Run Plant Based

Formerly The Raw Project - Running on a Healthy Vegan Diet

Creamy Balsamic Quinoa

by

Happy long Labor Day weekend! It’s been a leisurely day here with a trip to the gym, Whole Foods, and dog walks. But poor Skipper is getting a little tired of the summer heat, he crashed in grassy shady spots a few times during today’s walk.

skipper

It took some gentle coaxing to get him moving again. And he crashed on the cool hard floors for awhile when we got home.

IMG_2562

Poor old guy. Leela has been anything but relaxed lately because she can’t stand flies in the house and turns into a nervous wreck and hides in the closet when she sees one.

IMG_2566

We’ve been getting more flies in the house lately while having to let Skipper into the backyard so much and it’s not helping her odd phobia.

Tomorrow we’re celebrating Labor Day by running a local 10k race sponsored by Whole Foods and it starts early at 7:30am. Since quinoa seems to be my lucky pre-race meal, I got a little creative for create a new quinoa recipe loaded with basil, zucchini, and carrots for a hearty main dish.

IMG_2546

Creamy Balsamic Quinoa

  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 2 tbsp. tahini
  • 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves, sliced
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • 1 zucchini, shredded
  • 2 cups of water
  1. Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a medium soup pot.
  2. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. Stir in tahini, balsamic vinegar, garlic, basil leaves, salt, carrots, and zucchini.
  4. Cover and simmer on low for another 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
  5. Serve and enjoy. Makes 4 servings.

Adding grated veggies, especially zucchini, to grain dishes is a great way to make then more filling and nutritionally dense while being less calorie dense.

IMG_2548Lately we’ve been going through a lot of these bags of quinoa.

 

IMG_2550

The tahini added a tangy creaminess to the dish.

IMG_2554

And my creamy quinoa dinner was ready and very pretty.

IMG_2556

The balsamic flavor is present blending beautifully with the basil and garlic, but not over powering.

IMG_2557

The balsamic also blended nicely with the tahini adding a complimenting zing. The texture really worked for me too with the creamy sauce, slightly firm quinoa and crisp, not over-cooked veggies.

IMG_2560

This could be a great vegan main dish or one-pot meal. Leftovers will hold in the fridge for a few days, but large batches can be made to freeze for easy meals months down the road.

Comments