I whipped up these spiced chicken and quinoa bowls for the family the other week and they were a hit, so I thought that I would share them with you today. The boys are really enjoying quinoa as a new grain in their diets and it makes dinner a little more interesting when we aren’t eating rice or pasta ALL THE TIME.

Think of this recipe as a ‘jazzy stir fry’ except all you really need to cook is the chicken mince – WINNING…because I just can’t handle this NEVER ENDING heat. I feel like it’s not only sending the children a little batty, but also the parents {and by parents I mean me!}.

We have been escaping to a little oasis in my parent’s backyard for a swim. It has been fantastic to see Mr Moo’s confidence and skill level improve over the summer. Just last week, he was able to swim from one side of the pool to the other without a floatie {aged three and a half}, and with a little help from Mummy he was also able to dive down to pick up the fish off the bottom of the pool.

I can’t wait to see him back in swimming lessons in a week or so. We might just have a little Olympian on our hands!

SPICED CHICKEN AND QUINOA BOWL

150 grams quinoa
1 lemongrass stalk
1 long red chilli
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch of mint
1 bunch of coriander
1 lime
2 carrots
2 cucumbers
40 grams of cashews
500 grams of chicken mince
20mls fish sauce
2 tbsps white wine vinegar

1 tbsp of sesame oil

Rinse the quinoa and place in a small saucepan. Cover with 300 mls of water and bring to the boil. Cook for 12 minutes or until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Set aside for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, trim the lemongrass and finely chop. Finely chop the chilli. Finely chop the garlic. Zest and juice half of the lime. Cut the carrot and the cucumber into matchsticks. Finely shred the coriander and the mint.

Place the carrot and the cucumber in a shallow dish and drizzle with the vinegar.

Heat the oil in a frypan over medium heat. Cook the lemongrass, garlic, chilli and coriander roots and stems until fragrant.

Add the chicken and cook, stirring to break up any lumps, for 4-5 minutes until browned and cooked through.

Add the fish sauce, remaining coriander, lime zest and juice to the chicken and stir to combine.

Divide the quinoa between four bowls, top with the spiced chicken, veggies, cashews and any remaining mint or coriander leaves.

Have you ever whipped up a recipe from my blog? I would love for you to let me know…So I don’t feel as if I am just writing all this stuff down for nothing… If you choose to whip up one of my recipes , then I would love for you to share it on social media, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #goodfoodweek.