Chicken and Broccoli Quinoa Mac and Cheese

I believe this blog is a testament to how much I like to cook; I hope that each of my readers understands that, despite my typically awful pictures and penchant for taking bites out of my food before I photograph it, I do care a lot about what I put on this blog and like to let you glimpse in at my successes (and failures!) in the kitchen.

I also like to confess, from time to time.

Today's confession:  I freakin' LOVE Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

And if it's spiral mac and cheese - even better.  I LOVE IT.  (image)  With that said, I don't make enough money to support my mac and cheese habit, and I understand that processed, powdered cheese stuffs probably aren't the best for my diet.  A reinvention is obviously in order.

So the answer is obviously additional fake cheese stuffs.  I know, I know.  Not good.  But this recipe only uses two ounces of Velveeta.  Two lousy ounces.  How can you go wrong?!

1 1/2 cups fully cooked quinoa (about 3/4 cup dry)
2 chicken breasts, shredded or sliced
1/2 head broccoli, cut into small florets and steamed
2 ounces Velveeta
Tabasco, salt, and pepper (to taste)

Steam your broccoli until it's fork tender (I did this while I cooked my quinoa) and set aside.

I seasoned my chicken breasts with salt and pepper and grilled them on the stove top, then allowed them to cool, briefly, before shredding/slicing them.  Again, I did this while my quinoa was a-cookin'.

Since I cook my quinoa in the microwave, the next step was the easiest:  as soon as the quinoa was done, I threw the chicken, the broccoli, the Velveeta, and a bunch of Tabasco into the bowl that I used for my quinoa, stirred it all up until it was well-mixed and the cheese was nice and melty.  I seasoned it with salt and pepper, and then I sat my happy ass down and ate it.  It doesn't get much better than that.  Well, it does, but I'll need to buy stock in Kraft to see a return on my Mac & Cheese obsession.  Getting paid (in a roundabout way) to eat spiral mac and cheese WOULD be better. 

About that I cannot lie.

Nor about this:

Fendi via Bergdorf Goodman

WTF.