Pinterest Recipe Weekend

This weekend I decided to try a few different recipes that I found on Pinterest.  The first was for Cheesy Baked Quinoa as a side for Kevin's famous chicken thighs and crunchy green beans.  We had Michael and Jessica over for dinner on Friday, so I wanted to try something fun as a side.  Below is the recipe that I found on Pinterest, along with a few changes that I made to it to try to make it a little bit healthier.  

Cheesy Baked Quinoa

1 c. quinoa
2 c. chicken broth ( I used low sodium)
4 oz. (1/2 block) cream cheese (I used fat free cream cheese)
1 & 1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese (I only used 1 c. of 2% sharp cheddar)
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1-2 t. onion powder (I used 1 tsp.)
salt & pepper to taste
any seasonings (i.e. italian seasoning, garlic, herbs, etc.), optional (I used a dash of rosemary, oregano and thyme)

• In a saucepan, combine quinoa and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
•  Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reserving 1 c. of the sharp cheddar. Spread into a baking dish (or 4 individual sized baking dishes).
•  Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.  Bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Make sure to follow the directions on the package for cooking quinoa.  If you use too much water or broth, the quinoa will not absorb all of the liquid.

Mix the ingredients together (reserving some of the cheese) then press into a larger dish or four individual serving size dishes.

Ingredients are pressed into the pan

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.  I only used one cup of cheese instead of 1 1/2.

Bake for about 15 minutes and viola!

A perfect replacement for macaroni and cheese!

On Saturday we went over to Nick and Bre's for a Mexican Fiesta night and bonfire.  The girls wanted to have a healthier take on Mexican night, so Bre made veggies with homemade guacamole and taco salads with turkey meat instead of beef tacos or similar.  Her friend brought over four layer bean dip with vegan sour cream.  I decided to make some homemade tortilla chips, that I've made before, and a Pinterest taco dip made with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

The link to the actual recipe was broken, but here's the gist of the dip recipe:

Greek Yogurt Taco Dip

1 medium sized tub of Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
Ranch seasoning packet
Taco seasoning packet

• Combine all ingredients into a bowl, stir
• Chill to let set
• Serve 

Since the link was broken on the recipe, I just sort of winged it.  I didn't use the entire ranch or taco seasoning packets, just about half.  I also added a lot of cayenne pepper for a little extra kick.  Next time I'd also use hot salsa instead of medium.  For the tortilla chips, I cut whole wheat tortillas into triangles and then brushed them with olive oil.  Then, I sprinkled some sea salt on them and baked them for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Brush on olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and bake chips

The ingredients

Toss together the ingredients

Mix together in a bowl, then chill for 10 minutes to set

The finished product!