Veggie-Loaded Quinoa Salad

It finally snowed in Pullman last night (and stuck), but unfortunately I only got to be a spectator from my window as I was working on a take-home final for my Limnology (freshwater ecosystems) class, and am now working hard to study for my Oceanography final tomorrow at 8 am.  I've been fortunate enough to have this be my only real final, while the others have been culminating projects and take-homes.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow more than I have any other day this week.   I'll be done with my last final by 10 am, am having coffee (decaf for me) with a friend at 11, end of the semester beer-cheers with my best friend within my major in the late afternoon, and an evening with Kevin uninterrupted by the necessity to do finals studying.  I'm planning on traveling home on Saturday in time for the annual ugly christmas sweater party my good friend April is hosting.  

But, unfortunately for now, I'm stuck with doing a short blog post so I can get back to studying.  Today's recipe was a quick one I made earlier this week to suffice for lunch.  It's my own thrown together creation with lots of veggies and a yummy sauce on top.  

Veggie-Loaded Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 c uncooked quinoa, prepare by package instructions, or use this explanation

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 c grape tomatoes, halved

1 bunch fresh basil, finely chopped

3 stalks green onion, thinly sliced

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

3/4 c pesto or creamy pesto sauce

1 t nutritional yeast (optional)

Directions:  Prepare quinoa as directed, and prepare pesto sauce.  Chop all vegetables and place in a large mixing bowl.  When quinoa is done, add pesto sauce and nutritional yeast while still hot and stir well.  Allow quinoa mixture to cool for 10-15 minutes.  Add quinoa to mixing bowl with veggies and mix well. Serve heated or cold.

Amy's notes:  I used a pre-made package of creamy pesto sauce (pictured above)that required 1/2 c almond milk and a small amount of olive oil.  If you prefer to make your own pesto from scratch, or buy the pesto pre-made from the store, it will work perfectly with this recipe.  The nutritional yeast was added to give the dish a slight "cheesy" flavor, but is ok to omit.  Warning, this recipe stayed on my breath for hours, so may not be something you want to eat in a public setting.  Enjoy!

What is your favorite healthy dish when your week feels insanely busy, and you feel quite exhausted?