Chicken, Broccoli & Quinoa Casserole

For the quinoa and broccoli:

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. When the water comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook until the water is absorbed, about 12 minutes.

2. While quinoa is cooking, steam the broccoli florets. My steaming method: Fill a large saucepan with about an inch of water. Place a steamer basket in the pan and fill it with the broccoli. Cover, and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling (which will happen in just a couple of minutes), reduce heat to a simmer. When broccoli is soft, after about 5 minutes, depending on how large the florets are, remove from heat and drain it.

3. Roughly chop the cooked broccoli and combine with the cooked quinoa in a large bowl.

For the chicken:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces into the pan.

2. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the cheese sauce:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots to the melted butter and cook for a few minutes, until shallots have softened.

2. Stir the flour into the butter/shallot mix.

3. Very slowly, add the milk and chicken stock into the pan while stirring. Start with just a tablespoon of liquid at a time, making sure it is entirely absorbed before you add more. As the mixture looks more liquid-y than solid you can add more and more liquid.

4. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. It probably will take between 5 and 10 minutes. When the mixture is thickened, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese, garlic powder, and basil

To assemble the casserole:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Place chicken in the bottom of a large casserole dish. I used a large oval baker but a 9×11 should work fine as well. Or use several smaller dishes—they are great for freezing. Top with quinoa and broccoli, and finally with the cheese sauce.

3. Put it into the preheated oven. Cook for about 10 minutes to let everything heat through. If you have frozen or refrigerated it first, you will need to bake it longer.