When you don’t know what to make for dinner, what do you usually end up making? My go-to is the almighty quinoa bowl. Quinoa bowls are a versatile way to show off the seasons and this one is my little tribute to spring.
For this bowl, I lightly blanched some beautiful broccolini and tossed my quinoa with kale, fresh mint, roasted chickpeas, avocado, and my favorite part – crisp, pink slices of watermelon radish.
Here’s a food styling tip for you: seek out watermelon radishes to add some color to your bowl. That pop of pink always look gorgeous and they add a lovely crunch to your salad.
These bowls are dressed simply with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper and are dolloped with a scoop of (healthier) herb-y pea pesto.
This makes a great healthy dinner and the leftovers pack up nicely for lunch the next day.
- 1½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 bunch broccolini
- 2 to 3 kale leaves, chopped (about 3 loose packed cups)
- juice of ½ lemon, more to taste
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 watermelon radish, thinly sliced
- ½ avocado, cubed
- ½ cup mixed fresh herbs (I used mint and dill)
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 cup packed fresh spinach (or sub basil)
- ¼ cup fresh dill (or sub basil or mint)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, more if desired
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chickpeas on the baking sheet and toss them with a drizzle of olive oil, and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Roast until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.
- Make the pesto by pulsing the hemp seeds, peas, garlic and a few generous pinches of salt and pepper in a food processor. Add the spinach and dill and pulse again then add the lemon juice and Dijon mustard. While the processor is running, drizzle in the olive oil. For a thinner pesto, add more olive oil until it reaches your desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings. Chill until ready to use.
- Prepare a large pot of salted boiling water and a large bowl of ice water. Drop the broccolini into the boiling water and blanch for about 1 minute, or until tender but still vibrant green. Transfer the broccolini to the ice water and let it cool for 1 minute. Drain and set aside to dry as you assemble the rest of the salad.
- Place the kale into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Massage the leaves until they soften and wilt down. Add the quinoa, watermelon radish, avocado, herbs, broccolini and roasted chickpeas and toss. Season to taste with additional olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve with a dollop of pesto.
from Love and Lemons http://ift.tt/1WBmNQt
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