Quinoa-Crusted Chicken or Salmon with Sage

I found myself leafing through Quinoa 365 again this week, looking for a salmon recipe, and this simple weeknight Quinoa-Crusted Chicken with Sage sounded light, fresh and delicious--and I figured I could adapt it to salmon for three of us, while the remaining holdout from anything fishy could enjoy her chicken alone. The recipe called for a gouda cheese sauce to go alongside the chicken but since I don't really like gouda and I didn't want a heavy sauce, I wasn't tempted to make it and I was also pretty sure that none of us would miss it anyway. And they didn't. Then again, I didn't tell them that it even existed so who knows, it might have been a hit since nobody in this family ever turns down anything cheesy.
Since I didn't have the quinoa flakes that were listed, I just used my regular quinoa and it worked perfectly... grainy, nutty and light, with a zing from the Dijon and the freshness of the sage... a nice change from normal breading of any kind. No complaints from anyone, neither fish nor fowl camps, and that's often the highest praise since my food critics are feeling the fatigue of providing positive feedback after more than a year of new stuff. Just quiet acceptance is enough for all of us right now and I'm grateful for that.

Quinoa-Crusted Chicken with Sage
adapted from Quinoa 365
serves 4

3 tbsp milk
3 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
6 tsp finely chopped fresh sage
1/2 tsp salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

cheese sauce
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp quinoa flour
1/4 cup grated Gouda cheese


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Mix the milk and 2 tsp of the mustard in a small, shallow bowl. Add the garlic and Worcestershire sauce and mix well. Set aside.
Combine the parmesan, quinoa, 2 tsp of the sage and the salt and place in a shallow bowl. Working with 1 chicken breast at a time, dip evenly into the milk mixture, then place in the bowl and coat with the quinoa mixture.
Place the chicken breasts on the baking sheet and bake on the centre rack for about 20 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear.
To make the sauce, heat the milk and quinoa flour in a small saucepan on medium heat, stirring frequently. Whisk in the cheese with the remaining 4 tsp sage and 1 tsp Dijon. Heat the mixture until it thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes, whisking frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.
Rest of the week

Dec 10 Dinner with family at golf club

Dec 11 Busy day so ordered in from Vivetha

Dec 12 Quinoa-crusted salmon with tossed salad