Recipe Friday - Summer Veggies with Quinoa & Cilantro-Pistachio Pesto

Whatever the reason may be, there are so many people who truly believe eating healthy is too expensive. They feel that just because their budget is tight, the only options are fast food or meals that come packaged in the freezer. But friends I have to tell ya - it doesn't have to be that way! You CAN eat great, fresh, real food on a budget.

One of my favorite food blogs is Poor Girl Eats Well.  Kimberly Morales, a single woman living in Sacramento, started this blog several years ago. She describes herself as having "champagne taste on a 2-buck chuck budget." She loves to eat well and refuses to settle for poor-quality food, even when she only has a few dollars to last. What I love about reading her blog is that 1) she is very creative 2) she always provides you with the per serving cost of each meal and 3) whether you are counting pennies or counting benjamins, you will love the fabulous, original recipes on her blog.

I have been anxious to try out one of her recipes and decided that my girls' night dinner last weekend was the perfect opportunity. I decided on a dish that sounds so perfect for summer - Summer Veggies with Quinoa & Cilantro-Pistachio Pesto. Those of you who have been reading my blog know that I really have a love affair with quinoa. It just delights me to use it in a meal. I also love to cook it for friends who have never tried it before, such was the case at our girls' dinner.

The whole meal turned out great and each friend agreed that the recipe was blog-worthy. The cilantro-pistachio pesto was so delicious and mixed great with the quinoa. I know that it seems that most people either love or hate cilantro and when I arrived at my friend, Anne's house, she actually informed me that she did not really like cilantro. I was worried at first because there was no way to omit the cilantro for one plate but we agreed that I would just add a conservative amount to the quinoa and then let everyone add more if they desired. Turns out that Anne loved the pesto and added more to her meal. I was also so thrilled a couple of days later when Anne, who is a single woman and a self-described non-cook, texted me to say that she was cooking and cooking quinoa! I was inspired by Poor Girl Eats Well and Anne was inspired by my meal - it always makes me happy to see people making positive changes in their life.

It doesn't matter if you are single or married with a family, poor or rich - anyone can learn to cook good, healthy meals and enjoy the process.

Photo from Poor Girl Eats Well blog

Ingredients
1 ½ c cooked quinoa
1 large carrot
1 medium zucchini
1 medium summer squash
1 c shelled fava beans
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
2 t olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 t thyme
Salt & pepper to taste

Cilantro-Pistachio Pesto:
2 ½ c (packed) cilantro, both leaves & stems
1 c pistachios
2 cloves of garlic
1 c olive oil
3 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 t salt

Amy's Changes

* I didn't add the fava beans
* I used a yellow onion instead of a red onion (personal preference)
* I started cooking the onion at the beginning instead of the end because I like my onions cooked well

See the full recipe and cooking instructions here at Poor Girl Eats Well

Vitamin "F"

This past weekend, I had the great pleasure of having a girls' night with some of my dearest friends. These are friends who grew up with me, who have been beside me over the years and who have seen the really good and the really bad in my life. They are also friends who I don't see that often because of distance and just the overall responsibilities of life and so it was a huge treat to share such a fabulous night with them. They helped provide me with a big dose of Vitamin "F"! I'm not talking about fatty acids here - I'm talking about the health benefits of friendship.

Health and wellness is not all about the foods you eat or the amount of hours you exercise. Although these things are very important, it's also those friendships in your life that make a difference in your overall wellness. The emotional health benefits of friendships include a longer, happier life. It's still unknown as to why but friends boost your immune system. Friends provide comfort, laughter, honesty, and the connection you have with them can help boost feelings of hope and faith. You can be yourself and walk away knowing that everything really will be okay.

As Southern women, most of us have heard the advice from older women, "Get yourself some good girlfriends - you're gonna need em." This is so true and I am grateful for those special girlfriends in my life. This week, I encourage you all to find ways to give and receive a big dose of Vitamin "F" - you'll be happy that you did!

Recipe Friday - Summer Vegetable Ragout with Zucchini, Green Beans & Corn

Hello all,

I know it has been awhile since my last post and I apologize for my lack of posting. Life is crazy sometimes! But the good news is that I am back on track and excited to share so many great ideas for health and wellness, as well as many great recipes! To incorporate a new posting schedule, Recipe Thursdays are now becoming Recipe Fridays and today I have a fabulous new recipe for you all.

I recently stumbled upon a new cookbook, Fast, Fresh & Green by Susie Middleton (Chronicle Books, 2010). The tag line of "More than 90 Delicious Recipes for Veggie Lovers" caught my attention because I am definitely a veggie lover and always looking for new, creative ways to cook up some yummy greens. I know that some of you are thinking "well I like some veggies but I wouldn't call myself a veggie lover!" I was that exact same person at one time. I am a prime example that we can retrain ourselves and our taste buds to love foods that are good for us. But that's another post for later!

Back to the cookbook - I was so pleasantly surprised by this cookbook because not only does the author provide lots of wonderful recipes but she also gives great information on all things veggies: shopping, storing, and preparing. I think it is a great book to have on hand in the kitchen.

One of our favorite recipes has been the Summer Vegetable Ragout with Zucchini, Green Beans, and Corn. (although I substituted asparagus for green beans) It is a great side dish with lots of great flavor. My husband really liked it the first time I made it! This is always a bonus because we are always tweaking recipes to make them better after the first attempt. In the cookbook, the author provides an option to change up some of the ingredients to give the dish more of a Thai flavor. This is how we prepared ours.

As always, I will list out the ingredients from the original recipe and then provide below any substitutions that I made. Usually I provide a link to the full recipe but this recipe is not online and therefore I will include the cooking instructions, as stated in the book, below. The recipe is for 4 servings. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 tsp Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 tsp finely Grated Lime Zest
1/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Cup low-sodium Chicken Broth
2 tbsp Coconut Milk
1 tbsp Canola Oil
1 Cup Fresh Corn Kernels
3/4 Cup Sliced Baby Zucchini
3/4 Cup Sliced Green Beans
1 Cup Medium-Diced Yellow Onion
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Finely Chopped Fresh Garlic
1 tbsp Chopped Fresh Herbs (Cilantro/Mint)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Amy's Changes

* I used Vegetable Broth instead of Chicken Broth to keep it vegan
* I used asparagus instead of green beans because that's what I had on hand
* I used grape seed oil instead of canola oil - just my preference
* I only used cilantro but will definitely add the mint next time

Cooking Instructions (from the cookbook)

1) Combine the lime juice, lime zest, and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. In a liquid measure, combine the broth and coconut milk. Set these aside.
2) In a 10 in saute pan with a lid, heat the oil over med-high heat. Add the corn, zucchini, green beans, onion and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the bottom of the pan is browned (this is from the starch in the corn) and some of the vegetables are just beginning to brown, 4-6 mins. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, just until well combined. Turn the heat to low, add the broth-milk mixture, stir well to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and cover. Simmer, stirring once, until the liquids have reduced to 1-2 Tbsp, 3-4 mins.
3) Remove the pan from the heat, uncover, and stir in the lime juice mixture and most of the fresh herbs. Season with pepper and stir again. Transfer to a serving dish or individual bowls and garnish with the remaining herbs.