Leftovers of a sort

I had quite a bit of quinoa/brown rice pilaf left over that I wanted to use and I saw this recipe in the February issue of Food & Wine by Cat Cora. Here's the link http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/warm-quinoa-salad-with-carrots-and-grilled-chicken. It's a warm quinoa salad with chicken and carrots. I decided to use it with my leftover pilaf. I love 1 dish meals. Thanks Cat!

Warm Quinoa Salad with Carrots and Grilled Chicken my way

2 cups quinoa/brown rice pilaf, cooked
~2 cups chicken stock
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled, cored and pressed
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
3 small carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise into half-moons
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size chunks

Re-heat the pilaf in ~1 cup chicken stock until warmed through. Cover and set aside.

In a large skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Heat the olive oil in the skillet. Brown the chicken completely, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan. Set aside.

Add the garlic and onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and cumin and cook over low heat until the carrots are just tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken stock and vinegar and bring to a boil. Stir in the chicken, lower the heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the pilaf in bowls with the chicken and vegetables spooned on top. Garnish with pine nuts.

This was yummy, simple and used up my leftover pilaf. I also appreciated the fact that I had most of the rest of the ingredients. Mike was very satisfied. Me too, leftovers gone and a new way to use chicken. Enjoy!