Quinoa chicken parmesan with zucchini noodles

One of the things I bought for myself was an inexpensive noodle maker for vegetables. It is not the  biggest or fanciest but I love zucchini and was sick of hearing all of the delicious uses of it without any means to create the masterpieces for myself. Now that I have the capacity I am looking forward to making healthier "pasta" dishes. As an Irish girl who loves Italian and wants to eat healthy---this recipe was calling to me the moment I saw it. I had to share it with my readers. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Quinoa Chicken Parmesan w/Zucchini Noodles

::Ingredients::

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning
• 2 large boneless, skinless Chicken breasts, cut in half, so they are thin (or use 4 small breasts, and pound them, thin & evenly sized)
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup almond flour or whole wheat flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup all natural
• shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup low-sugar organic marinara sauce 
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

::Directions::

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees f.
2. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray. (I used avocado oil or olive oil spray)
3. In a large saucepan, cook quinoa according to package instructions.
4. Stir Italian seasoning into cooked quinoa, set aside.
5. Season chicken with garlic powder, sea salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Working in small batches, dredge chicken first in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in quinoa mixture, pressing slightly to coat each breast.
7. Place chicken onto the prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown, and cooked through.
8. Top with cheeses and marinara.
9. Place into oven and bake until cheeses have melted, about 3-4 additional minutes.
10. Serve immediately over spiralized zucchini noodles (Consider tossing zucchini in a hot skillet with a touch of olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, for 3 minutes before serving)
11. Garnish with fresh basil

Happy Eating!

Signed

Tiesha