By now, if you've been keeping score, you know that we love to cook...and eat. And we love sharing our recipes with you guys. We've been cooking together for years, but got way more serious about having fun in the kitchen about a year or so ago. We were so busy writing our book, and by the end of the day we just wanted to put away the art supplies and focus on something else entirely. The late afternoon hunger pangs convinced us that cooking might just be the thing we should be focusing on.
In the kitchen we could remain creative...but the gears were shifted. And plus...we truly wanted to improve our diet. It's not like we ate Bad before...but it's not like we ate really Good either. At present we don't have a label for the way we eat. But it's definitely cleaner, less processed, less artificial, fresher, more organic...and super duper delicious! We're not really into short cuts. We prefer meals that we build from scratch...adding layers, textures, flavors...More health conscious. And we'd love for each ingredient to actually be beneficial. After a year or so of cooking this way...we can say that it isn't hard to do at all. Like not one bit. We've both lost some extra pounds, definitely have more energy, way better mental health...and we love the time we spend together in the kitchen.
We are huge Pinterest fans! And even though we kind of follow our natural instincts in the kitchen, we often are inspired by a recipe we see on Pinterest, and we love every aspect of it. In cases like this we use the "if it aint broke, don't fix it" approach. There are lots of really talented home cooks out there that share their own adventures in the kitchen on their own blogs. And from now on, when we come across one of them, with a recipe that really strikes us, we're going to make it for ourselves and share it with you here. Maybe we'll make minor changes...and tell you exactly what the changes are of course. But for the most part, if you see a Recipe Review with Jenny & Aaron...it means that we like it very much...and that we'd love for you to check out the primary source for that specific recipe. We're here to spread love and tips for good cooking and eating.
We'll share some photos of how we went about it, and try to illustrate our experience working with the recipe. And like I said...these all get our 100% stamp of approval. So if you've liked our recipes in the past...you can trust that these are right on target.
In this particular case, the fabulous recipe comes from Angela over at Oh She Glows. We love her story and really look forward to her book, which should be out soon! Seeing her daily dishes on Instagram is absolutely mouth watering. It feels like everything she puts on a plate is right up our alley. Tonight's meal was our first after a big grocery shopping trip. We came home from the store, laid all of our produce on the counter, looked outside at the ice and snow that has been there for weeks...and probably to spite that snow we said: "Let's eat something very green tonight."
And green it is! But also warm...anyway...Without any further ado...the Green Powerhouse Pesto Plate.
And oh yeah, this may be green...but a salad it is not. The zucchini and the three big handfuls of spinach spend a few minutes in the skillet with some olive oil. So this meal was green while being warm and hearty.
The "warm and hearty" is thanks to Lentils and Millet. A cup of each.
Lentils are a fave of ours. They're so simple to prepare and bring such great flavor and texture to a dish. Just rinse, boil, and simmer until it's tender. Easy Peasey. And Millet...to be honest, we've never prepared Millet all on it's own. We've eaten it...in fruit & nut bars and things like that. And we bought it plenty of times...for our bird! But never made it to be the main part of a dish. Well, it was just as easy to prepare as the Lentils. Again...rinse, boil, simmer until tender and fluffy...and done. Sorta creamy...something you'd want on a cold day. And the health benefits of Millet are great!
And on top of this fantastic dish is an avocado pesto dressing...and it's delicious! Yes, those seven simple ingredients above spell heaven for your tastebuds.
Just give them all a spin in the food processor until blended smooth.
voila!
So...it's really an easy few steps to make this awesomely healthy meal. Cook your Lentils and Millet at the same time. And when done, mix them both together. Plate those first, then layer on your lightly sauteed zucchini and spinach, and then top with the avocado pesto dressing. So Good!
Fresh, bright, tasty, energizing. And we would definitely use this exact pesto recipe in future recipes of our own. We totally recommend this dish for anyone looking for those four bold adjectives listed above. Again, be sure to visit Oh She Glows for all of the particulars...and many more great looking recipes.
We have a whole bunch more cooking that we'll be sharing here...so be sure to check back soon and often. We're so excited about doing more recipe reviews like this!
xo Jenny & Aaron
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