Green Goddess Dressing for One

This unctuous and liquescent sauce will predispose you toward gratuitous and superfluous polysyllables without apparent foundation. You won’t need much of this creamy richness, and you’ll love the color as much as the texture and taste.

I find it useful on starches (like rice, quinoa, and noodles) as well as on steamed veggies, salads, and as the secret sauce on my bean burgers.  

1 small garlic clove

1/3 of an avocado

1 ½ teaspoons water

6 fresh basil leaves

3 sprigs of fresh parsley, stems and all

1 green onion (dark green part only, not white)

2 teaspoons tahini

3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

Pinch of kosher salt

Dollop of maple syrup or agave

(optional slosh of olive oil)

1. Process the garlic clove in a food processor or blender until finely chopped.
2. Add in the avocado, water, basil, parsley, onion, tahini, and vinegar or lemon juice. Process until smooth.
3. Add salt and pepper and just a slosh of sweetener.  
4. If it’s too tart for you, try adding more tahini, water, or a slosh of olive oil.

This beautifully green dressing is good cold on salads or as a dip for crudités, but I love it over quinoa and steamed vegetables, perhaps with a bit of veggie burger crumbled over the top. 

The upper photo is quinoa with zucchini, sweet potato, red onion, and crumbled Sweet Potato, Quinoa, and Barley Burger that had a bit of vegan mozzarella melted on it.

The lower photo is mixed greens, carrots, radishes, jicama, green onion, pear, Kalamata olives, and leftover Quinoa, Sweet Potato, and BarleyBurger. 

Quinoa and Fruit Salad for One

It's summertime, and there are many wonderful fruits available. For this salad, I used blueberries and pomegranates, but nectarines, strawberries, plums, and other berries are marvelous additions, and you might add a little avocado if you have one handy. 

         
           1/3 cup uncooked quinoa

2/3 cup water

1 inch carrot, in small cubes

1 inch cucumber, in small cubes (peel it if you like)

1 radish, in small cubes

1 green onion, diced

4 snap peas, chopped (or a ¼ cup of fresh peas)

¼ cup fresh blueberries

1/8 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

1/8 cup pistachio nut meats

Dressing

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Juice of one lemon wedge (about a teaspoon, maybe 2)

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon agave or maple syrup

A pinch of garlic powder

A pinch of salt

1.5 teaspoons grapeseed oil (or olive oil)

½ TBSLP poppy seeds

1. Rinse and thoroughly drain the quinoa. Add the quinoa and water to a small pot and bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover, and cook until the water is all boiled away. Don’t let it burn! This takes about 10 minutes.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, make the dressing and prepare the veggies and fruit to toss in the bowl.
3. To make the dressing, put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk. You may want to adjust the salt once you’ve dressed the salad.
4. Put the quinoa in the bowl with the veggies and toss, then drizzle the dressing over it and toss again. Can be eaten at room temperature (my favorite) or refrigerate for a bit.