzle ½ teaspoon of honey over each serving, and enjoy!