Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 500g whole chicken breast, trimmed
• 1 Tablespoon coconut for cooking
• 4 Garlic cloves, minced
• 4 medium carrots chopped well into small pieces.
• 200g pumpkin, skin removed + grated
• 1 Cup Quinoa
• 1 heaped teaspoon Chicken or vegetable stock- I use Massel bran
• 1 Cup chopped basil. 
• ¾ Cup finely grated parmesan (optional)
• Freshly ground black pepper

PLUS YOUR CHOICE OF GREENS TO SERVE WITH IT.

Always greens. 

Crunchy raw Rocket.  Or perhaps you’d rather saute’ up some warm Asparagus- up to you.

Method:

In a saucepan on the stove top- Place 1 heaped teaspoon of stock into 3 cups of filtered water.   Bring to the boil.

Place the chicken breast in boiling water, lid on, bring down to a simmer before turning the heat off.

Keep the saucepan lid on, allowing chicken to cook through- time varies- approx 20mins.

When you think the chicken may be done, use tongs to pick one piece up, cutting down the centre with a small knife to see if breast is cooked through.

Once chicken is poached, remove from water – set aside.

Use the same water you cooked your chicken in, as a stock to cook the quinoa. 

Add the Quinoa to your water and simmer for the 15mins or so Quinoa takes to cook.

In another large pan,  heat oil and lightly sauté the garlic for 1min.

Add carrots and pumpkin to the pan with your garlic- sauté for approx 5 minutes. Just to soften vegetables slightly.  You will be cooking them more in later steps.

Bring the water from the chicken to the boil again.  Pour that stock water to your sauteed veggies & garlic. 

Add the cooked Quinoa, and stir through- and plenty of pepper.

Whilst the quinoa & veggies are simmering together, shred / slice the chicken into desired size.

Allow the quinoa & veggies to cook approximately 10 min with the lid on, stirring occasionally.

You want most of the stock to be absorbed.  Stir often.

Stir through the shredded poached chicken, grated parmesan, chopped basil,  black pepper & serve.

Serve with your choice of greens- always greens! 

Some times i use fresh raw Rocket drizzled with a small amount of Olive oil and Balsamic.  Other times i pan fry Asparagus- up to you.

Holly Badoly- Pumpkin is a fruit!

And there are more amazing facts about this little dynamo you didnt know about.

This meal is jam packed full of eye strengthening compounds.  With 7384 mg per 100 g, Pumpkin has one of the highest levels of vitamin-A, providing about 246% of RDA. Vitamin A is a powerful natural anti-oxidant and is required by the body for maintaining the integrity of skin and mucus membranes. It is also an essential vitamin for good visual sight. 

AND THERE’S MORE!  

Zea-xanthin.  Zea-xanthin is a natural anti-oxidant which has UV (ultra-violet) rays filtering actions in the macula lutea in the retina of the eyes. Thus, it helps protect from “age-related macular disease” .  

All this along, along with the well known visual benefits of Carrots make this a delish dish of visual delight a winner if you are trying to figure out how to get more fruit and veg into you diet!