Tomato Pesto

Growing up this was a favorite in my house.  My mom was able to throw this together within fifteen minutes and none of us ever complained.  If you love traditional pesto, you will love this pesto!

Ingredient
1 medium sized tomato
1/2 c of olive oil
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
1/3 c walnuts
1 tbsp basil
3-4 cloves of garlic

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Serve with whole grain pasta.

Couscous and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

This is a great weeknight meal that is so easy to prepare and very versatile.  In fact, when I originally planned to make stuffed peppers I planned to use brown rice, corn, and black beans.  But being overwhelmed with things to do and not wanting to wait fifty minutes for my rice to cook, I searched my cabinets for a quicker alternative.  I found a blend of coucous and quinoa from Trader Joes and decided to give this recipe a try with that.

The recipe below is good for two halves of a pepper, I was able to eat about one and a half before I was full.     

Ingredients

1/2 c couscous-quinoa blend, precooked

2 tbsp cheese (I used pepperjack)

1 whole green bell pepper

2 tbsp (sour cream)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Prepare the couscous quinoa blend.  Cut the pepper in half and remove seeds and stem.  Wash the pepper thoroughly.  Place the pepper halves on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until they start to soften.  Remove from the oven and place 1/4 c of couscous into the pepper and top with 1 tbsp of cheese.  Place back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes, until the filling is hot.  Top with sour cream and enjoy!