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Quinoa and Black Bean Bowl

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This savory Quinoa and Black Bean Bowl is simple, tasty, healthy, vegan, and gluten-free.  

This savory Quinoa and Black Bean Bowl is simple, tasty, healthy, vegan, and gluten-free.  

To be honest, I discovered this meal by complete accident.  We had quinoa in the fridge for the Healthy Quinoa Breakfast Bowl and some black beans from the previous night’s jerk chicken.  I needed a quick lunch, so I grabbed an avocado from the counter and combined the three.  I was shocked at how good it was, especially considering the absence of meat! To make it even better, it was super easy to make and nutritionally solid.

Handling the Avocado

The key to keeping the avocado in chunks and not smashing to the resemblance of baby food is simple.  Make the cuts before removing the green flesh from the skin. Using a pairing knife, half the avocado, remove the pit, and make both horizontal and vertical cuts on each halve.  Then, simply scoop the perfectly cut chunks out of the skin with a spoon. 

Other Ingredient Tips 

It is 100% possible to make this dish “organic”, if you choose.  When cooking the black beans, I typically add a teaspoon or so of Flavorgod Everything to help develop flavor.  The recipe calls for red quinoa.  Regular quinoa works just as well, but I use red because it has a more nutty taste that adds depth to the dish.  The choice is yours. Enjoy!

Quinoa and Black Bean Bowl

This savory Quinoa and Black Bean Bowl is simple, tasty, healthy, vegan, and gluten-free.  

Ingredients

  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 cup red quinoa
  • 1/4 red onion
  • 1/2 Jalapeno
  • 1 avocado
  • season to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the quinoa, reduce heat to low and cover for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally. A fork works great to break up the quinoa, or "fluff" it.
  3. While the quinoa is cooking, place the beans and diced vegetables in a small pot/saucepan and bring to a boil. Season to taste. Reduce heat to low and let beans simmer until quinoa is fully cooked.
  4. Halve, pit, and dice the avocado.
  5. In a bowl, layer the quinoa, avocado, and beans (in that order) and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 314Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 554mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 16gSugar: 2gProtein: 13g
© Cody
Category: 30 Minutes or Less

 

Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders

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These easy, three ingredient, baked chicken tenders may have you ditching the fryer.

These easy, three ingredient, baked chicken tenders may have you ditching the fryer.

So, one of my best friends is like, the dude of dudes.  You know, 85% of my diet is meat and the rest is stuff that I love (like chips or snacks) or am tricked into eating (like fruits and veggies) type guy.  Avid hunter, backcountry adventurer, photographer, Mr. DIY, and household handy man; he’s deeply rooted in his own personal beliefs without being a tool about it.  He used to regularly scarf down bags of Snyder’s Pretzels or Fritos Honey BBQ twists and down whatever beer we had at the time, but he apparently never threw them on the roof of his dad’s business; which is it’s own story 😎. That was all before he was diagnosed with celiac disease (an immune reaction to eating gluten).  For a whole bunch of tasty gluten free recipes, check out Maebell’s.

Now, obviously I’m not kicking my boy to the curb for his inability to consume beer and bread like the good ol’ days.  Not a chance!! I’m trying to keep the good times rolling!  So, I have made several GF ventures in the kitchen and if/when the opportunity presents itself, we can still grill and chill. This one, I think, was a success.

Ingredients for Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders

You only need three simple ingredients to make these tasty Baked Chicken Tenders.  Make sure to check to chip bag to ensure it is labeled “gluten free”.  For this delicious recipe, you will need:

  • Chicken Tenders
  • Beaten eggs
  • Your choice of Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
These easy, three ingredient, baked chicken tenders may have you ditching the fryer.

Use any flavor chips you’d like! Pictured are Voodoo, Farmland Ranch, and Dijon Mustard.

How Long to Bake Chicken Tenders?

You want to bake the tenders for approximately 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Flip the tenders after about 15 minutes or so to prevent sticking and/or soggy bottoms.

Tips for the Best Oven Baked Chicken Tenders

There are plenty of baked chicken tender recipes out there and many of them, to me, taste……well…..baked!! In the search for crispy, flavorful oven baked chicken tenders, I’ve found a few key tips that seem really improve the end result.

Use Kettle Cooked Chips – There is a reason a specify “kettle cooked” chips in the ingredients list.  That is because of their notorious crunch.  They are distinguishably more firm than regular potato chips and are key to reaching the desired crispiness. 

Cook the Tenders Until Crispy – When you grind the chips down, they will become rather “greasy”.  As they cook, some of the oil will seep out and become visible before drying into their tasty crispiness.  It is a noticeable change so maintain a watchful eye. 

Rotate the Tenders – Once you notice that the top side of the tenders become crispy, flip them and allow the same thing to happen to the bottom side.  This will happen in less than half of the time as the top side.

These easy, three ingredient, baked chicken tenders may have you ditching the fryer.

Serve solo or complimentary to another meat, like steak or pork loin.

Other Chicken Recipes

Buffalo Chicken Mac

Mediterranean Chicken Sandwich

Easy Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast

Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders

These easy, three ingredient, baked chicken tenders may have you ditching the fryer.

Ingredients

  • 1 package chicken tenders (approx. 1.5 lbs)
  • 1 bag of Kettle Cooked Potato chips
  • 2-3 beaten eggs

Instructions

  1. Wash your chicken tenders and pat them dry.
  2. In a bowl, beat 2-3 eggs depending on size.  We typically have extra large or jumbo in the fridge. 
  3. In a blender/food processor, grind down the chips to a consistency that’s comparable to Panko bread-crumbs.  If you don't have a blender/food processor, put the chips in a sealed bag, place that bag inside another sealed bag ensuring that all air is pressed out. Then, go to town with a mallet or hardcover book! Both work, just trust me. It’s okay if you have some random larger pieces, but not big enough where you’ll catch a sideways crunchy kettle chip to the roof of your mouth when you bite into it…..ouch!!!
  4. Place this new ground breading on a plate (paper plate works fine).
  5. Now, your prep station should look like this; from left to right: chicken, egg, ground chips, cookie sheet. If you’re a lefty or prefer the opposite direction, just flip the set up but you should get the idea.
  6. Dip the chicken tenders into the eggs, roll in the ground chips until evenly coated, and place on the cookie sheet.
  7. Place in the oven at 400 for approximately twenty minutes or until done (165), rotating it at about 3/4 of
    the way through (15 min)

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 312Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 288mgSodium: 402mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 15g
© Cody