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