This recipe includes all the flavorful goodness of pesto and the extreme nutrition of nuts and seeds, including quinoa!

Four Nut Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cup packed basil leaves
• 1 cup packed arugula
• 1 clove garlic
•  1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup blanched almonds
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1.  Place basil, arugula, garlic, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and almonds in a blender or food processor.  Puree the ingredients, drizzling in olive oil until the combination is smooth.
2. Stir in the quinoa and season with salt and pepper to taste.

This is a baked, gluten-free falafel, packed with heart-healthy omegas!

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked garbanzo beans, mashed
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons ground flax
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1/4 cup purslane, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup mint, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Form chickpea patties about 1 ½ inches wide by 2 inches thick. Place formed patties on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Crema de Habas is by far one of the most popular soups in Peru. However, it took me a long time to figure out that the long strange pods and beans contained therein were fava beans. The other day, now back home in Austin, Texas, I was extremely excited to see these same now-familiar beans at a Middle Eastern grocery store in town. However, if it is difficult to find fresh fava beans in your home town you can reconstitute and use dried beans or lima beans.  The color will be far less vivid, but the taste is still nice.

Crema de Habas

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh fava beans, prepared
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 key lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

 Preparation

1. Combine fava beans, broth, lime juice, and soy sauce in a food processor or blender and combine until smooth.
2. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.
3. Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley.

Fresh fava beans in their pods.

You might be able to find fresh fava beans at grocery stores specializing in imported Latin American, African, or Middle Eastern foods. If you are fortunate enough to get your hands on some you might need some help preparing them.

Fava beans in the pod.

First, remove the beans from the pods. Fresh pods are usually pretty soft and should be easy to rip open with your bare hands. There are typically three to five large beans in each pod.

This salad is our combination of two popular Peruvian salads. Ensalada de Chocolo uses Peruvian white corn and quesillo and Cho Cho is extremely popular with Andean ceviche and uses an endemic lupine bean. Since we can’t find fresh Andean lupine seeds in Texas we have opted to substitute soy seeds which are textually and nutritionally very similar.  Together the salads make a great well rounded duo!

Ensalada de Choclo y Chocho

Ingredients

• 2 ears of fresh sweet white corn, husked and roasted
• 16 ounces frozen edamame, defrosted
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup quesillo, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon aji amarillo paste (optional)
• Salt to taste

Preparation

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt to taste and allow to marinate at least 10 minutes before serving.