I recently highlighted Heidi Swanson’s recipe for double broccoli quinoa in my Recipe Roundup column. I mentioned that I’d like to try it sometime but using roasted broccoli instead of steamed.
Yeah, this post isn’t about that, because I did use the steamed. I did, however, add, subtract and substitute a few things to tailor this recipe to our family’s tastes. I’m not sure I can scream loudly enough what brilliant taste buds that Heidi Swanson has. This recipe was bursting with flavor and I loved every single bite. And there were a lot of bites, because I overate immensely.
I followed the recipe pretty closely, only when making the pesto, I used plain yogurt instead of heavy cream and omitted the Parmesan. Heidi suggests serving with sliced avocado and fresh basil, which I did, but I also added some grated Manchego cheese (instead of the goat of feta suggested) and a seafood blend of shrimp, calimari and scallops. I think sun-dried tomato would also be wonderful in this dish.
One thing I’d change though — only one! — because I found the pesto to be a bit dry when it was on the quinoa. I’d definitely add more olive oil next time, because even adding more pesto to the quinoa wasn’t the answer. It just needs to be a soupier pesto for my texture tastes.
A small, small complaint that I was completely over by the time I tasted the first bite — this recipe made about seven-thousand dishes. There were so many steps that between the pots, the food processor, the platter and all the others, I felt like I was doing dishes forever. Every step was completely worth it, just don’t be looking for this to be an easy clean-up meal.
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Sep 18, 2009 @ 11:12 EST5EDT
