Cherry Balsamic Chicken Salad with Quinoa
This salad features the bold and fruity flavors of cherry plus the boost of magnesium in quinoa can relax blood vessels and decrease headaches.
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Headache help: Do you suffer from migraines? A 1-cup serving of quinoa contains 30% of your daily value (DV) of magnesium, a mineral that helps relax blood vessels. Increasing your intake of magnesium may reduce the frequency of headaches.
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tsp each ground allspice and cumin
- 1/2cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (TRY: Bionaturae Organic Balsamic Vinegar)
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup dried unsweetened cherries
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, or as desired
- 1/4 cup slivered toasted unsalted almonds
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp each sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1 packet stevia
- 4 cups arugula
Preparation
- Sprinkle chicken with allspice and cumin and mist with cooking spray. Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add chicken and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side, until no longer pink in center. Transfer to a cutting board and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package directions. Drain with a fine mesh sieve and immediately rinse with cold water, shaking sieve to remove excess water; set aside.
- Return skillet to medium-high heat and add vinegar, onion, cherries and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and continue to cook, constantly stirring and scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet, for 2 to 3 minutes, until mixture is reduced to about ¼ cup; set aside to cool.
- Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in quinoa, balsamic mixture, almonds, sesame oil, salt, black pepper and stevia. Divide arugula among plates. Top with chicken mixture, dividing evenly.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1 cup arugula and 1 cup chicken mixture
- Calories 347
- Carbohydrate Content 30 g
- Cholesterol Content 66 mg
- Fat Content 10 g
- Fiber Content 6 g
- Protein Content 32 g
- Saturated Fat Content 1 g
- Sodium Content 330 mg
- Sugar Content 10 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 0 g