photo by Lea Kriesberg
Honestly, I felt like a real adult when I successfully created this pesto. I wouldn’t say I’d make this in my dorm room, but if you have a little extra time and want to try your hand at some homemade pesto, this is a really great way to do it. I bought some fresh basil (I feel like that sounds very adult), and added some ingredients that I already had. Usually pesto calls for parmesan cheese and I don’t have any, but I do have nutritional yeast so I used that. Nutritional yeast never does me wrong, which is why it made my list for top 10 most useful ingredients! (Using nutritional yeast instead of cheese also makes this recipe vegan.) I don’t have a food processor so I just used my little blender to whizz everything together and it worked perfectly! Again, this mini blender is truly a kitchen essential. Almonds helped me achieve the slightly chunky and thick consistency I like. You could use any nut you have– I think walnuts or cashews would work too. This pesto is a great multipurpose spread to use throughout the week–I envision it being delicious in omelets, on a toasty sandwich, or mixed into a bowl of pasta and veggies. For the rest of the salad I cooked some quinoa, cut up some kale, and roasted chickpeas. Both quinoa and roasted chickpeas are super easy and fast. Quinoa takes just 15 minutes to cook and the chickpeas take around 10-15 minutes to get crispy and delicious in the oven. This is one of my favorite ways to eat chickpeas. Toss them in some spices, salt, and pepper, throw them in the oven, and they come out tasting like little crunchy croutons (except with more protein and fiber!) Crispy roasted chickpeas also make a great snack when you’re craving something salty and crunchy (perfect substitute for potato chips). This little salad works well for preparing in advance to pack for lunches throughout the week. I’ve found that using more creamy spreads instead of salad dressing ensures that the salad won’t get soggy when you pack it and keep it in the fridge until lunch time. Hope you enjoy!
Prep time: 20 minutes
Active: 1o minutes
Serves: 5
Ingredients:
- kale
- quinoa (1 cup dry= around 4 servings)
- chickpeas (2 cans)
- spices* ( whatever you have– Old Bay, chili powder, garlic powder, mixed herb seasoning, etc.)
- salt and pepper
for the pesto
- basil (1 bunch)
- nutritional yeast (around 1/4 cup) (can use parmesan cheese)
- almonds (around 3 tablespoons)
- olive oil
- garlic powder/fresh garlic (1 clove fresh garlic, 1 tablespoon garlic powder)
- salt and pepper
- water (to thin if necessary)
- oil
*If you want more ideas for great spices to use check out this post!
Supplies
- baking sheet
- blender/food processor
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven on the broil setting (so heat is only coming from the top).
- Start boiling a pot of water for the quinoa. When the water is boiled, add the quinoa and turn the heat down to a simmer. Loosely cover the pot with a lid. Simmer for around 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
- Wash the chickpeas and dry them as well as possible using a kitchen towel. Getting them dry will help them get crispy in the oven.
- Lay the chickpeas on a baking tray.
- Cover the chickpeas with oil and salt, pepper, and other spices (use an oil with a high smoke point like canola, avocado, or coconut– olive oil won’t get as hot, which is not ideal for when you want things to get crispy!) Use whatever spices you have– I like my chickpeas a little spicy so I use spicy Old Bay and chili powder along with some garlic powder.
- Place the chickpeas in the oven for around 15 minutes. Keep your eye on them because they can burn easily. Toss every few minutes so all sides get evenly crisped.
- While the quinoa and chickpeas are doing their thing, wash and chop the kale.
- For the pesto, wash the basil and put all the ingredients into the blender. Blend everything together until it reaches a consistency you like. Taste it and add more nutritional yeast, garlic, or other ingredients until it tastes right to you. If you like a chunkier pesto add more almonds, if you like a smoother pesto, add more water.