Our little balcony herb garden is doing really well, no thanks to me. Jon is the gardener around here and he doesn’t like when I touch anything in fear that I will kill it. Unfortunately, I can’t say much in response because his fears come with good reason. My black thumb reaches far and wide. Yesterday, I snipped some basil to use in my lunch, without permission of course. And when he got home, my harvesting was quickly discovered. He informed me that I need to cut a little bit from everywhere, not just from one side, blah blah. Ya, our basil plant is no longer as pretty as it once was, but in my defense, I thought it’s main purpose was to use it, not stare at it!
Even though I ruined the aesthetic of our basil plant, it was worth it for the lunch I made. Since I’ve been staying away from dairy, I’m trying to find some salads I enjoy so much that I don’t even miss the cheese. This is one of of them.
Cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, avocado, arugula, and quinoa topped with a fresh basil vinaigrette.
Snip some basil. A little bit all over, or just from one side. It doesn’t matter to me!
Toss oil, vinegar, basil, garlic and some salt and pepper in the blender.
anddd blend.
Then just pile on the ingredients!
A healthy lunch for everyone!
- Basil Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1 small garlic clove
- salt and pepper to taste
- Quinoa Salad
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 handfuls of arugula
- 1/2 avocado, diced
- 1/2 cup toasted pinenuts
- Throw all the vinaigrette ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend it up. Add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Combine all the salad ingredients into a bowl. Drizzle with basil vinaigrette.
- Serves 2 as a main dish, or 4 as a side dish.
- The higher quality olive oil you use, the better the vinaigrette!
Haha, Jon sounds a lot like Shawn. He is constantly out there keeping an eye on our herb garden and watering it. Works great for me, because when I need some herbs he’s always up for going out to grab them.
This salad sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try your basil vinaigrette. Yum!
yes, it’s a great excuse to put him to work while I’m cooking dinner 🙂
Ooh, I love fresh, crisp summer salads like this one! It sounds like your homegrown basil got the perfect use. =) And what lovely pictures!
i think it did too 🙂 thanks amy!