Chicken and Quinoa Casserole

Quinoa (keen-wa) is a quasi-grain (it's the seeds from the chenopodium plant and is more closely related to the beet and spinach family than to rice) that's been cultivated in South America for thousands of years. The Incas were cultivating quinoa for the dinner table on a mass scale when Columbus and other conquistadors were still in diapers. It is extremely high in protein, especially high in the amino acids lysine and tryptophan as well as quite high in amounts of seven others. The first time I tried it, I wasn't sure what to think; it's not really like anything else in its category. It's not a true cereal grain like a rice or corn or wheat and the taste is a bit earthy and the texture has a little crunch to it. The second time I tried it I made a casserole and still wasn't sure about the taste. But I noticed something. I kept coming back to the fridge and I'd have a little more and a little more until I had eaten the whole casserole in one night! (Okay, it wasn't that big, I wasn't married to Seth then). I've been hooked ever since. You should be able to get quinoa in most places of the country these days. Here is another recipe from my forthcoming book that is easy and delicious.

2 medium sized, boneless chicken breasts, diced into bite sized pieces

2 cups quinoa

1-1/2 cups water

1 leek, white part only, cleaned and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 zucchini, cut into julienne strips

1 large carrot, cut into julienne strips

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper, white or black

Mix all ingredients into a casserole dish large enough to accommodate and bake for 35 to 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Serve and enjoy. Serves 4.