Cuban Chicken and Black Bean Quinoa Bowl

You've got a lot of power on your plate and plenty of opportunity to manifest the body and life of your dreams. And while you can't control every aspect of your environment, there is one thing you have more control over than anything else: what you eat.

Maintenance | Serves 4
Prep time: 30 minutes, plus marinade time | Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes:

2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Chicken and Marinade:

1 orange, peeled, seeded, and pureed
1 tablespoon lime zest
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh hot red chile
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon tamari
3 or 4 drops stevia
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil

Mango Salsa:

1 mango, pitted, peeled, and diced
1 fresh hot red chile, seeded and minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime

Quinoa and Beans:

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped red bell peppers
1/4 cup dry quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

Sauce:

1 orange, peeled, seeded, and pureed
1/3 cup full-fat canned coconut milk

Directions

  1. Make the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 435 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the arrowroot powder and salt, then add the melted coconut oil and toss to ocat. Arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned at the edges.

  3. Marinate the chicken: in a blender, combine the orange puree, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, chile, garlic, cumin, tamari, stevia, and a couple of grinds of black pepper. Blend until smooth.

  4. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour 1/3 cup of the marinade over the chicken; set the remaining marinade aside. Cover the bowl and marinate the chicken for at least 20 minutes (or overnight) in the refrigerator.

  5. Make the salsa: Combine the salsa ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

  6. Make the quinoa and beans: Heat a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers and quinoa. Saute for 5 minutes, until the red bell pepper is soft and the quinoa is lightly toasted. Add the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the quinoa is cooked. Season with salt and black pepper and remove to a bowl or plate. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil, the garlic, black beans, and a pinch each of salt and black pepper. Cook until the beans are warmed through. Cover and set aside to keep warm.

  7. Cook the chicken: Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, or until browned all over and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover to keep warm.

  8. Add the reserved marinade and the orange puree to the skillet. Bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the coconut milk and cook for about 5 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

  9. Too serve, divide the quinoa, black beans, chicken, sweet potatoes, and salsa evenly among four bowls. Drizzle with the sauce and serve.
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