Deliciously Healthy

Quinoa is one of my favorite new grains. It's packed with protein and adds great texture to any dish. As I was searching 101cookbooks, I found this amazing looking recipe for quinoa mixed with kale, corn, tofu, and then topped with pesto. Coincidentally, I had most of these ingredients. We ended up adding mushrooms and forgetting the tofu, but other than that we kept the recipe pretty much the same. With a meal like this, you know that you truly can get a healthy meal without losing any flavor.

Heather's Quinoa Recipe (Heidi Swanson, www.101cookbooks.com)

a splash of extra-virgin olive oil
a pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 shallot, minced
3 cups cooked quinoa* (or brown rice, or other grain)
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups kale, spinach or other hearty green, finely chopped
2 cups extra-firm nigari tofu, browned in a skillet a bit
1/3 cup pesto
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/4 cup roasted cherry tomatoes (or chopped sun-dried tomatoes) [we used sun-dried tomatoes]

1. In a big skillet or pot heat the olive oil and salt over medium-high heat. Stir in the shallot and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the quinoa and corn and cook until hot and sizzling. Stir in the kale and then the tofu, cooking until tofu is heated through. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the pesto and pumpkin seeds. Mix well so the pesto is spread throughout. Turn everything out onto a platter and top with the cherry tomatoes.