quinn's place

i was noticing that all the recipes on here lately were either tan or brown colored, aka wintry carrrrrrbs, haha. time for a springy fresh mixed green salad, y’all!

this one is a copycat mixed green salad from proletariat pizza in white center, seattle. every time pete & i go there with his family, we all pig ouuuut on this salad and want more more more.

any salad that makes me wanna pig out on it is definitely one we should all be making at home, riiiiigh? and it’s super easy and non-chop heavy. all the things that go in it just need minimal attention before hitting the salad bowl.

i love how simple this salad is with so much flavor and texture. i added sunflower seeds to my version because i like those little crunchers! i’ve recently been having this one veggie sandwich with sunflower seeds on it, and that is surprisingly guuuud.

the dressing is so simple and comes together in 2 seconds to just coat the cool fresh mixed greens with some zingy olive oily goodness. the saltiness of the olives and gorgonzola complement the creaminess of the garbanzo beans and give this an “mmmmmmmm” factor. and sunflower seeds for crunch! i also think avocado would be good on this salad, but i put a whole dang can o ‘banzos here so you can prob skip the avo. or do halvsies of each….oooooooh. so thrilling.

support non-boring salads!

Garbanzo Bean & Gorgonzola Mixed Green Salad

Serves 2-4

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

3-4 cups fresh spring mix & spinach, roughly chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 cup gorgonzola crumbles
3 TB extra virgin olive oil
3 TB balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. black pepper + pinch of salt
1/3 cup sunflower seeds

Instructions-

In a small bowl, whisk together equal parts extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, black pepper and a pinch of salt. Roughly chop the spring mix and spinach and place in a large salad bowl. Add the kalamata olives, garbanzo beans, gorgonzola crumbles and sunflower seeds and toss gently with tongs. Add the salad dressing mixture to taste. Serve immediately.

^ inverted spinach leaf becomes a cute lil vehicle for beans and whatnot. lol.

look, a green thing! haven't seen many of them around these parts throughout the entire month of december...woopsies.

happy new year!!!! time to put some colors back into our bodies that aren't white, brown, or yellow...amiriiiite??

it's 2017! can you even believe that noise?????! seems like such a futuristic number, but here we are.

pesto is one of those things that i never store bought again after i learned how to make it myself. it's easy. you just probably need to have a food processor. i haven't tried it in a blender...but i don't see why that wouldn't work, too. feel free to report back with any findings.

i like to toss the garlic cloves in a hot pan with a tiny bit of olive oil for a few minutes...just to cut that sTrOnG garlicky bite. if ya catch my drift. fresh garlic works perfectly, too. but its a pesky lingerer. and with 3 cloves swimming around in this cup o sauce...that's a high level of linger.

i make my pesto with both basil and arugula as the greenery. pesto is normally made with all basil, but somehow i do not *love* basil. i have a leaf of it with mozzarella & tomato and i'm like, "okay, cool, basil." i totally get that its a delicious, fresh, herbaceous, & fragrant flavor - i'm just not over the moon for the basil. so i like to use half basil and half arugula.

i learned the arugula pesto method from jessica of how sweet it is - who has given me tons and tons and tons of inspiration and confidence in the kitchen since i started following/obsessing over her blog the last several years. by the way, her pesto parmesan scone recipe in that link above are amazing and i've made them many times. a crowd pleaser!!

her arugula pesto idea also eventually led me to try making pesto with any ol' greens i had laying around, which was silly. i've tried it with mixed greens, spinach and kale and that was all wrongo. you need something bitter and with a bite! i feel like the arugula is bitter with a sharp, peppery taste, and the basil is fragrant and herbal. mix those together and you've got a lovely balance of flavors. then come the parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil to make the pesto complete!

just a note that i ended up freezing my basil and thawed it when i was ready to use it for this recipe. it worked out just as well! if you're planning to make fresh pesto, buy basil like 4 seconds before you're ready. it goes bad in the blink of an eye! and by that i mean like 3 days.

anyhoo! its delicious! flavorful! herbaceous! with a bite! sometimes..too much bite. adding just a tad of white or red wine vinegar cuts that sharp taste and balances it all out.

throw it on a pasta! gnocci! a pizza! quinoa! vegetables! crackers! with beans! i dunno, maybe not beans, but maybe so beans! pesto is primo for versatility. just try it on everythaaang.

Homemade Pesto

Yields about 1 cup pesto sauce

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups basil
2 cups arugula
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated or in chunks
1/4 cup olive oil, + 1-2 TB if necessary
1/2 tsp. white vinegar or red wine vinegar (optional)

Instructions-

Add all ingredients to a food processor and run until everything is incorporated and a pesto sauce forms. Add 1 - 2 TB extra of olive oil if the sauce seems too thick.

Optionally, add 1/2 tsp. of white vinegar or red wine vinegar to take away a bit of the bitter arugula bite.

Store in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator. Use within 7-10 days.