
1/3 cup uncooked quinoa | |
2/3 cup water | |
4 cloves of garlic | |
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion | |
1 red or orange pepper, finely diced | |
1 teaspoon olive oil | |
1 teaspoon cumin | |
1 teaspoon dried oregano | |
1 teaspoon chili powder | |
few dashes of your favorite hot sauce | |
few dashes red pepper flakes, if desired | |
1/2 cup chopped cilantro | |
freshly ground salt and black pepper, to taste | |
3/4 cup red enchilada sauce, divided | |
1 pound ground chicken or lean ground turkey breast | |
2 egg whites (or 1 egg) | |
2/3 cup reduced fat shredded colby jack or mexican cheese |
1. | To cook quinoa: In a small saucepan, bring water and quinoa to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with fork; set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. While the quinoa cooks you can move on to the next step. |
2. | Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin generously with cooking spray. |
3. | Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Cook for a few minutes or until the onions have softened. Transfer to a large bowl to cool for a few minutes. |
4. | Add cooked quinoa, cumin, oregano, chili powder, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, cilantro, salt and pepper and half of enchilada sauce (you'll reserve the rest for topping the muffins later). |
5. | Next stir in ground chicken (or turkey) and egg whites and 1/4 cup of the cheese. You may need to use your hands to ensure all ingredients are well combined. |
6. | Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup or an ice cream scoop to add meatloaf mixture evenly to muffin cups. |
7. | Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon remaining enchilada sauce and cheese over the tops of muffins. |
8. | Place back in oven and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese melts and muffins are cooked. |
9. | Let cool for a few minutes then serve with fresh vegetables for a full meal. Makes 6 servings, 2 meatloaf muffins each |
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