Harissa chicken with quinoa and travel plans ahead!
Most people who know me, know that we are cat lovers. At the low point (it was too much!) we had 5 furry creatures, but right now we have only one old lady left. Gizmo. Now Gizmo has reached the honorable age of 20 years this year. And we’ve had her since she was a little kitten so a pretty long time. Now she has a thyroid problem which means she is very skinny. But apart from that she is deaf and her eye sight is certainly not what it used to be. She’s also a little bit demented we think, but overall she is a happy cat.
One of the down sides of owning a really old cat is that sometimes you have to put her best interest before yours. In our case it means that we cannot go on any trip together at the moment. Gizmo gets upset when you move her out of her own little world and then stops eating. She is on daily medication so before, when we would go on holiday, we would bring her to a cathotel ( a really good one!) and she was given her medicine there. But the last time we went away (1,5 year ago… sigh) she almost died. She refused to eat because she missed us and her home. Bottomline; if we go away on vacation for any extended period of time (and with extended I mean anything more then 2 days) together she will basically be dead when we get home. Not an option in my book, so last year we decided that – as long as she is still with us – we will not be going on long trips together.
Ofcourse… that is tough sometimes. We both have busy lives and going away together is our time to relax and enjoy each others company.. It’ll have to wait! The good news is that I will be going on two trips in July. One to Weimar for the Foodstyling and photography workshop by Meeta and the other trip is to Ireland where I will finally be meeting Helene from Tartelette in real life for the first time plus I also get to spend some time afterwards with Mona. Now how cool is that? Really looking forward to both trips. Just a shame that Tom won’t be joining but our time will come at some point.
But enough of that now! I want to share this quick and delicious dish with you today. You know I love quinoa right? And paired with this delicious spicy chicken it is just one of the best meals you can have. And so healthy too! 
Harissa chicken with quinoa
Yield: 2
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Ingredients:
- 250g chicken filet
- 2 teaspoons harissa paste
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- 150g quinoa
- 1 courgette (zucchini, cut into cubes)
- 100g chestnut mushrooms (cut into slices)
- 2-3 sprigs thyme (leaves only)
- 2 leaves sage (chopped finely)
- 2 tablespoons chives (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds (roasted)
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
Directions:
| Rub the harissa on the chicken filets and sprinkle some of the smoked paprika over it. Don't overdo it as the smoky flavor can be quite overpowering. Heat a griddle or frying pan and bake your chicken. Be careful as the harissa tends to spatter a bit |
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| Put a pot of boiling water on and add 1 cube of chicken stock. Once boiling add your quinoa and cook for about 15minutes or according to package instructions. Heat a frying pan with oil and bake your courgette first. Once they start to soften, add the mushrooms and the thyme leaves as well as the sage. Roast your sunflower seeds in another (dry) pan |
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| Drain the quinoa once cooked and add the baked courgette and mushrooms to it. Be sure to check the seasoning and add salt and pepper where needed. Add the sunflower seeds. Slice your chicken and drape over the quinoa. Sprinkle with chives. | |
Recipe by Simone van den Berg
On another note; remember that give away I had a while ago for the book The Chef and I by my dear friend Mona? Well using the plugin ‘and the winner is’ I can now reveal that the lucky person receiving one of the books is PJ from Seduce your tastebuds!
Congratulations to PJ!! I’ll be contacting you by email shortly!
Appetizer
Asian
Bread
Breakfast
Desserts & other sweets
Healthy
Brilliant Simone. I am getting so excited about seeing you in Ireland!
Send me the details for the lucky winner and I will get the book out in the post right away!
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Brilliant Simone. I am getting so excited about seeing you in Ireland!
Send me the details for the lucky winner and I will get the book out in the post right away!
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Gizmo is such a pretty cat! I hope mine will reach this age. A great picture of you both.
Good to know that you are nonetheless able to plan a few travels…
That chicken dish looks wonderful!
Cheers,
Rosa
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oh your cat is sooo cute!
And this dish! so flavoursome! I am stealing it for dinner
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Thank you so much Simone. I am sooooo excited
.Dropped you a mail just now.Can’t wait to read the book….
And wishing you a happy and safe journey
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Love the chicken dish and shall put it on the menu! Hhmm, Gizmo very definitely knows she is loved: just look at that contented face
!
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Lovely pic with Gizmo. The recipe for the dish looks awesome. And on the travels …how fun! Have a great time.
Best,
Sihi
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Oh, Gizmo is zoo cute…and you and your husband are great and very considerate parents. Yes, that’s the downside of having someone to care for…My husband and I haven’t been alone in a vacation together since….Mmm I forgot !!
Harissa chicken sounds healthy and delicious !
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I am looking forward to seeing you again too. So happy we have some time to spend away from the workshop too. I actually came around here for the chicken. I love harissa and chicken together it’s a winning combination in my books!
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Although the dish is enticing, your story hit close to home. My dog is 14 and a half and she has never been kenneled in all those years. Now that my two girls are both on their own; it’s just the two of us and I find leaving is difficult. Not just the hassles of who and where but for the reasons you cite; she just misses me, her home, her routine so much that it’s not worth putting her through that stress so I am pretty stuck. I don’t love that but I love her, yes the her that is now lying at my feet her.
We are in the middle of a terrible bout of heat and I’m trying to deal with it without air conditioning. Many suggest that I leave for the afternoon when it’s the worst and take up residence at Starbucks but what about Abbie? I figure if she has to suffer, then I’ll stay here and suffer with her! Thanks for sharing and making me feel like less of a nutcase because of this dog I love.
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Life with pets is better than without, in spite the the sacrifices as you so lovingly admit. Thanks for sharing this story about Gizmo, she is precious. AND, thanks for the dinner inspiration, I love harissa and quinoa. Good combo!
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I love that picture of you and Gizmo together! So sweet! I look forward to hearing and reading about your little trips Simone. And I have to say…I love the quinoa with the harissa chicken…a great dinner idea!
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Simone
I will have to search your site for your harissa recipe. The recipe looks delicious. I can relate to you kitty issue… only in that if I had an ill pet, I would do exactly the same thing. So sad – but such a lucky cat! cannot wait to read about your travel adventures. Both trips sound like so much fun!
Valerie
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Such a sweet photo of you and Gizmo together
Have a fun trip Simon and this dish sounds yum! I make something similar with couscous.
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Gizmo is a lovely & beautiful cat! You look cool too!
I love this tasty chicken dish a lot! So yummy looking!
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Wow..20 years old! My friend had a cat who lived to 27! With the intense love you have for Gizmo (the photo of you holding her is precious!), and the fact that neither of you will take long trips while she’s still alive, is such a show of love for that kitty, that I have a feeling she may be living to 27 or more! What a lucky girl to have such a great Mommy and Daddy. I have two vats, so we never have to worry about that. They love us, but they love each other a little more – best pals! That said, I love harissa, and your chicken looks fabulous! Have fun in Weimar and Ireland – looking forward to reading about it!
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We’ve had enough bad experiences with leaving our beloved dogs at kennels, including an especially horrific one with Marty a couple of years ago, that now we either go where we can take him along or leave him with one of our sons at home. Our pets are too important! But poor Tom while you are galavanting around and going to such cool workshops and visiting such great friends and having a great time! Now, what about stopping off in Nantes?
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I love Harissa and the chicken looks great!
I know how it is having animals. With our small farm it is tough to get away, so we really enjoy it when we can! Gizmo is super sweet!
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