There are times when my creativity is flowing, and then there are times when the river slows to just a trickle. Lately, the river has completely dried up.
My mind has been all over the place, everywhere except in my cooking or writing. I may pause, in the middle of preparing a dish, to ponder a certain thought (which is usually something trivial, like "When was the last time I had my hair trimmed?"), only to return to the task at hand without a clue as to what I'm doing. I then try to recall what I had been doing, and once I figure it out, I stop to ponder another thought ("What would a dinner party with Amy Poehler and Will Arnett be like?").
Since I can't rely on myself to create something new and exciting, I rely on old standbys. I know I can never go wrong with pesto, so what to do I do with the beautiful bunch of basil I received from our CSA? I make a ton of (oil-free) pesto. And what about all of those delicious potatoes they sent as well? Find another vegetable in the fridge that needs to be used and roast 'em. All I have to do is mix them together with some chickpeas (because chickpeas make everything better), and I have something that's simple enough for me to repeat almost every night for the rest of the week.
There are no complaints in our household about eating this dish night after night (and by "household", I mean Chris). It is so satisfying and tasty and the perfect summer comfort food. My favorite combo is potato and mushroom, which is what this recipe calls for, but I've also switched the mushrooms out with half a head of cauliflower and it was pretty swoon-worthy as well. Not only is this salad super delicious, it is incredibly healthy. I've discussed before how healthy basil is, but I've eliminated the oil typically found in pesto to make it a little lower in calories, and added hemp seeds because they're just so darn good for you. I actually find myself craving this dish, and a couple times, I have stopped whatever I had been doing to remember how tasty it is. The best part of this dish, however, is that it is so simple and comes together so quickly, which gives my mind more time to think about useless things ("I wonder if Who's The Boss is on Netflix?") .
PESTO POTATO MUSHROOM CHICKPEA SALAD
Ingredients:
- 3-4 medium golden potatoes, diced
- 2 cups of mushrooms, halved
- olive oil spray
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 14.5 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- OIl-Free Pesto (recipe below)
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the mushrooms and potatoes out on the baking sheet. Lightly spray with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to fully coat each piece. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-18 minutes, until the largest chunk of potato can easily be pierced with a fork. Remove and set aside to cool.
- While your mushroom and potatoes are cooking, you can prepare your pesto.
- Once the mushrooms and potatoes have cooled for about 10 minutes or so, place them in a bowl along with the chickpeas. If you want it really “pesto-ey”, dump all of it in. Otherwise scoop it in by the spoonful, tossing the salad to combine between each spoonful, until all the pieces are coated to meet your pesto preference. You can serve immediately or chill for 30 minutes or more before serving. Enjoy!
- 2 large cups of basil leaves
- 1/8 cup cashews
- 1/8 cup pistachios
- 1/8 cup hemp seeds
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 T lemon juice
- vegetable broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- Combine the first 6 ingredients (basil through lemon juice) in a food processor and process until fully blended. Slowly add vegetable broth until the desired consistency is reached. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use immediately or chill until ready to use. Enjoy!
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All Photos taken by Chris Miller
© Kristy Turner and Keepin' It Kind, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material (content and images) without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kristy Turner and Keepin' It Kind with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Caitlin
i've been feeling the same way lately! but, i would happily eat this dish for months, probably! i can't wait to try your oil-free pesto, it looks delicious!
keepinitkind
Thank you, Caitlin! I think the blahs are just going around. 😉
Abby
I hate to jump on the "Blah Bandwagon," but I think it's going around. As for pesto, you could put it on a shingle and it would taste delicious 😉
One of my go-to meals is a big bowl of brown rice with chickpeas, broccoli, mushrooms, garlic and either Earth Balance or pesto (or pesto seasoning.) So easy, so good and doesn't take much focus--thank goodness.
keepinitkind
Haha! I think you're on to something. The "blahs" might just be an epidemic, most likely caused by late summer laziness (in my case). 😉
One bowl meals are so perfect for days when you can't focus (most days for me), especially with some sort of pesto. I go through periods where I have to practice restraint from putting pesto on everything!
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack!
