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Fried zucchini, basil and quinoa salad with broccoli pesto

October 1, 2014 4 Comments

Fried zucchini and quinoa salad with broccoli pesto -- to her core

One thing I have been making a lot of lately is pesto. I got the idea to make a “pesto” inspired by the flavours of one of my favorite soups – carrot and coriander. I roasted the carrots to give them more flavour – the end result was great. I then moved back towards more traditional pesto’s – basil or herb-based with simple authentic flavours like good quality olive oil, freshly squeezed olive oil and a little Parmesan and garlic, along with some nuts or seeds for texture.

You can’t really go past a traditional pesto in terms of delicious, simple, and fresh flavours, but it’s always a good idea to experiment with food – you never know when you’ll come across something amazing, plus its important to eat a wide variety of fresh whole foods to ensure you’re getting maximum nutritional benefits.

Quinoa grilled zucchini and broccoli pesto salad -- to her core

This salad I’m sharing today was one I ate during my cleanse the other week. It is quite light yet still filling from the quinoa, and also contains a hefty dose of veggies in the form of lightly fried zucchini and fresh basil, plus the broccoli in the pesto.

The pesto I’ve used here is a slight adaptation of one I’ve been eyeing off since I received this cookbook last Christmas. It uses a whole head of broccoli, a cruciferous veggie which actually encourages the detoxification of the liver – thus making it the perfect inclusion of your diet during a cleanse, or at any time really!

This salad keeps well if being made ahead, though it is best if served when the zucchini is still slightly warm. I have made it again since finishing my cleanse and served it with some flaked smoked salmon and goats cheese stirred though which added some great extra flavours and made for a more filling meal. Some chopped nuts such as walnuts would be a lovely addition too.

grilled zucchini quinoa and broccoli pesto salad -- to her core

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Fried zucchini, basil and quinoa salad with broccoli pesto
 
Ingredients
  • Broccoli pesto (adapted from Green Kitchen Stories)
  • 1 large broccoli (around 2 cups)
  • ¼ cup fresh basil or sage
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • ½ cup roasted hazelnuts, pistachios or cashews
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • Green pesto quinoa salad
  • 1 cup broccoli pesto (recipe above)
  • 3 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 medium sized zucchini, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp coconut or olive oil
  • 1 generous handful spinach, torn
  • Torn basil leaves to serve
Instructions
  1. To make the pesto, combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend around 10 - 20 seconds - the time will depend on how powerful your machine is, and also how smooth you prefer your pesto to be
  2. To make the salad, heat the oil in a large frypan over high heat. Add the zucchini rounds and fry a minute or two until starting to brown, then flip and repeat on the other side (note the second side will brown quicker than the first).
  3. Combine the pesto and quinoa in a large bowl until well mixed, then stir through the spinach and zucchini. Top with torn fresh basil leaves
3.3.3077

 

Filed Under: Mains, Recipe, Salads Tagged With: basil, broccoli, dairy free, gluten free, grain free, pesto, quinoa, vegan, zucchini

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Comments

  1. Josefine {The Smoothie Lover} says

    October 3, 2014 at 4:51 pm

    Yumm, all of your pestos look so delicious! I really want to make your carrot one soon :)
    And I think I HAVE to try this salad as well :D Looks amazing!

    Reply
  2. Kristan says

    October 11, 2014 at 5:45 am

    can this be served at room temp? Or is best served warm?

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      October 11, 2014 at 12:03 pm

      Hi Kristan, this dish is great served both ways – either warm or at room temperature :)

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Tales of vegan recipe blogs - healthfullyvegan.com says:
    October 14, 2014 at 7:57 pm

    […] quinoa salad with broccoli pesto is absolutely amazing! You will get loads of greens and quinoa is one of the […]

    Reply

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