It’s been a few days since I last posted a recipe but I promise I’ve got a good excuse. This past Friday was a big day for me. It was my last day of work in Washington DC and the day D and I moved out of our apartment. Yep we are officially no longer DC residents and more accurately can now be described as “homeless” (unless of course we can still claim our parents’ homes as our own). So while working full time last week we were also scrambling to pack up the apartment. You would think there couldn’t be that much stuff in a 519 square foot apartment but you’d be surprised. It was obscene how much stuff we (correction- I) had. I’ve come to the realization that I am in fact a complete hoarder. This became clear as D was ripping an old movie ticket stub out of my death grip. It was from a movie we saw last year that I didn’t even like, yet felt the need to hold on to it for memorabilia.
Let me tell you – moving is stressful. Made even more stressful when you’ve been sleep deprived for weeks and your irritability is through the roof. Thankfully D has been blessed with significantly more patience than I have and was a real trooper with tolerating my daily temper tantrums.
As my last day of work came to a close I rushed home to finish up last minute packing and cleaning. We had to be out of the apartment by 5pm so we just made sure we had at least moved all of our junk into the hallway by then. 2 hours of heavy lifting later we were ready to go. With D in the budget truck and me driving his car we hit the road. Our first stop – northern New Jersey where my cousins live and where we spent the night. I couldn’t have been happier to have finally reached our first destination at 1am.
Have you ever gone through the process of moving out? Need to use up some of your produce in the fridge before you go? This quinoa salad is a perfect way to get rid of your veggies without having to throw them away. I made this a couple days before we moved out and it’s delicious either hot or cold.
And now only 5 days remain until we start our 2 year backpacking trip!
- 1½ cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2½ cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 large heirloom tomato, chopped
- 2 small cucumbers, quartered and sliced
- 2 ounces alfalfa sprouts, torn apart
- 5 scallions, chopped
- ½ lemon, juiced,
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- Heat olive in a pot over medium heat. Add garlic and quinoa and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occassionally until lightly toasted.
- Add broth or water, increase heat to high, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
- In a large bowl combine tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, alfalfa sprouts and quinoa. Pour lemon juice and red wine vinegar over the quinoa and mix until combined. Serve warm or cold.
Welcome to Avocado Pesto! Long time foodie and travel enthusiast, I started this blog to share my curious culinary efforts and kitchen endeavors. Here you'll find a smorgasbord of ethnic cuisines and hopefully a few humorous tales too.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Love this salad!
Alyssa | Queen of Quinoa recently posted..Shrimp & Vegetable Quinoa Fried Rice
Thanks! I got the idea from a tabbouleh that I decided to turn gluten free and then substitute alfalfa sprouts for the herbs I didn’t have!
Some of the best dishes come from cleaning out the fridge!
Kari@Loaves and Dishes recently posted..CAULIFLOWER MAC & CHEESE
My thoughts exactly and that’s when you allow yourself to get the most creative in the kitchen!
So sorry I couldn’t see you before you left. We’ll be tracking your travels and of course following all the food posts
I’m on a new food journey (posting about it soon) so I’ll be watching some of your recipes and ingredients closely.
Keep it up, lady!
So sad we didn’t get to say bye either but at least I got to see the baby a few weeks ago! Hope all is well — I read through all your pregnancy/birthing posts and am truly terrified now haha! Can’t wait to read about the new food journey — home made baby food from scratch?
I love this post. Great recipe and your writing is fabulous and funny. MISS YOU!
Thanks! Miss you too! I owe you an email and can’t wait to hear about what’s new with you!
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