I’m back guys! Since summer has unofficially begun, I thought it would be a good idea to start the season off right with a super healthy, super delicious meal before we let the burgers, hot dogs and potato salad take over for the next 3 months!
One of my absolute FAVORITES this time of year is basil. I can’t get enough of it, and luckily, it’s usually sold in large bunches. So for this super summer meal, I’m giving you a basil-quinoa-veggie salad.
Sort of like a bean salad, but without the beans (although they’d make a lovely addition), this salad uses up any veggies in your fridge you need to think of something to do with before they go bad. I specifically chose sugar snap peas and red peppers because that’s what was available in my fridge, but you could use anything you like- raw, steamed, sauteed, or roasted.
Prepare one cup of quinoa according to the package directions and then mix in your chopped veggies. Leave some of them raw for extra nutrients and added crunch if you can, but things like sauteed leeks and roasted eggplant chunks would be delicious add-ins. Especially the leeks, as they get an almost sweet, buttery flavor.
I chopped up a handful of basil and incorporated that as well, but I also made a very quick pesto with the rest of the basil, a heavy drizzling of olive oil, a handful of walnuts, the juice of half a lemon and a large pinch of coarse sea salt. Food process that all together, adding the oil as you go until the consistency appeals to you. I prefer mine a little chunky.
Serve your quinoa (keen-wa for newbies to this super healthy grain) salad with a side of steamed kale and a small chicken breast, and drizzle the whole plate with some pesto and an extra squirt of lemon juice and you’ve got a meal I couldn’t make healthier if I tried!
The best thing is that the longest part of this whole process is making the quinoa, which takes about 15 minutes. While it’s cooking, you can put some chicken on another burner, chop a few veggies, process the pesto, AND steam the kale all in that time.
And to make this even more filling for the vegetarians, throw in some white cannelini beans or adzuki beans. While quinoa is conveniently already a complete protein (unlike all other grains and beans), it can’t hurt to add a little more.
Focus on this at your next BBQ and I guarantee a guiltless morning after!
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