Quinoa pesto bowls are versatile, nutrient-dense and delicious. Homemade pesto is quick and easy. You can use store-bought pesto for a quick dinner; as always read the ingredient label first.
Variations
Use snap peas, green beans, or asparagus instead of broccoli. What other vegetables could you use?
Use chicken instead of shrimp
Add edamame or garbanzo (chickpeas) and skip the shrimp to make vegetarian bowl
Serve over a bed of greens or shredded cabbage tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and lemon or a dash of apple cider vinegar
Double the recipe and use later in the week
Tossed with greens and goat cheese into a “meal salad”
Mash an avocado onto a tortilla, Swiss chard or collard greens, and add a big spoonful to make wraps.
Toast the quinoa in a medium saucepan over medium heat until is starts popping. Add water, bring to a boil. Immediately turn down, cover pot and cook 15 minutes.
Add the broccoli to the pot of quinoa and cook 5 more minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking make the pesto
Cook the shrimp
When the quinoa is cooked, carefully mix in pesto and half of the shrimp.
When serving, top with additional shrimp and pumpkin seeds
Pesto
Grind nuts in food processor or blender. Remove and set aside
Put olive oil and water in blender. Add 1 cup chopped parsley, blend well. Add remaining chopped parsley and blend well.
Add ground nuts and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste
Who knew eggplant could be yummy? It’s probably my least favorite vegetable, but this recipe makes an un-favorite veggie into a delicious meal!
I serve it over CMF Quinoa, or if time allows, I make quinoa “cakes”. The quinoa cakes are a great breakfast option, so I make enough go have for dinner and breakfast: topping them with eggplant ragu in the evening and later in the week with defrosted mixed berries I warm up 1 cup berries with 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt and it’s like dessert for breakfast.
The smoked mozzarella gives this dish a unique, gourmet flavor, but it’s delicious with fresh mozzarella as well. Another delicious alternative is fresh Bulgarian-style feta cheese (I add the feta just before serving). I’ve also made this without cheese.
The colors are so pretty, it’s a nice meal for dinner guests. Here are a couple of menu ideas:
Appetizer
White Bean Dip with Rosemary (or other CMF hummus/bean dip) with veggie sticks (carrot, bell pepper, celery etc) and pita or tortilla chips.
Any spinach-based CMF salads. It’s especially nice with the Spinach and Orange Salad giving the meal a Mediterranean flair. Or the Greens Edamame Salad for a more international fusion-style.
Make CMF Quinoa. While quinoa is cooking make eggplant ragu.
Heat olive oil in large heavy skillet until it begins to shimmer. Add eggplant, onion, garlic, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and cook over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, roasted peppers, and water and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is very tender and mixture is thick about 10 minutes.
Carefully mix in the diced mozzarella cheese and let melt for 5 minutes before serving.
Serve over CMF Quinoa. If time allows, I like to make quinoa cakes. I serve the eggplant ragu over the quinoa cakes and use the remainder for breakfast with poached eggs and spinach or defrosted from mixed berries I warm up 1 cup berries with 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt and it’s like dessert for breakfast.
Quinoa Cakes
Toast quinoa in saucepan over medium heat until it starts to make popping sounds. Add water, and bring to a boil.
When it begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Let rest 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350.
Generously brush a muffin tin with olive oil.
Transfer to a large bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, and then stir in eggs.
Pack muffin cups two-thirds full with quinoa using the back of a spoon or a spatula, dipping in water if it gets too sticky.
Place in oven and bake 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes.
Carefully remove from muffin tin with a spatula and place on plate.
To Serve
While quinoa cakes are cooling, stir in parsley and half of mozzarella into eggplant ragù and on low heat simmer just until cheese begins to soften, about 1 minutes.
Spoon over ragu quinoa cakes, sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top.
Recipe Notes
*Fresh mozzarella can be used instead of smoked mozzarella. I also use fresh Greek or Bulgarian feta cheese instead of mozzarella. If using feta, I cut into pieces and put on top of ragu just before serving (do not on heat the feta).
