Delicious Vegetarian Cookbook Bundle

I enjoyed bringing Baklava to my Sunday morning Bible Study group. I thought I would spoil them with some spicy hummus and pita bread I picked up at Costco. In case you missed my recipe and would like to try it yourself, visit Nick's Greek Baklava.

The Friday #56

"In a large mixing bowl, gently mix the quinoa with the tomatoes, avocado, olives and mozzarella pieces. Spoon in the pesto and toss to distribute it evenly."

-- From the recipe, Quinoa with Oven Roasted tomatoes and Pesto.

I love soup and salad. From this cookbook by Vesela Tabakova is a salad recipe on Page 56 that I wanted to share with you. It's quite easy to prepare.

Quinoa with Oven Roasted Tomatoes and Pesto

serves 6

Ingredients:

for the salad

1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup cherry tomatoes, for roasting
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, fresh
1 avocado, cut into chunks
1/2 cup black olives, pitted
1 cup mozzarella cheese, cut into bite size pieces

for the pesto

1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1 cup basil leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp mustard
4-6 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp savory
2 tbsp water (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Make sure the tomatoes are completely dry, then drizzle with olive oil and savory and toss to coat them all. Bake the tomatoes for about 20 mins., flipping once, until they are brown. Sprinkle with salt.

Rinse quinoa very well in a fine mesh strainer under running water; set aside to drain. Place two cups of water and quinoa in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer for fifteen minutes. Set aside, covered, for ten minutes and fluff with a fork.

Make the pesto by placing garlic, walnuts and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Add basil, mustard, and lemon juice and blend in batches until smooth. Add oil, one tablespoon at a time, processing between, until the pesto is lightened and creamy. For an even lighter texture, you can add two tablespoons of water. Taste for salt and add more if you like.

In a large mixing bowl, gently mix the quinoa with the tomatoes, avocado, olives and mozzarella pieces. Spoon in the pesto and toss to distribute it evenly.

Book Review

I am a huge fan of soups and salads, especially the Greek Chickpea Salad. If you like Mediterranean food, along with some Asian ones, you'll like the simple recipes here. The homemade flavorful vegetarian soups are so delicious and the veggie salad types are very good. The ingredients are not too costly to purchase and the preparation time is minimal. Families will enjoy being served these healthy meals from this excellent book bundle. I enjoyed the books and I'm glad I have them in my Kindle library for quick reference. Overall, real nice books but I just wish there were beautiful food photos to see.

4/5 stars.

Biography

Vesela Tabakova lives in Bulgaria with her family of five, a crazy Jack Russell Terrier and three adopted dogs.

Reading is her passion and coffee is her drug of choice. She loves cooking and preparing natural, homemade beauty products for family and friends. Her inspiration comes from many tried and tested recipes which circulate within her extended family, but she also experiments all the time in order to create new and varied recipes, better suited to modern tastes.

Delicious Vegetarian Cookbook Bundle

-- LadyD

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis