White Chicken Chili with Quinoa!

This was soooo good and soooo hearty.  The leftovers were awesome, too.  Leftovers being good is kind of a big deal since I'm usually the one eating them (sorry, Babes - it's the troof).  I'm looking forward to making this on those cool fall evenings.  Hopefully by that time I'll be on a normal shift for work and won't have to eat at 8:30pm every night.  Eck!

Here's your ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, diced
2 jalapeño peppers, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground (or just use a teaspoon of already ground stuff, I won't judge)
3 cups of chicken broth, or chicken stock
1 cup salsa verde
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast (or thighs)
1-15 ounce can of white beans, drained
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed (I bought the ready to cook stuff because that's how I roll)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon lime juice (or about 1/2 of a lime)
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, cubed
salt and pepper to taste
** The store was out of jalapeño peppers so I bought two Serrano peppers - I later read that Serrano peppers are about twice the heat of jalapeños so I only used one of the Serranos.  Also, I didn't want to buy a huge jar of salsa verde so I bought the little seven ounce can from the "international foods" (lol) section of the store and then I bought a little can of chopped green chilies.  I think that's really the only thing I did different.  In hindsight I would have added the second Serrano - I would have enjoyed more heat with it.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and jalapeños.  Cook until tender, about 5 - 7 minutes.
Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the broth, salsa verde, chicken, beans, quinoa, and oregano, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the quinoa is tender, about 10 - 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken, shred or dice, return to soup along with the lime juice and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.  Add the diced avocado and stir to combine.

DO NOT add the lime juice with everything else.  The acid in the limes (or any citrus fruit) can keep the quinoa (or any legumes) from cooking properly.

This recipe serves four and is just under 400 calories per serving (397, to be exact).  44g of carbs, 8g of fiber and a huge 42g of protein make this a perfect and filling meal.