Thursday, June 21, 2012

Quinoa with Garden String Beans and Shoots

All images © Valery Rizzo

It sure feels like summer today and believe it or not in this heat I was out in the garden planting a few new seedlings and collecting string beans and looking around for whatever else is starting to appear. I also grew a pot of pea shoots inside this week, since the birds were all lovin my shoots I had out in the garden. Shoots are so easy to grow and they have a lovely sweet peppery taste to them. So using what I could find in the garden and what I had in the kitchen I made a really light and super simple Quinoa with some Black Valentine string beans from the garden, topped with fresh pea shoots.


Quinoa with Garden String Beans and Shoots

Quinoa
String beans
pea shoots or tendrils
Extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt 
freshly ground black pepper

You can make as much or little of this as you want. 

Rinse your Quinoa before cooking. While your Quinoa is cooking wash the string beans with warm water and pluck off the stem ends. Take a bunch of string beans at a time and cut into small 1/4 pieces and steam all the cut beans in a separate pot.

When Quinoa and beans are ready combine together into a large bowl and drizzle with a bit of olive oil, some sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Mix every thing together. Plate your Quinoa and top with as many pea shoots as you'd like.


I also wanted to tell you about my three page spreads, featuring some of the urban farms in Brooklyn, in the summer issue of Chickpea Magazine. This Vegan Quarterly is filled with stories, recipes, art, design and great photography.



View a free digital version online or purchase a beautiful printed issue or subscribe at http://www.chickpeamagazine.com/issues

The Magazine is also available for purchase if your in Cincinnati at Park and Vine.



And finally I was very pleased to have my Sunset Park Shrimp Boil story featured this month on Kinfolk Magazine's Journal. 


13 comments:

  1. I love pea shoots, too, Valery! They are crunchy and taste delicious! I used them in my Green Risotto recipe, with asparagus and peas. They are lovely to look at, too.

    I also cook zucchine shoots, tendrils and young leaves with pasta and a simple tomato and garlic sauce, with cheese. Delicious!

    As always, I love your photos, Valery: very fresh, green and summery! Your cherry tomatoes look really sweet! Maybe you might be able to use them in a delicious pasta dish! What else?

    CIAO!

    ANNA (AKA ABBA!)
    xxx

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  2. Ciao ABBA! all your recipes sound so yummy and I wish I were in Italy eating your zucchine and pasta dish right now. It's so hot here today it feels like Italy in August.

    I hope I get to eat my tomatoes before the squirrels do :) so you think I should make a pasta dish? maybe I will, although July is heirloom tomato month so a nice caprese salad sounds nice to me, you know how I love salads. I have a friend who is moving and is giving me tomorrow some chocolate mint, lemon balm and spearmint from her garden.

    Ciao, Valeria
    xo

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    Replies
    1. Valery,

      Remember to grow your mint in pots, otherwise it will take over the garden and nothing else will grow!

      XXX

      ANNA (BB)

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  3. Anna,

    Thanks for the mint tip. I do have three kinds of mint so maybe I should do that right away...put them in a pot/container.

    xo Valery

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  4. I just can't stop looking at your blog. It is awesome!
    We are planning a little trip to Brooklyn in October (with my 18 months old girl and my husband). After looking at your pictures and reading your articles, I'm almost sad that we decided to visit in the fall...I would love to go NOW ;)

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  5. Hello Claudia, thanks for letting me know you enjoy the blog! Don't worry October is a great time to visit Brooklyn and I am sure you will have a great time. Keep in touch if you need any ideas. Best, Valery

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  6. Thank you Valery! And, wow, I would LOVE to get ideas from you. There are so many options and so little time (just a long weekend)!

    Claudia (from Montreal)

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  7. Claudia- when it gets closer to October I can give you suggestions. One day I am going to go to Montreal so you can give me some suggestions then.

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  8. Perfect! I would love to give you some suggestions about Montreal...we also have pretty good food :)

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  9. I wish we got the chickpea here in Jacksonville!

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  10. Yes Claudia, a Canadian food photographer friend of mine had mentioned recently that I would love Montreal and the food scene there. I will definitely have to plan for a trip there.

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  11. Hi Dawn- if you follow the link to Chickpea Magazine you can order it online :)

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