Last night I was with some friends, and after having these AMAZING enchiladas, I got a little inspired to try making Mexican food! Now, I have to be honest, I have a serious fear of making Mexican dishes because I’m Italian and I just feel extremely deficient in that culture of cooking! But hey, you only live once, and this recipe is actually not totally Mexican, but I’m trying! 
Remember I told you quinoa was my new favorite ingredient? Well nothing’s new under the sun, and I still love it more than ever. This was the first time I tried simmering the little grain inside of a soup, and it came out WONDERFUL! Seriously, what an amazing substitute for rice. I know I know, you will never give up rice…and I’m in the same boat with you on that one, but if you can have a substitute that is just as good and you get filled up the same way, why not try it?!
So here is my version of Chicken and Rice Soup now titled “Chicken and Quinoa Soup” Soooo yummy! Please try it!!!
Ingredients:
3 Cups Chicken Broth
1/2 Cup Quinoa
1 Diced Uncooked Chicken Breast
Black Pepper
Onion Powder
1/2 Can Black Beans
1 Cup Frozen Corn
Handful Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
Dollop of low-fat Sour Cream
Directions:
(Prep Time: 20 min.)
Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Lightly pepper the raw chicken on all sides. Add the chicken to the boiling broth. Toss in 1/2 cup of Quinoa. Sprinkle about 1 tsp of Onion Powder. Cover and let simmer 15 min.
Remove Lid, return heat to high. Add black beans and frozen corn. Boil for 2 min. longer. Serve soup in single bowl, topped with slight sprinkle of cheese and a couple drops of sour cream.
Oh so good!! And by the way…probably less than $5 to make this soup, and it serves about 3-4 people. Great deal!
In the process of making this soup, I wondered…should I add anything else? What do you think?
By: Erika Pizzo