My sister came over for the evening last night, and it struck me that our meal was quite green in color.
While she is not a vegetarian, my sister makes a point of eating very healthfully. Since we have similar taste (in just about everything, it seems), having dinner with her is usually awesome. Sushi, Indian, vegetarian sub sandwiches and seafood pastas are among the favorites, and we do well eating in or out.
This time, we stayed in, and threw together a hearty but healthy meal with ingredients I had and a few things she grabbed from the store. Oh, and wine. We were raised (responsibly) with the idea that a nice dinner simply isn’t complete without a glass of wine.
As you can see above, we had tea, our wine, salad, grapes and a bowl of food. I loaded the salads with greens, red pepper, artichoke, radish, carrot, mushroom, minced onion, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. Topped it off with a homemade oil and vinegar dressing.
Of course, the bowl of food was the best part. It’s based on a dish I came across a couple of years ago, and that both my sister and I have made for various occasions. It’s easy, filling and healthy. It also tastes amazing.
Behold the Haphazard Recipe for Creamy Pesto Quinoa!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 3 tablespoons pesto
- 2 avocados, diced
- 1 small package goat cheese, cut into smaller chunks
- 7 cherry tomatoes, diced
- Handful of toasted pine nuts
Directions:
- Cook the quinoa according to directions – generally two parts water to one part dry grain.
- Fluff the cooked quinoa before adding other ingredients.
- Add the pesto and stir in evenly.
- Throw in the avocado, goat cheese, tomatoes and pine nuts, stir in until evenly distributed.
- Serve warm or cool.
- Bask in creamy, complete protein veggie goodness, ideally in the company of someone you like.