I feel as though you are describing my life in the kitchen as of late. Oy. I love that you added hemp seeds to the pesto! I was thinking about doing that the other day, and now I'm regretting leaving them out. There's always next time, I guess! ha ha
keepinitkind
Thank you, Jackie! I've been adding hemp seeds to everything lately, so it was only a matter of time before they ended up in my pesto.
I think there is a case of the "blahs" going around. I'm hoping it will let up soon. 😉
Richa`
i heart fresh green chutney-ed chickpeas! well pesto is a chutney for me;).. i think i can blame the finally warm summer for the blahness. the weekends are just so busy and the week days r sunny and end up busy too. coz lucily i am getting out more and working on my enegry. i havent baked a bread in 3 weeks! gasp!!
Take a break. Shake a leg .. outside the kitchen:)
keepinitkind
Thank you, Richa! I blame the warm summer weather too. I'm happy to hear that you're keeping busy though! I think that means that you'll be even more inspired in the kitchen once it cool down! 🙂
Gabby @ the veggie nook
As you know, I've been feeling the same way too lately, although I didn't manage to make anything quite this tasty! Pesto is such a goo standby, never fails! I'll have to keep this in mind next time I'm in a funk (oh who are we kidding, I'm still kind of in one!) :o)
keepinitkind
Thank you, Gabby. You're so right- pesto always makes for the perfect stand-by. :-). Hope you get out of your funk soon!
Cadry
Mmm, that looks like a wonderful pesto! With basil in season, I've been putting pesto on everything. I like this idea of using it on potatoes and chickpeas. Healthy and hearty! I know what you mean about creativity and focus coming in waves. I've been feeling more waning than waxing lately myself. Maybe it's the late summer doldrums!
keepinitkind
Thank you! And yes, I would have to agree- it is the late summer doldrums that is to blame for the case of the "blahs." 🙂
Richgail @AstigVegan
I have most of these ingredients. I'm making this tonight!
keepinitkind
Bon Apetit! 🙂
Richgail @AstigVegan
Here's the result! http://astigvegan.com/2012/08/15/wiaw-pesto-potato-chickpea-salad/
keepinitkind
So awesome! I'm glad it turned out so well! 🙂
Heather
Mmmm I LOVE the idea of an oil free Pesto, total genius!
This is such a fun and easy weeknight meal, love it!
keepinitkind
Thank you, Heather! Going without the oil definitely lightens it up quite a bit, which I loved. You can really taste the basil and the nuts more since your mouth isn't coated in oil. 🙂
Reia@TheCrueltyFreeReview
I find that wondering about completely random stuff is what helps keep me sane, but that's just me I guess 🙂
As for the salad, it looks great and I completely agree that chickpeas make everything better!
keepinitkind
I like that philosophy! My random thought tangents are what's keeping me sane! Yes! Thank you! 🙂
Bex @ Vegan Sparkles
Oh I've been on the pesto bandwagon lately too (SO GOOD!) but I've never tried it oil-free! I love the idea so that it doesn't separate so much - I can't wait to try it, thanks! 🙂
keepinitkind
Thanks, Bex! I hope you like it! 🙂
Sarah S.
I have everything I need in order to make this for our bbq tomorrow, except hemp seeds. I've never had them before so I am not sure what a good substitute would be. Do you have any ideas? If not, another trip to the store is in order, because I simply must have this 🙂
keepinitkind
I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to respond to this! It's been a busy couple of days. :-/
If you are still trying to make this, I would just increase the cashews to cover the hemp seeds. I hope you like it as much as we do! 🙂
Heather @ Fifty-Two Cakes
Roughly how much pesto does this recipe make? I've got a jarred pesto I need to polish off. (I bet a garlicky spinach or arugula pesto would be awesome on this too!)
keepinitkind
I would say it makes about 1 cup. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Lori
I made this last night and could hardly hear my kids telling me how much they loved it over the yummy noises I was making myself! I love the bright flavor that the lemon juice brought to the pesto! Unfortunately I forgot to buy pistachios so I doubled the cashews, and I cheated and made it with a tiny bit of oil. AlSo didn't wait for the potatoes to cool, but none of that mattered, as the result was pure heaven! Can't wait to make it again! Thank you so much!