This recipe is part of my “naked kitchen menu” because it has no spices. Consider this a base that can be varied by using different ground meat, or vegetables and adding spices.
Variations:
Use ground bison or grass-fed beef instead of turkey, or ground lamb
For the soup, use leeks instead of onions, add a chopped turnip or rutabaga
Add 1 cup of chopped broccoli or cauliflower
Add 1 cup peas or green beans
Add 1 cup of diced potato
Reduce the amount of broth to make a chunky stew instead of soup
Pour milk into a large mixing bowl, tear bread into small pieces and add to the milk; soak 10 minutes.
Add ground turkey, chopped green onions, minced garlic and mix together.
Scoop out with spoon and roll between wet palms to form 1/2-inch balls.
Set aside.
Soup
Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat just until it starts to shimmer. Add onions, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables soften, add chopped garlic and cook, stirring, 2 more minutes.
Place meatballs on top of vegetables.
Gradually pour in broth. Gently stir broth into vegetables without breaking the meatballs. Cover and cook over low heat, just barely bubbling until meatballs are cooked through.
Add kale or spinach, cover and simmer just until kale/spinach is wilted. Gently mix together and serve.
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This originally happened by using leftovers. In my refrigerator I had leftover quinoa and grilled salmon and made it into a summertime dinner with arugula and tomatoes. It was so fresh and zesty, filling and tasty, a feast of color, flavor and texture that a friend asked me for the recipe.
I sometimes plan my weekly menu with grilled fish on the weekend and make sure to have extra to jumpstart a second meal for later in the week. Perfect for a quick summertime dinner or lunch. I use whatever leftover grains I have on hand (quinoa, brown rice, or barley).
Or skip the grains. it’s just as tasty and robust without. The beans, greens, onions make it nutrient-dense.
I’ve even made this with canned salmon.
This can be modified various ways:
Capers instead of olives
Celery instead of bell peppers
Mint instead of parsley (but using mixed greens rather than arugula)
It makes a nice luncheon for girlfriends. Serve with fresh baguette, goat cheese and Epicurious: Olive Tapenade on the side.
Place lime juice, water, minced garlic and red pepper flakes in little bowl and mix with a fork until well blended.
Mix in 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, whisking constantly with the fork. Add an additional tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil to adjust to taste.
Salmon and Beans
Place quinoa in a medium saucepan over medium heat and toast, stirring occasionally until popping sounds begin. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Immediately turn heat low, cover and cook quinoa 25 minutes. Remove from stovetop, uncover and cool.
While the quinoa is cooking, chop red bell pepper, green onion, parsley, cut tomatoes in half and cut pitted olives into quarters. Mix in a large bowl. Add salmon and white beans, toss together.
Add quinoa and toss just until combined.
Drizzle with 3/4 of salad dressing and toss until again.
Toss arugula with remaining dressing and spread on a platter.
Spread the salmon and bean mix over the greens, leaving a green border.
I used the leftovers to make wraps for lunch the next day, spreading a wheat tortilla with plain Greek yogurt. Yum.
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Here’s a fantastic way to enjoy cauliflower – a rather-tasteless-boring-white vegetable. Ha! Yeah those were my sentiments; I confess I avoided cauliflower until recently. Discovering how powerful it is to our immune system motivated me to find ways to eat it. And as always in my kitchen – nutritious must also be delicious!
So thank you SkinnyTaste for introducing me to Cauliflower “Fried Rice”! I’ve made multiple iterations; consider this a baseline rather than a precise recipe and go creative with what’s seasonal or in your kitchen.
Cauliflower is a cruciferous along with broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.
“ Cruciferous vegetables are among the most powerful weapons in our dietary arsenal against cancer. That alone would elevate it to the status of a SuperFood. Cruciferous vegetables boost the immune system, lowers the incidence of cataracts, supports cardiovascular health, builds bones and fights birth defects. They are some of the most nutrient-dense foods known offering an incredible high level of nutrition for a very low caloric cost. Steven Pratt MD and Kathy Matthews” SuperFoods: Fourteen Foods that Will Change Your Life”
Variations:
Skip the eggs, add edamame or tofu for protein to make it vegan
Or go the other way and add leftover chicken, pork or shrimp
Replace peas with edamame or snap peas (cut diagonally in halves or thirds)
Add mushrooms; wash, trim stems and slice. Cook with the chopped red onion
Coarsely chop cauliflower into large pieces. Put one-third in food processor and pulse just until cauliflower has the texture of rice. Remove from processor and repeat two more times until all cauliflower is “riced. Be careful not to over-process.
Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat with1 tablespoons sesame seed oil Add the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally until done. Remove egg from skillet.
Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to pan, saute onions, until they start to become translucent, add red bell pepper and garlic and cook another 3 - 4 minutes, stirring.
Add cauliflower and peas to skillet, mix until combined. Mix in soy sauce. Cover and cook over high heat 5 more minutes, stirring frequently, until cauliflower is slightly crispy on the outside but tender on the inside.
Add the egg. Remove skillet from heat and mix in scallions and parsley
Apricots seems to bring some kind of alchemy to this meatloaf, adding moisture, texture and a delightful flavor. Ground bison or beef can be used instead of turkey.
Toss some vegetables with what I think of as “roasting oil “ (about 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil mixed with 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt) and place them around the meatloaf in the roasting pan/Pyrex. Some of my favorite combinations are:
1 large baking potato, 1 large sweet potato cut into cubes and 2 poblano peppers (or red bell peppers) seeded and cut in similar fashion
About 2 cups of Brussels sprouts trimmed and cut in half, and 2 cups of diced potato (or new potatoes cut in half)
Large head of broccoli cut into large chunks: NOTE: add the broccoli after meatloaf has baked about 25 minutes.
Add a green salad and voila, dinner is ready.
Double the amount and freeze the extra turkey meatloaf to have later for later in the month or use leftovers for a quick dinner:
Meatloaf spaghetti: chop it and warm up with 1 – 2 cups marinara sauce
Stuffed bell peppers or zucchini: mix with leftover rice or quinoa and 1 – 2 eggs. Hollow bell peppers or cut zucchini in half, scoop out and add into meatloaf mix. Roast in oven 20 minutes at 350 degrees, add grated cheese and cook until melted.
Meatloaf tacos: chop it up and serve in taco shells alongside guacamole, salsa (chopped tomato, onion and cilantro), plain Greek yogurt and grated cheese
Meatloaf quiche: 2 cups chopped meatloaf, 2 eggs, 1 cup milk,1 cup pease or chopped veggies (broccoli, celery and carrots) 1/2 – 1 cup shredded cheese. I make this easy whole-wheat crust. from 100 Days of Real Food.
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Brush a loaf pan or roasting pan with olive oil (or 13 x 9 Pyrex).
Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, celery, carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion becomes translucent, about 8 – 10 minutes.
Mix in garlic, chili powder, cumin, tumeric and 1/2 teaspoon salt (and red pepper flakes if using) and cook another 2 – 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl mix oatmeal, turkey, dried apricots, parsley, eggs, teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until just combined. Add cooked onion, carrot mixture, stir until combined.
Place into loaf pan, or form into a 9- by 5-inch oval loaf and place in roasting pan.
Bake 45 minutes.
Recipe Notes
A Color My Food recipe
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This is my most favorite stuffing because of its luscious flavors and texture. It’s not only delicious, it is also a healthy dish given the nutrients in whole grains combined with walnuts and leeks.
Added to which, gluten-free members of the family can also enjoy it. And you can make it vegan by omitting the sausage.
[su_expanding_quote_book source_author=”Marge Wittenberg” source_title=”The Essential Good Food Guide” full_quote=”When it comes to nutrition, the clear winners (in the rice family) are the whole grain varieties, easily distinguished by their medium to dark colors including brown, red, purple, black. With only its inedible hull removed, whole grain rice is a good source of fiber, vitamin E and trace minerals.” short_quote=”When it comes to nutrition, the clear winners (in the rice family) are the whole grain varieties”]
This is part of the Thanksgiving 2016 Menu and goes with a 14 – 16 pound turkey.
