Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Polynesian Skillet over Red Quinoa brown rice

What do you love about fall?

I love the colors of fall. The bright oranges, reds, yellows and browns. This dish displays the stunning colors of that color pallet. Isn't food so much more fun to eat when it's full of color? I love how the red quinoa just adds to that color (along with adding nutrition of course). The other thing that I LOVE about this recipe is how fast it comes together (30 minutes or less from start to finish). As busy people, we need these kinds of recipes around. Quick, beautiful meals that are good for us and taste delicious. Enjoy!



Polynesian Skillet over Red Quinoa Brown Rice
Printable Recipe

*Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups brown rice
1 Cup red quinoa
1 tsp. salt
5-1/2 Cups Water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4" strips
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 15-oz. can pineapple chunks
1 Cup chicken broth
1/4 Cup vinegar, any type
1/2 Cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 11-oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a pressure cooker, combine brown rice, red quinoa, salt and water. Lock lid in place and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. When red quinoa brown rice has finished cooking, release pressure using quick release or natural release.

While the rice is cooking, in a large skillet, sauté chicken in oil until chicken is lightly browned. If you prefer not to use oil, just spray some cooking spray on the skillet and use the chicken's natural juices to cook.

Add onion and green pepper. Stir fry until vegetables are tender. Add 1/2 cup pineapple juice from the can of pineapple chunks, chicken broth, vinegar and brown sugar to the skillet and stir.

In a small bowl, off to the side, combine soy sauce and cornstarch. Mix well to smooth out any clumps. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the chicken, vegetables and sauce in the skillet. Simmer until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. This should take about 5 to 10 minutes, and the mixture will turn more transparent as it thickens. Add pineapple and mandarin oranges just before serving. Add salt to taste. Serve over cooked red quinoa brown rice.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can you tell me what difference it makes in the food when using quick release vs. natural release?

Heather {Healthy Family Cookin} said...

In this recipe it really doesn't matter. I've done it both ways and results aren't much different. With some foods, however, it does matter. For example, some types of meat will toughen if you do a quick pressure release so you want to do a natural release for those recipes. Other foods will burst open by using the quick release method. It just kind of depends on the type of food how it responds to fast pressure changes. That's a short answer to your question, but I hope it gives you somewhere to start. I typically do a quick pressure release if I can get away with it in a recipe without changing the flavor or texture. Universally a natural release will work for MOST things you cook in the pressure cooker, just takes longer.

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