Ginger Rocks

Hi Guys.

I hope everyone is having a happy hump day. Due to the onset of some pretty intense nausea that began early today, my day as not been as wonderful as I would have hoped. For those of you who immediately thought "morning sickness", I can assure you that it's not :)! Thankfully, I don't think that the nausea has anything to do with the flu, as I don't have any other symptoms except fatigue. Not to sound whiny, but I've been in pretty rough shape all day. I haven't wanted to eat anything, but I've tried to anyways in hopes that the food would settle my stomach. No such luck there. About 30 minutes ago, I poured myself a glass of water to which I stirred in some ground ginger. I would have used fresh ginger, but I juiced it all yesterday! I usually chew on a piece of ginger if I experience nausea, and it seems to relieve the symptoms fairly quickly. I'm happy to report that the ground ginger seemed to work just as well! I certainly don't feel 100% , but my stomach seems to have settled a bit. If you were wondering why I didn't just drink ginger-ale, it's because I don't drink any beverages with "bubbles" (carbonation- bubbles was what I called the fizziness when I was little). I've never been able to tolerate the taste or feeling in my mouth from carbonated beverages; I'm sure this made things easier on my parents as they never had to worry about my soda consumption as a child. I will admit that over the years, I have incorporated beer and champagne into my beverage arsenal,but I still don't love the feeling I initially get from the bubbles!



Last night for dinner, I resurrected an old favorite- BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad.  The above picture is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats ,which I'm using since I couldn't manage to snap a good photo of my dish last evening. This dish is healthy, satisfying, colorful, flavorful, and EASY. I may have blogged this recipe before, but it's just so darn good that I'm going to provide it again! My only issue with this dish is that most bbq sauces contain high fructose corn syrup; however, the recipe calls for so little of the sauce in the dressing that I don't think it's anything to freak out about.

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

(adapted from Iowa Girl Eats)

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed very well
2 cups chicken broth
2 chicken breasts
salt & pepper
2 ears corn, shucked (or 1 cup corn kernels)
1/2 cup black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup BBQ sauce (plus more for chicken)

Directions:

1. Rinse quinoa very well in a fine mesh sieve under cold running water. Combine with the chicken broth in a saucepan then bring to a boil. Place a lid on top, lower heat to medium-low, and cook until quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes.


2. Meanwhile, season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt & pepper, then grill over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes a side, or until no longer pink in the center. (Alternatively you could poach the chicken, or use leftover or rotisserie chicken.) Add corn to the grill at the same time, and rotate every couple of minutes to evenly char on all sides. Remove chicken and corn to a plate and let cool slightly. Shred or cut chicken into cubes, then mix with enough BBQ sauce to coat. Slice kernels off the cob.


3. Mix together Greek yogurt and BBQ sauce in a bowl. Evenly divide the cooked quinoa, shredded BBQ chicken, grilled corn, black beans, and shredded cheese between four plates. Drizzle with yogurt and BBQ sauce mixture, then garnish with chopped cilantro.

* Note: I added hot sauce to the bbq dressing this time, and it was a fantastic addition. I also used frozen corn since fresh corn is not in season. I broiled my chicken which I seasoned with garlic salt, pepper, and old bay. I don't use additional bbq sauce on the chicken because I feel that I get enough flavor from the dressing. 

Alright, time to go sip my ginger water and snuggle on the couch.

Xo

Sarah