I’m excited to introduce Chanie from Busy in Brooklyn to all of you! Chanie and I actually started our food blogs within a few weeks of each other and I have been a fan of hers since the beginning. Not only does she create healthy, heart and flavorful kosher food but her photography has also evolved in to the stunning pictures you see below. Chanie also has a talent for crafting, including knitting, crocheting, DIY projects and more! I am always so impressed by her creativity and I just can’t figure out how she has time for all of her projects and recipes! Not to sound cheesy, but she really is “busy” in Brooklyn! I’m honored to have a guest post from Chanie on my blog and I hope you love her recipe as much as I do! Visit Busy in Brooklyn for more about Chanie and her creative recipes and crafts.
It is blogs like Kitchen Tested that inspire me to really challenge myself in the kitchen. I’m more of a “safe” cook. I like to use ingredients that I’m familiar with and I’m hesitant to try something that’s really out of the box. Following Melinda for the past several months has made me want to take more chances in the kitchen and explore different ingredients and combinations.
Recently, I decided to take my kids to the newly revamped JJ Bryne Park in Park Slope, Brooklyn. If you live in, or around, the neighborhood, I highly recommend that you visit (I would explain why, but this is a foodie post, not a travel review!). While my little ones frolicked in the sprinkler, I couldn’t help but notice the farmers market right beside the park. I asked my husband to keep on eye on the kids so I could check out my kind of playground. The sweet aroma of freshly picked peaches and strawberries captivated my senses as I scoured the market for just-the-thing. I spotted some garlic scapes, and I was intrigued. I had never used them before and I was determined to try. I decided to go with a black quinoa salad and to puree the garlic scapes into a pesto that could serve as a dressing. The addition of dried cherries adds a hint of sweet and tart that complements the garlicky pesto really well. The best thing about using the cherries in a black quinoa salad is that they almost disappear, so there’s a surprise in every bite.
Feel free to customize this salad, adding color with peas or mango or whatever ingredients suit your taste. I chose to make this salad pareve (non-dairy), but you can also add some parmesan to the pesto if you’d like.
Black Quinoa Salad with Garlic Scape Pesto & Dried Cherries
1 12oz. box black quinoa
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup dried cherries
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
Garlic Scape Pesto:
3/4 c garlic scapes, roughly chopped
1/4 c pine nuts
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c good quality olive oil
Method:
Pour stock into a pot and add salt. Bring to a boil. Pour in quinoa, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.Pour quinoa into a mixing bowl and set aside to cool.
Toast all the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until browned and fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool.
Add garlic scapes, 1/4 cup of pine nuts, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment.
Turn on the food processor and as the ingredients are pureeing, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube until it reaches a creamy consistency.
Pour pesto over quinoa and mix to incorporate. Add remaining pine nuts and dried cherries.
Season the salad with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
busyinbrooklyn.com
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