Variations
Add 2 cups washed and chopped mushrooms when cooking leeks
Use 4 cups thinly sliced fennel instead of leeks
Use 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary instead of thyme
In a medium saucepan toast wild rice over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.
Add broth and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to simmer, cover and cook 45 minutes until rice is tender.
While the rice is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet and cook turkey sausage, breaking up with a spoon and stirring occasionally until it turns brown.
Add leeks, celery and thyme and cook over medium heat. If it is too dry, add 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil; cook until leeks and celery are tender. Remove from heat.
Mix wild rice with vegetables, parsley and chopped walnuts.
Bake Stuffing in Turkey:
Fill neck and main cavities of turkey with stuffing.
Spoon remaining stuffing into a buttered baking dish. Cover with foil and bake about 25 minutes. Uncover stuffing and bake until the top is golden and it is crisp around the edges, about 15 minutes.
OR
Bake Stuffing in Baking Dish Only:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
Place stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.
Recipe Notes
[su_original_recipe]
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Oh la la the contrasts in this dish: color, texture, sweet and spicy. Now here’s a potato salad I love!
Add the black beans and it’s robust and filling enough to be a main entree.
I serve it at room temperature. You can make it a day ahead. If so (the dressing gets absorbed over night), mix 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and toss again before serving.
It’s very popular at our summer dinner parties. I like to serve it with pork tenderloin (grilled or roasted), a quinoa pilaf and a green salad. Vegetarians/vegans can skip the pork and still have a well-balanced, delicious meal.
It also pairs well with grilled chicken.
Sweet potatoes are rich in cartenoids, orange, yellow or red-colored fat soluble compounds that protect plants from sun damage while they help them attract birds and bees for pollination. Cartenoids help protect us from free radicals, modulate our immune response, enhance cell-to-cell communication and play a major role in protecting the skin and eyes from damaging effects of ultraviolet light. Foods rich in cartenoids have been linked to a host of health-promoting and disease-fighting activities. They have been shown to decrease the risk of various cancers, including lung, colon, bladder, cervical, breast and skin.
Superfoods RX: Fourteen Foods that Will Change Your Life, Steven Pratt, MD and Kathy Matthews
For the dressing:
Mix everything (vinegar, honey, water, rosemary, onion, mustard) except extra-virgin olive oil in a small bowl.
Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
If organic, simply scrub the sweet potatoes. If not organic, peel sweet potatoes. Cut sweet potato into bite-size pieces and place in a pot with a steamer basket, cover and cook over medium heat for 6 - 8 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender. Run under cold water and drain.
Cut poblano pepper in half, remove seeds and cut into bite size pieces. Place in a bowl, add cooled sweet potatoes, black beans (if using) and onion in large bowl and toss.
Add parsley and drizzle dressing; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
I find bison a better alternative to beef, because bison are grass-fed and industry standards don’t allow the use of hormones or routine antibiotics, which are often given as growth promoters to cattle.
Meatballs are usually associated with spaghetti sauce, but this recipe takes them to another level, rich, hearty and satisfying.
My daughter eats just about everything, but she balked at the wine sauce, so here are two options to make it child friendly:
– Omit the brandy and replace 1 cup of wine with another cup of beef broth for a total of 2 cups of broth. It tastes much lighter. Some adults might prefer it this way too.
– Reserve some of the baked meatballs and serve them to children without the sauce.
My favorite way to serve this is with rice, but is also pairs nicely with roasted potatoes, or even noodles with poppy seeds in a goulash-like style.
To make the meatballs, mix all the meatball ingredients—oats, ground bison, eggs, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Lightly oil a metal roasting pan.
Using your wet hands rinsed under cold water, shape the meat mixture into 18 equal meatballs. Arrange in the roasting pan and bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.
Transfer the meatballs to a plate.
Meanwhile, start the sauce. Heat canola oil and butter in large saucepan over medium heat and add the mushroom and onion. Stir occasionally, until browned, about 7–8 minutes. Stir in the carrot. Sprinkle with the flour and stir well. Stir in broth, wine, brandy, tomato paste, and thyme and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, reduce to low heat and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes, checking periodically to make sure it does not dry. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if needed.
