Archive for September, 2015

Watermelon Quinoa Salad

Labor Day may have come and gone and summer is winding to a close, but some of my favorite produce (corn! watermelon!) is still readily available at the market. I’ve been making this light but hearty salad recently–once with quinoa as the base and once with greens–and it is so deliciously simple. It’s the perfect way to savor these last few weeks of warm weather and the last of those juicy, ripe watermelons. While I mostly make my own salad dressings, we stumbled across this zesty, fresh avocado vinaigrette, which worked perfectly tossed into this salad. If you can’t find it at your grocery store (in the produce section),  you can easily make your own using the ingredients below. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups cooked quinoa
1-2 cups diced watermelon
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
Handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Queso fresco or feta, crumbled
Salt and pepper to season
Avocado vinaigrette (store bought or make your own, recipe below)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make the dressing: Add 1/2 an avocado, 1/3 cup cilantro leaves, juice of one lime, a drizzle of honey, a pinch of salt and some chopped jalapeno into a food processor or blender. Pulse to combine, then slowly add in olive oil to taste, continuing to pulse until well combined. Dressing will be thick.
2. In a bowl, drizzle some of the dressing over the quinoa. Toss. Top with watermelon, cucumber, cilantro and cheese.

 

Homemade Pesto

I don’t think there’s anything more comforting than a simple bowl of pasta with homemade pesto. It’s easy and fresh, and gosh, it disappears quickly. Who’s with me? I like to harvest all the basil from my garden–or pick up a big bag of it at the farmers’ market if I’m running low–and whip together a basic pesto to store in the refrigerator or freezer. Pesto is not only simple to make but extremely versatile–it’s equally great for tossing with grilled veggies as it is for folding into warm noodles. Do you have a favorite go-to recipe? Here’s mine.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup pine nuts (or try 1/4 pine nuts + 1/4 walnuts)
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the pine nuts, garlic, basil, salt and pepper in a food processor. Process for 15 seconds. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl and continue processing until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and process until combined. Immediately transfer the pesto to a jar and top with a thin film of olive oil to prevent air from turning the pesto brown. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.