Broccoli-Cauliflower Quinoa - Winter Fare!

Heidi Swanson's culinary skills and focus on fresh, healthy ingredients continue to amaze me. I love her website, 101cookbooks.com, especially after last night's meal of broccoli-cauliflower pesto quinoa. The setting for the meal: Vancouver is on day three of snow. It's a winter wonderland out there, much to the dismay of my all-season tires. I am a professional rain driver; torrential downpours do not intimidate me in the slightest, but a bit of slippery slush, ice, or snow and I turn into a nervous ball of stress in the driver's seat. Hopefully the snow will stay up on the mountains where it belongs and out of our coastal, supposedly temperate forest city. Thus, a warm and hearty meal was a very welcome end to an icy cold day, surrounded by twinkling Christmas - err fairy lights (according to the Australians, which does make them seasonal year round). It's a wonderful main dish of veggies & protein (or side dish) achievable with very little time and effort. Also great as a filling for lettuce wraps when topped with cucumber, feta, and/or avocado.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Pesto Quinoa  (serves 4-6)
1 c. uncooked quinoa
2 c. water or broth
5 c. raw broccoli and cauliflower (I had 3:2 of broc:cauli), cut into small florets and stem pieces
2 medium garlic cloves
2/3 c. sliced almonds or walnuts, raw
1/3 c. grated parmesan
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. evap milk or whole milk (or almond milk?)
red pepper flakes

1. Bring salted water and quinoa to a boil (can use veggie or chicken broth if you want, but be careful of how much salt is then added to the pesto). Cover and simmer for ~15 minutes until tender, then remove from heat.
2. While the quinoa cooks, bring 3/4 c. of water to a boil, lightly salted, and toss in broccoli and cauliflower. Cover and cook just until the veggies are slightly softened. This took about 5-6 minutes for me. Remove veggies from water and pot.
3. In the food processor, puree the almonds, parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, and 2 c. of the veggies. Add in the olive oil and milk while the food processor is going, then stir through salt and pepper to taste.
4. Stir about half of the pesto, the veggies, and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes through the quinoa. Taste to make sure you're happy with the pesto quantity and then enjoy!