Return the meatballs to saucepan and cook another 10–15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
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The flavors and textures in this recipe are visually and tastefully delightful.
Serve with a salad of immune boosting seeds/nuts, a chopped green onion or two and greens (spinach, romaine or arugula) tossed with a lime or apple cider vinaigrette and dinner is ready.
“Fish is high in important vitamins such as B1 (thiamine), B2 (niacin) and D as well as omega 3 fatty acids. Salmon is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
It is believed that omega 3 fatty acids reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by increasing the levels of “good” cholesterol and lowering the levels of “bad cholesterol in the body. They’ve been found to prevent blood clots and there is evidence that omega 3 fatty acids help relieve symptoms of arthritis.”
Nutrition for Life, Lisa Hark PhD and Darwin Deen, MD.
Sadly, increasingly there are health dilemmas associated with eating fish, in particular farmed fish.
“Farmed fish are fed fish meal and fish oils because they need proteins and fats to help them grow (wild salmon get the nutrients they need by eating other fish which are small and relatively low in chemical contaminants); but these feeds contain higher concentrations of pollutants called PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)…Farmed fish have twice the fat and more than twice the saturated fat of their wild counterparts – increasing the levels of PBCs... Their omega-3 content depends entirely on what they are fed and this varies by species and farm. “
To learn more about PBCs “which are a “probable carcinogen visit
http://www.clearwater.org/news/pcbhealth.html
I believe it is important to be a conscious consumer and in regards to fish, choose to know where the fish comes from, whether is it is farmed or wild., not just for our health but also for that of the fish and the planet. We can make a difference by relying on a fish advisory card (link to http://www.seafoodwatch.org/consumers/seafood-and-your-health) and voting with our forks to only buy fish that is sustainable and healthy.
The flavors and textures in this recipe are visually and tastefully delightful.
Serve with a salad of immune boosting seeds/nuts, a chopped green onion or two and greens (spinach, romaine or arugula) tossed with a lime or apple cider vinaigrette and dinner is ready.
“Fish is high in important vitamins such as B1 (thiamine), B2 (niacin) and D as well as omega 3 fatty acids. Salmon is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
It is believed that omega 3 fatty acids reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by increasing the levels of “good” cholesterol and lowering the levels of “bad cholesterol in the body. They’ve been found to prevent blood clots and there is evidence that omega 3 fatty acids help relieve symptoms of arthritis.”
Nutrition for Life, Lisa Hark PhD and Darwin Deen, MD.
Sadly, increasingly there are health dilemmas associated with eating fish, in particular farmed fish.
“Farmed fish are fed fish meal and fish oils because they need proteins and fats to help them grow (wild salmon get the nutrients they need by eating other fish which are small and relatively low in chemical contaminants); but these feeds contain higher concentrations of pollutants called PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)…Farmed fish have twice the fat and more than twice the saturated fat of their wild counterparts – increasing the levels of PBCs... Their omega-3 content depends entirely on what they are fed and this varies by species and farm. “
To learn more about PBCs “which are a “probable carcinogen visit
http://www.clearwater.org/news/pcbhealth.html
I believe it is important to be a conscious consumer and in regards to fish, choose to know where the fish comes from, whether is it is farmed or wild., not just for our health but also for that of the fish and the planet. We can make a difference by relying on a fish advisory card (link to http://www.seafoodwatch.org/consumers/seafood-and-your-health) and voting with our forks to only buy fish that is sustainable and healthy.
Cook orzo as directed on package until al dente. Drain and place in a bowl and cover with clean dishcloth to keep warm.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook 1/2 cup onion and rosemary until onion softens, 9 minutes. Combine with orzo in a bowl.
Brush a roasting pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and place salmon fillet, skin side down in roasting pan.
While salmon is roasting, heat skillet again with 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook remaining 1 cup onion until translucent, add tomatoes, mixing occasionally until they start to burst – about 3 -4 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in parsley and basil. Season with salt and pepper
Spread orzo on a platter, place salmon on top and spread tomato mixture on top of salmon. Serve
