Goat Cheese & Red Pepper Quinoa with Chicken & Potatoes

episode #86 of 30-minute budget meals

Happy Saturday! I was able to get up early this morning and feel pretty rested, so Grant and I got some coffee and bagels, and it felt nice to get out on a weekend morning!

Before we jump into this week’s recipe, I also wanted to mention that I was a guest curator for The Good Trade newsletter this week! You can read it here! I include a list of what I’ve been loving lately, how I’m adjusting to motherhood, etc.

I mentioned this on my Instagram stories yesterday, but social media has definitely influenced the way I cook. I’ve always had a lot of fun playing with food and color and styling, but with so much competition online now, you really have to find ways to stand out. When making a recipe video, visuals are absolutely everything, and if your food isn’t very good-looking, it’s not going to get pushed out.

And although I do want my food to look appetizing — it is part of the culinary experience, after all — sometimes, when I’m not on camera, I’m conjuring up concoctions that look a little beige or a little mushy but that taste incredible and are far more convenient than some of my other dishes.

This bowl is one of them. It takes me back to the early days of cooking, especially when I lived in New York City and craved warm, gooey bowls in the winter. It’s one of those dishes that gives you a carb hit, but it’s also loaded with protein and fiber, so you can feel satisfied, healthy, and full.

Now, I time all my 30-minute meal recipes when I cook them, and I’m always fully honest when they go over the 30-minutes. This dish is one of them — it’s closer to 40 minutes. If you follow my order of operations in the recipe instruction, you’ll maximize your time. My biggest tip for time saving is to make sure you cut the potatoes and chicken nice and small into bite-sized pieces so they roast quickly.

Also, this dish makes 4 servings, so you can use it as a meal prep and enjoy it multiple times throughout the week. It’s easily reheated, since it is just one bowl that gets mixed together.

RECIPE!

Goat Cheese & Red Pepper Quinoa with Chicken & Potatoes

Ingredients (serves 4)