Chicken Quinoa Enchilada Casserole

Ok I swear I'll blog more about things other than food.... but I have the EASIEST recipe that I made up and had to share. This was so good, so healthy (minus some cheese), and so easy. After I had Monroe a girlfriend made us quinoa enchiladas and they were insanely good. I wanted to make something similar but didn't want to take the time to actually make the enchiladas so I kinda just put it all together to make a casserole. The hardest part about this recipe is that is does get a few dish dirty with the crock pot, pot for quinoa, and casserole dish. So the clean up took a little longer than I'd prefer but the end result is a easy healthy recipe for my family so I'll take the 15 minute clean up post meal. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 chicken breasts 
• 1 can chicken stock
• 1 cup quinoa 
• 1 (10-ounce) can mild enchilada sauce 
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can  green chiles, drained 
• 1/2 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
• 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed (we didn't do this))
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 bell pepper, sliced and cooked
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (I added more to make ours spicer)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• 1 Roma tomato, diced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Using 1 can of chicken stock, pour into crock put and add in 3 chicken breasts. Set on high and cook for 3 hours. Shred chicken and set aside. 
2. In a large saucepan using 2 cups water (or I used the left over chicken juice from the cooked chicken breasts), cook quinoa according to package instructions. I also added my bell pepper to the quinoa and let that cook in with it. Set aside 
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
4. In a large bowl, combine chicken, quinoa, bell pepper, enchilada sauce, green chiles, corn, black beans (optional), cilantro, cumin and chili powder; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.
5. Spread quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheeses. Place into oven and bake until bubbly and cheeses have melted, about 15 minutes.
6. Let sit for a few minutes to cool then serve and garnished with avocado and tomato. 

I served mine with chips and salsa for my husband although you don't need to. 

A quick and healthy meal for 2019! I have a feeling it'll be even better as a left over tomorrow. 

Cheers,
Jess