Grilled Lemongrass Chicken with Red Quinoa and Vegetables

adapted from Self

Easy enough for prepare? Check

Healthy? Check

Delicious? Check

Husband liked it? Check

I liked it? Check

Baby liked it? Check

The lemongrass in this has such a wonderful aroma. I may or may not be salivating a bit thinking about it. I got a few stalks from Whole Foods for honestly $0.25 or so- don't be tricked into buying the pre-made stuff in a tube. Be sure to add fresh mint into the mix because it really is the ticket to making this extra delicioso.

Ingredients

Marinade

3-5 medium shallots

4-5 stalks fresh lemongrass (tough outer leaves removed)

1 piece ginger (about 1 1/2 inches), peeled

¼- 1/3 cup canola oil

½ cup fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp. tamari (or soy sauce)

2 Tbsp. light brown sugar

1 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoon ground coriander

3-4 boneless, boneless skinless chicken breasts

drizzle olive oil (1-2 tsp.)

1 cup red quinoa

2 cups chicken broth (or stock) or water

1 pound (about 3 cups) fresh sugar snap peas, strings removed

1-2 (2 cups) red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced

fresh mint, chopped

Directions

1. To make the marinade puree shallots, lemongrass, ginger, oil, lime juice, tamari, sugar, sea salt, pepper, and coriander in a food processor, until smooth. This should make about 1 ¼ cup of marinade. Place chicken in a baking dish and spoon on ¾ cup marinade, rubbing it on all sides. Cover; chill 1/2 to 2 hours. Reserve and refrigerate remaining ¾ cup of marinade.

2. When chicken is ready to cook, preheat grill. While grill is heating up, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook quinoa until toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until quinoa absorbs liquid, about 15-20 minutes. Turn off heat; let sit, covered, until ready to serve.

3. Meanwhile, grill chicken over medium heat turning once, for 4-6 minutes per side. Remove chicken; let rest two minutes. Slice each breast on the diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces.

4.While chicken is grilling, remove reserved marinade from refrigerator-whisk to freshen. Pour 1 Tbsp. of marinade in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Cook sugar peas and peppers until crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes. Turn off heat. Add fresh mint and toss. Serve chicken and vegetables with a side bed of quinoa. Warm-up reserved marinade and drizzle on top of chicken and vegetables for a little extra flavor, if desired.