Quinoa with Pesto and Arugula

I know what you're thinking. Another quinoa recipe?  But this is why I love quinoa so much! You can use it in almost any dish.

I'm quickly working my way through the pesto I made last week. I had it on gluten-free bread for lunch, on rice pasta for dinner, and so on. When I was deciding what to make for dinner the other night, I figured why not toss it on some quinoa and see how it tastes? Quinoa is a good substitute for pasta, and honestly, a bowl of quinoa is probably better for you than a bowl of pasta, since it's full of protein.

Let me back up. I had a bit of an indulgent weekend... A delicious dinner Friday night at Osteria Morini in SoHo for my boyfriend's birthday (the grilled artichokes sans bread crumbs, octopus, and grilled pork chop were all incredible), Saturday afternoon at the Yankees game and a bacon cheeseburger (no bun) at Royale in Alphabet City, Sunday brunch at El Almacen in Williamsburg, not to mention lots of wine and cider... I ate and drank a ton. Oh, and of course I made these Sunday. So by Monday night I was craving a healthy, balanced meal.

I picked up a tomato from the Union Square Greenmarket on my walk home from work, some organic arugula at our local market, basil from the plant in our apartment, and I was set. All I needed to do was cook the quinoa. If that's not an easy meal...

Quinoa with Pesto and Arugula

1/2 - 1 cup cooked quinoa (I prefer to cook my quinoa in stock rather than water; it gives it more flavor)
1 tablespoon pesto
1/2 organic tomato, diced
A few fresh basil leaves
1 - 2 cups organic arugula
The juice of 1/2 fresh lemon

Cook the quinoa. Once it's off the stove, mix in the pesto, tomato, and basil.

Place the arugula on a plate and squeeze the fresh lemon juice over it (I also added a little balsamic for an extra flavor kick). Pour the quinoa mixture over the arugula. Enjoy!

This was so tasty that I had it for lunch the next day, and I'm sure I'll be adding it into my regular rotation (at least until summer is over). 

Summer Tomatoes and Caprese Salad

This summer I'm having a love affair with tomatoes. That's a weird thing to say, right? But I am! I've always liked tomatoes, but I don't think I've ever loved them or eaten them as much as I have this summer. Two words: farmers markets. The tomatoes I've bought thus far at farmers markets have been unbelievably delicious, juicy, flavorful... I could go on, but I'll spare you. 

We all know there are a million different ways to eat tomatoes, but in my opinion, the simpler, the better. One of my favorite dishes is the ever-popular caprese salad. It's so simple, but the flavors of the mozzarella and tomato compliment each other extremely well. 

Whether over a bed of arugula with balsamic glaze drizzled on top (my balsamic glaze from Eataly is one of my most treasured items in my pantry, and well worth the $15 I spent on it), or just with a little salt and pepper, you can't go wrong. And of course basil. Yesterday I bought a basil plant for my apartment from the Rockefeller Center Greenmarket and I can't wait to have fresh basil at my disposal anytime, day or night. I also bought rosemary and mint plants, but that's beside the point.  

You can also get really good, inexpensive mozzarella. I've been buying mine from Whole Foods recently and pay somewhere around $3.50 for two baseball-sized balls of mozzarella. My absolute favorite is burrata, but it's more expensive and not something you'd buy every week. The outer shell is solid mozzarella, while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream. I kid you not, it melts in your mouth. The best burrata I've had in New York City (over a bed of arugula and tomatoes) is from San Mateo, a little Italian pizzeria on the Upper East Side. It's owned by Italians, the wait staff is Italian, what's not to love? When I'm there I feel like I'm re-living my semester abroad in Rome. 

So there you have it: my love affair with tomatoes! No recipe necessary. 

Arugula and Peach Salad with Honey-Lime Vinagrette

On Sunday night one of my roommates and I made the most delicious summer salad for dinner. We were licking our plates when we finished. 

A little background. I recently saw a nutritional counselor, Claire Calmeyn, who taught me about maintaining a healthy diet. Not just a gluten-free diet, but a healthy diet in general. She taught me the importance of eating organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed and pasteurized meat and dairy, and so much more. She took me to the Union Square Greenmarket and showed me all of the various summer fruits and vegetables I should be eating. And she said to always buy organic, or local, when I can. Not only do organic fruits and vegetables taste better, but they retain all of the natural nutrients that are normally killed by pesticides.

I mention all of the above because I've been making a conscious effort to buy organic and from the greenmarket whenever I can. It's more expensive, but in my opinion very worth it.

But enough of that and onto the salad! I was in San Francisco with my parents in June and my stepmom kept talking about the salad she had at dinner with my dad the night before I arrived. She made it for us when I was home in Maryland a few weeks ago, and I loved it so much I told my roommate we had to make it (although I tweaked the recipe slightly). We went to Whole Foods, purchased all organic ingredients, and made the most delicious, simple salad I've had all summer.

Arugula and Peach Salad with Honey-Lime Vinagrette

Serves 2

2 peaches diced (white and yellow)
2 large handfuls of arugula
The juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons of honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the arugula on a plate (or in a bowl), and sprinkle the diced peaches on top. Combine the lime juice and honey in a small dish, mix it up, and drizzle it over the arugula and peaches. Add salt and pepper if you wish (I wish).

Oh, and I shouldn't neglect the delicious caprese salad we had on the side, with drizzled creamy balsamic vinegar on top (purchased from Eataly).

Enjoy!