Professional chef shares easy recipe for a healthy chicken-and-grain bowl
Stay-at-home orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic are in full swing, and during the quarantine, people are eating most of their meals at home. Whether you’re riding it out in a big city or taking shelter in a more suburban area, ordering delivery for every meal is not sustainable for most.
Cassandra Loftlin, a professional chef with over 10 years of experience, has a simple solution. In the video above, she shares a quick recipe for her “Spicy Sweet Chicken Quinoa Bowl” that is both healthy and versatile. “It’s a good way to use up little odds and ends that you may have in your kitchen,” she says. The key to making this recipe work for you is utilizing what you already have in your pantry. Different grains, proteins and produce can be substituted to create endless versions of this healthy meal.
Before the coronavirus outbreak, Loftlin had been working as a host for America’s Test Kitchen in Boston, Mass. However, on March 10th, everything changed. “By the time I got home [from work], I got an email saying ‘We may have a case of coronavirus [in the building].’” She, like many people, assumed she would return to work after a week or two, but the dates continued to be pushed. Now she wonders if she’ll ever return and what the future of the food industry will look like, saying, “This has changed things forever.”
The biggest challenge? Letting go of the “old normal.” The pandemic has caused a complete lifestyle change and with that comes a whole new set of frustrations. As we move forward, says the seasoned chef, “it’s important to be able to help people adapt.”
Loftlin is currently living with family in Georgia and she’s staying active in her industry while working remotely. She says, “It gives me great comfort to be able to help someone that may not be confident in cooking...and to help them put dinner on the table.”
Video by Kat Vasquez
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