Quinoa, Mixed Veggies, and Sun Dried Tomato and Artichoke Pesto

Since I'll be living away from home this year, I'll be cooking for myself and occasionally my roommate. Because of this, I've been cooking a LOT at home so I'll have a wide variety of tasty recipes under my belt. After all, there's nothing worse than boring food! I also want to make sure I'm eating as healthy a diet as possible, with a good balance of whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, and good sources of vegetarian protein.

I'll start by sharing my most recent recipes, and will supplement them with the recipes I've done in the past. I've gotten most of my recipes off of other blogs, with some modifications based on what was in the fridge.

Tonight, I made a Quinoa dish. Quinoa is definitely one of my favorite grains, as well as a great source of protein. I'm always trying to find new ways to get protein since meat isn't an option. Originally, I planned to make a kale and sun dried tomato pesto sauce. However, my plans were thwarted when I discovered my kale was covered in bugs! Honestly, I was just way too grossed out to use the buggy kale. Thus, I decided to resort to a recent technique I've adopted in my cooking: Improvisation! I substituted the kale with the artichoke hearts I was planning to mix in later on, and messed around with the other ingredients until I found a sauce I liked. I ended up sautéing some veggies adding them to quinoa and mixing it all in with the pesto! I suggest making the pesto first, and then making the quinoa and veggies at the same time, combining it all at the end. I served it warm, topped with some more sun dried tomatoes and a few walnuts.

Enjoy!

Sun Dried Tomato and Artichoke Pesto
Ingredients:
1 can of artichoke hearts, reserve liquid
1 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes (Not in oil)
3 T olive oil
2 T Walnuts
2 large cloves of garlic
Lemon Pepper to taste (Mine is from Trader Joes)

Step 1: Combine the artichoke hearts, olive oil, garlic, and reserved liquid in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Step 2: Add the sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, lemon pepper, and remaining liquid and blend until smooth.

Variations: You can add less of the artichoke liquid to create a thicker, more dip-like consistency. This can then be used in the same way as hummus with veggies, crackers, breads, and anything else you can put it on! 

Quinoa with Shallots
Ingredients:
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups Low-sodium vegetable broth
1 T diced shallots

Step 1: Combine quinoa, shallots, and broth in a medium-sized saucepan.

Step 2: Over high heat, bring pot to a boil. Stir the quinoa mixture, reduce heat to low, cover, and let sit for approximately 15 minutes.

Step 3: Once quinoa is fluffy and has absorbed all of the broth, remove from heat and fluff it with a fork.

Mixed Veggies
Ingredients:
Mixed vegetables of choice
        My Choice: 2 Cups peas
                            1 Zucchini, thinly sliced or chopped
                            1 bunch of asparagus, cut into small pieces and then cut diagonally across
2-3 T olive oil
Italian seasoning to taste

Step 1: Heat oil in a large pan at medium- high heat. Add veggies and seasoning.

Step 2: Constantly stirring, saute veggies until tender.



Once all of the components are made, Combine everything in a large pot or bowl, making sure the veggies and quinoa are evenly coated. This recipe makes quite a bit of food, but it was a good amount for my parents and myself. I'd say it makes 3-5 servings.