meatless, part i

Anyone who knows me well knows I love to cook.  I love food and am interested in the culinary process from farm to table.  I do my best to ensure that the food I put into my body is sustainably produced, nutritious, and (most importantly) delicious.  I believe that food is a means of not only sustenance, but also bonding and enjoyment, and every bite ought to feel good inside and out.  I have been challenging myself to find meals to prepare that satisfy my nutritional needs while also meeting my sensual demands.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, Douglas and I decided to make vegetarianism this month's nutritional challenge.  Since neither of us are yet well-versed on the preparation of non-animal protein sources, we decided to go on a modified version of the diet and are continuing to consume eggs, dairy, and fish while we learn the ropes.  I am so happy with the outcome of our first meal; we have been eating omelets and salad for dinner for most of the week, so it was nice to have a complete dinner this weekend.  I liked this one so much that I decided to share the process with you.

I found this recipe in September's issue of Real Simple in their segment on two-night meals entitled "4 Ways to Transform Your Leftovers".  The dish is quinoa with sweet potatoes, kale, and pesto, and it was absolutely delicious.  Doug AND my fifteen year old non-veggie-loving brother enjoyed the meal, and that is saying something.  The quinoa is cooked following the package instructions (for some reason I was intimidated about cooking quinoa but it is so easy!) and the veggies were simple, nutritious, and tasty.  I cooked the vegetables in my Le Creuset oval french oven and used pre-chopped kale.  The whole process took about a half hour.

Ingredients
2 cups quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup olive oil
3 small sweet potatoes (about 1 and 1/2 lb.), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
kosher salt (1 tsp) and black pepper (1/2 tsp)
1 medium red onion, sliced
2 bunches kale (1 and 1/4 lb.), thick stems removed and leaves cut into bite-size pieces (about 14 cups)
pesto and toasted walnuts, for serving

1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the sweet potatoes, salt, and pepper.  Cook covered, tossing occasionally, until the potatoes begin to brown and soften, 6 to 8 min.

2. Add the onion to the pot and cook, tossing occasionally, until they are tender, 4 to 6 min.

3. Add as much kale as the pot will fit and cook until tender, tossing frequently, adding more kale when there is room, 3 to 4 min.

4. Serve over the quinoa and sprinkle with the pesto and walnuts.

That's it!  It was so easy and tasted amazing.  I was so happy with how it came out, I made an even larger portion of the veggies the very next night so that I can reheat and eat them throughout the week.

Note: I have some ideas brewing for recipes that I would like to share, but am very new to food photography.  If anyone has any suggestions on lighting/technique, I am all ears.  In the meantime, please be patient with me while I learn to perfect my skills :)