Quinoa with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pesto Sauce Recipe
A tasty pesto sauce with some very nutritious secrets offers a superfood twist on a classic Italian dish.
• 1/2 cup (packed) sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 cups (packed) chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup hemp seeds
• 1⁄3 cup essential fatty acid (EFA) oil (available at health-food stores)
• 1⁄3 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon freeze-dried wheatgrass powder
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 4 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 cups (packed) baby spinach, cut chiffonade-style (extra thin)
1. Soak sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 30 minutes or until soft. Drain. Slice thinly.
2. Use a food processor to blend basil, hemp seeds, oils, wheatgrass powder, nutritional yeast, sea salt and garlic into a pesto sauce. In a large bowl, toss pesto (as much as desired) with quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Serve cold or gently heat. Serves 4 to 6.
Best Way to Cook Quinoa
• 1 part dry quinoa: a scant 2 parts water
• 1 cup dry quinoa = 3 cups cooked quinoa
1. Rinse quinoa (some quinoa is sold prerinsed) using a fine-mesh sieve or strainer. Combine quinoa and water in a pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until water has evaporated and quinoa is slightly translucent and tender. Let stand for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork before serving.
For more ways to incorporate nutrient-dense superfoods into your diet, read the original article, 4 Superfood Recipes.
Julie Morris is a natural food chef, writer, educator and advocate of whole, plant-based foods and superfoods for optimal health. Her recipes and nutrition tips are dedicated to making a vibrantly healthy lifestyle both easy to achieve and delicious to follow. This article was excerpted with permission from Superfood Kitchen, published in November 2012 by Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. Morris’ latest book, Superfood Smoothies, is being released this May by Sterling Epicure.
