Broccoli, Chicken, and Quinoa Casserole

The first time I made this recipe I bought quinoa in bulk so I did not have directions. I found instructions for making quinoa pronounced "keen wah" and some nutrition information at Joyous Health.   Quinoa was new to me then and harder to find, now five years later, quinoa is everywhere.  

This is one of our favorite meals.  We all love it, especially the kids.  It's pretty easy to throw together too since I use canned chicken and frozen broccoli.  I have made it with shredded chicken and fresh steamed broccoli, but think it is just as good with canned and frozen ingredients so this is one recipe where I save myself the trouble.  

Basically, you make a simple cheese sauce and combine it with cooked quinoa, broccoli, and chicken then mix it all together in a casserole and bake to perfection.  

My sweet five year old brought me some wild onions from the yard so I had to garnish the top.   
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Ingredients:

1½ cups quinoa
3 Tbsp. butter
1 sweet onion, diced
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk 
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. dry or prepared mustard
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. turmeric
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz. shredded cheese, I like a mix of cheddar and mozzarella
10 oz. bag frozen broccoli
13 oz. can of chicken, drained


This is what uncooked quinoa looks like in a pan with water.

Directions:
1.  To cook the quinoa follow package directions or if you purchased your quinoa in bulk use these directions: 1 part quinoa and 2 parts water.  Combine the water and quinoa in a pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 12 minutes.

2.  Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Cook the onion in melted butter until it is tender and golden.  Stir in the flour, garlic powder, mustard, cayenne, and turmeric.  Continue stirring until light golden, a couple of minutes. Slowly stir in the milk.  Allow to simmer, stirring frequently, until it bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes.  

3.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cheese until melted and smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

4.  In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, frozen broccoli, drained canned chicken and cheese sauce. 

5.  Transfer to a greased casserole.  Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.  Serve warm.  

(My husband likes to dress his with a little hot sauce.)

Yum