Meatloaf recipes - Cheesy Chicken Quinoa Enchilada Meatloaf Muffins

Cheesy Chicken Quinoa Enchilada Meatloaf Muffins

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 red or orange pepper , finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• few dashes of your favorite hot sauce
• few dashes red pepper flakes, if desired
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2/3 cup red enchilada sauce
• freshly ground salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 pound ground chicken breast or extra lean ground turkey breast
• 2 egg whites
• 2/3 cup reduced fat shredded Colby jack or Mexican cheese

Instructions

1. To cook quinoa: Rinse quinoa with cold water in mesh strainer. In a small saucepan, bring water and quinoa to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with fork; set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. While the quinoa cooks you can move on to the next step.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin generously with cooking spray. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Cook for a few minutes or until the onions have softened. Transfer to a large bowl to cool for a few minutes.
3. Add quinoa, cumin, oregano, chili powder, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, cilantro, salt and pepper and half of enchilada sauce (you'll reserve the rest for topping the muffins later). Next stir in ground chicken (or turkey) and egg whites and 1/4 cup of the cheese. You made need to use your hands to ensure all ingredients are well combined. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup or an ice cream scoop to add meatloaf mixture evenly to muffin cups.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon remaining enchilada sauce and cheese over the tops of muffins. Place back in oven and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese melts and muffins are cooked. Let cool for a few minutes then serve with fresh vegetables for a full meal. Makes 6 servings - 2 muffins each.