Beet Pesto Sauce

I can honestly say this was ONE of the most delicious pasta dishes I’ve ever had. There is nothing I love more than creating a dish that looks AND tastes this good…

Believe it or not, this recipe was super easy. I’ve always loved trying different versions of pasta sauces. I can’t deny my love for classic marinara but it can often be so acidic…beets are a great alternative!

This beet pesto sauce is packed with vitamins and minerals from the beets and healthy fats from the walnuts and EVOO. Plus the texture was so smooth, creamy, and nutty!

Ingredients:

4 beets (roasted or steamed)

4 cloves of garlic

3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons of red chili pepper flakes

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of walnuts (almond or pine nuts would work too!)

Feta cheese

Fresh Dill

1 lb of your pasta of choice

Pasta water

Prep:

1. Cook your beets. I cut and trimmed the leaves and ends and drizzled with a little Olive Oil. Then, individually wrap them in tin foil, and roast on 400 degrees for about 50 minutes. Once they’re done, I cut them in thirds to process easily in the blender.

2. Cook 1 pound of your favorite pasta al dente. Save a little bit of the pasta water while it’s cooking, this will help to thin the beet pesto. Set pasta aside and drizzle with a little olive oil. I used a white linguine because I really wanted to taste the flavor of the beets!

3. In a blender (I used my NutriBullet) pulse the walnuts and garlic. Then add your beets, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and red chili pepper flakes. Blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Mix the pesto with the linguine. Use a little bit of the pasta water you reserved to break up the sauce if need be.

5. Mix together fresh chopped dill, feta cheese, and olive oil to crumble on top of the pasta and serve.

That color though…enjoy!

Broccoli Kale Pesto

This was a delicious blend of nutritious vegetables that came together to make this “creamy” pesto sauce. There is nothing better than packing nutrients, superfoods, and leafy green vegetables into a pasta dish. If you agree, this recipe was super easy and fun to make.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of broccoli

• 1 cup of kale

• 1 cup of fresh basil

• 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese

• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

• 3/4 cup of almonds, walnuts, or pine nuts

• 4 cloves of garlic

• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or juice from 1/2 a lemon

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1/2 - 3/4 cups of pasta water

• 1 lb. of pasta

The consistency of the pesto sauce was creamy, smooth, and tasted incredible.

Preparation:

• Wash and stem the broccoli and kale. Steam, and then set aside.

• Cook the pasta al dente and set aside. Reserve a filled coffee mug with pasta water while it’s boiling.

• In a blender, pulse the garlic and nuts until smooth. Then add the kale, broccoli, basil, parmesan cheese, olive oil, a little pasta water, and blend until smooth. If your blender is small, you can always add little bits at a time! Add more pasta water if need be, and salt to taste.

• Pour the pesto over the pasta. You may need to add a little hot pasta water to loosen it up.

Chickpea Quinoa bowl with Cilantro Lime Dressing (Copy)

If you haven’t noticed colorful nutritious bowls have been getting me through this quarantine…they’re easy, healthy, and always turn out beautiful.

This quinoa salad reminded me of summer. We had it this weekend while enjoying the sunshine.

I was originally going to use black beans, but realized I didn’t have any when I went to make the salad. Chickpeas came to the rescue! As a vegetarian I always have cans of beans ready to go…chickpeas are one of my favorite legume. They’re rich in protein and fiber which will help keep you full. They serve as one of the main sources of protein in this bowl. Not to mention they have give this salad a delicious buttery and nutty flavor!

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Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa

1 can of chickpeas

1 corn on the cob (boiled)

Pumpkin Seeds

For the cilantro lime vinaigrette

1/2 cup of fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 chopped red onion

1/4 cup of olive oil

Lime juice from 1 lime (or 3 teaspoons of lime juice)

1 chopped jalapeño

Salt and Pepper

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Prep

Much of why I love this grain salad is because the prep is super easy. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Cook your quinoa with vegetable stock. I made 1 1/2 cups and used about 3 cups of vegetable stock. Bring the stock and quinoa to a boil, then cover and simmer on the lowest heat for about 25 minutes. Do not mix so the quinoa holds its shape!

2. In a small saucepan, boil water with salt. Add corn on the cob and cook in boiling water for 7 minutes. Cut the corn off of the cob and set aside.

3. Make the vinagrette: in a medium size bowl stir together olive oil, red onion, cilantro, finely chopped jalapeño (I only kept a few of the seeds), lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper until all ingredients are mixed together.

4. Once the vegetable stock evaporates, add chickpeas, and corn. Mix well and then add your vinaigrette!

5. This quinoa salad goes great with sour cream on top, in a wrap, over chopped romaine lettuce for a By Chloe vibe, in a wrap, or in a lettuce cup.

   You can sprinkle pumpkin seeds on before serving. I tried all of the above variations as this made about 5 servings! Have fun eating this salad in many different forms :)