What you make when you get creative

This past weekend I was at Comic-Con as well as my little niece and nephew's birthday parties, so obviously I didn't eat as well as I normally do. Because of that, I decided to make the most wholesome dinner I possibly could that still tastes delicious. Unfortunately, my family hasn't gone grocery shopping in a few days, so our fridge was a little limited. However, my friend Hattie once told me that she loved when she didn't have that much food in her fridge because it allowed her to get creative. So, I challenged myself to make something amazing with what I already had. I gathered items from the fridge, pantry, and freezer that normally would only appear to be parts of a main dish and made them into something wonderful. 

I called my mini masterpiece the Green Monster.

The Green Monster

serves 2

1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed

1/4 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 green onions, diced

1 head of broccoli, diced to bite sized pieces

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup quinoa

3 tablespoons pesto (see the post on july 21, 2013 for the recipe)

Add the 1 cup quinoa to a pot. Add enough water so about 1 inch of water is covering the top of the quinoa. Turn the stove to medium heat, cover the quinoa and cook for about 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, turn off the stove but keep the quinoa covered as you prepare the rest of the meal.

To a sautee pan, add the 2 teaspoons olive oil. Turn the heat on to medium and add all of the vegetables as well as the salt. Toss the vegetables around in the pan until all are coated with the olive oil. Cook for about 10 minutes, periodically stirring the vegetables. After 10 minutes, add the pesto and turn the heat off. Toss the vegetables in the pesto so that every vegetable is covered in pesto. 

Take the cooked quinoa and split it between two plates. Add the vegetables and you've got yourself a green monster!

Pair this with a salad or soup for a full and satisfying meal!

Great things happen when you get creative. You've just got to learn to work with what you've got.

Enjoy!