Kale Pesto Mushroom Pistachio Bowls
Well, here we are, spring is here, and I’m still alive, still cooking, and still going all the time to ALDI. I always say ALDI is one of my favotire store because everything is so darn affordable. I got the fresh ingredients for these bowls as well as a restock of pantry staples such as olive oil and extra cans of chickpeas. If we ever get snowed in, at least we can make hummus.
Now it’s time to talk about these bowls! These are my “I’m-ready-for-spring” bowls. They’re warm and hearty, yet fresh and bright. I started by using a Blender to make a super creamy green pesto-like sauce using raw kale and pistachios. I tossed (more) kale with some of the sauce and piled it into the bowls with quinoa, balsamic-y mushrooms, chickpeas, crushed pistachios, and red pepper flakes. It all comes together in roughly 30 minutes and while the concept is very simple, it’s so, so delicious.
Btw, this sauce would be delicious on so many things (salads, roasted vegetables, etc). While we were cleaning up, I caught my cousin eating it with a spoon, although I’m not sure I’d recommend that..
Kale Pesto Mushroom Pistachio Bowls
Serves: serves 2-3
Ingredients
Kale Pesto Sauce:
¼ cup Southern Grove Pistachios, shelled
1 garlic clove
1 packed cup SimplyNature Organic Chopped Kale
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup Specially Selected Premium Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup water
For the Bowls:
1 tablespoon SimplyNature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
16 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons SimplyNature Aged Balsamic Dressing
4 packed cups SimplyNature Organic Chopped Kale
2 cups cooked SimplyNature Organic Quinoa
½ cup Dakota’s Pride Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon crushed Southern Grove Pistachios
pinches of Stonemill Crushed Red Pepper, optional
¼ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Combine the pistachios, garlic, kale, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper, ¼ cup olive oil and ¼ cup water in a small blender and pulse until pureed.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, pepper, stir to coat, then cook 8 to 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are browned and soften, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and toss with the balsamic.
In a medium bowl, finely chop the remaining kale and remove any tough stem pieces. Toss with a few scoops of the kale pesto sauce and season with salt and pepper. Toss and gently massage.
Assemble the bowls with the cooked quinoa, kale, mushrooms, chickpeas, pistachios, red pepper flakes and generous scoops of the sauce. Season to taste.
