I Love Olives: Easy Meal Edition

As I said earlier this summer, I worked far away from my home.  So I relied on quick’n easy meals filled with healthy ingredients.  Olives became one of my favorite ingredients to use because I love salty food 🙂

Green Machine Salad

Place a few handfuls of fresh spinach in a bowl.  Add pitted green olives, Samira’s hummus, a handful of Biena’s Chickpea Snacks, and an avocado.

Quinoa Spinach Salad

Cook around 1/4 cup of tri-colored quinoa according to the instructions on the bag.

Place spinach in a bowl.  Add quinoa, pitted kalamata olives and crumbled feta.  Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Greek Power Bowl

Place spinach in a bowl.  Add kalamata olives, Samira’s hummus and spicy grape leaves, and Watusee Chickpeatos.

Enjoy!

 

Dancing Queen: Quinoa Power Bowl

This queen-oa power bowl will give you all of the energy you need to be the queen of the dance floor!  Roasted chickpeas, tri-color quinoa, and fresh avocado are the three main ingredients of this dish, and it can be made in 30 minutes.

First start with the roasted chickpeas.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Open and rinse a can of chickpeas.  Line a baking tray with parchment paper.  Place the chickpeas on the parchment paper.  Grind black pepper on top of the chickpeas.  Drizzle olive oil on the chickpeas and make sure they are thoroughly coated.  Roast for 30-35 minutes.

While the chickpeas are roasting, start the quinoa.  Rinse 1/2 cup quinoa in a small sieve.  Place in a small pot along with 1/2 cup water, plus a little extra splash of water.  Bring this to a fast simmer.  Then reduce to a low simmer and place a lid on top.  Cook for 17 minutes.

Place quinoa, roasted, chickpeas, and avocado in a bowl.  Mix throughly.  Add sea salt to taste.  Enjoy!

We Got the Beat: Beat Brasserie

Walking around Harvard Square, there is an abundance of eclectic restaurants, that create a unique atmosphere.  Beat Brasserie is one of these restaurants, with a retro sign that illuminates at night.

Beat Brasserie is the sister restaurant to Beehive in the South End.  It has a beautiful interior of crystal chandeliers, luxurious fabrics, different height tables, and bright colors.  A stage is towards the back of the restaurant where live music plays, creating a hip vibe.

Beat Brasserie serves dinner, week day lunch, and week end brunch.  Their menu changes seasonally, and has both carnivore and vegetarian options.  The menu has a lot of original pairings that distinguishes it from other local restaurants.

To start, I ordered the Chickpeas with a Romesco Sauce.  The chickpeas were beautifully baked so they became crispy on the outside, while maintaining a creamy interior.  Romesco sauce is made out of red peppers and nuts, so it is very similar in form to a traditional basil pesto.  It just has a more smoky flavor.

For my main course I ordered the Bowl Azteca, consisting of Adobo-Spiced Quinoa, Tomatillo Salsa, Corn, Squash, Green Beans, Avocado, and Baby Spinach.  It was fresh, well seasoned, and satisfying.  The Tomatillo Salsa was really great.  Tomatillos look like green tomatoes and have a more tart flavor.  The shrimp was perfectly cooked and the seasonal vegetables added a brightness to the dish.

Beat Brasserie is one of my favorite places.  The food is guaranteed to be good, and you’ll enjoy the ambiance.