Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Cilantro pesto quinoa

If you haven't tried quinoa or if you did and didn't like it, please give it another try. It took me a few tries, but now I love the nutty flavor and fluffy texture.

Quinoa is referred to as a grain, but it is actually a seed. It's related to leafy greens like spinach and swiss chard. It doesn't contain any gluten and is a great source of complete protein. Quinoa is also a great source of manganese, magnesium, iron, riboflavin (B2), and tryptophan.

When the weather was a little cooler, I would eat warm, comforting bowls of quinoa with ume vinegar and sesame oil. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I like cold quinoa salads with lots of colorful veggies mixed in.

Last night I made some quinoa and was looking for a new way to season it. I decided to make a version of this cilantro pesto. I used sunflower seeds and walnuts instead of pine nuts. I like this variation of pesto, it's much lighter without the cheese. This pesto added a punch to my quinoa and veggies.
Source: whfoods.org

4 comments:

Sarah said...

Hey Adrienne! YUM...that looks good! Isn't it good with quinoa? My favorite.
Thanks for stopping by :)

-Sar

fresh365 said...

I could eat pesto every night (some times I do!) and this looks so good. Its funny how you can change the herbs and nuts, but in the end it still tastes like pesto. So good!

tiina { sparkling ink } said...

That looks so bright and fresh. The simple stuff is always the best!

Unknown said...

Sarah - thanks for the inspiration! It was so good!

Erin - You're right, I love how diverse pesto can be.

Tiina - Simple is the best!

Thanks for commenting :)