This weekend I:
1) Went on a hike
2) Was lucky Nate didn’t leave me on the mountain
3) Had my second wedding dress fitting
4) Realized our wedding is NEXT MONTH
5) Spent an absurd amount on groomsmen’s ties
6) Cried laughing looking at the Instagram hashtag #swolebrahamlincoln (mostly that it exists and has 1200+ posts – WHAT)
7) Cooked all the food
8) OD’ed on pesto
9) Ate more pesto
Was that a good enough segue to pesto? I hope so, because that’s what I want to talk about. That and the wedding… naturally.
I could make all kinds of claims about this pesto. It’ll cure what ails ya. It’ll make you look like #swolebrahamlincoln. It’ll win you a million dollars so you can buy all the ties in the world. Mostly though, this pesto is deeelicious and so unexpected, because it’s made with cilantro!
‘Tis definitely the season for pesto. And if you feel the urge to branch out from the regular basil variety, I highly recommend a cilantro version! It’s zesty, stays green forever, and the cilantro you need to make it will cost you about a dollar. How is that for a change from basil? As you can see above, I didn’t exactly make this batch with the most gorgeous cilantro on the planet. Oops. And yet you’d think it was made with the cilantro of the gods, because it was so crazy good.
Does cilantro pesto sound weird? I kind of think it does, especially because it has parmesan cheese in it. I was a little skeptical while making it, and even thought about switching out the cheese… but no need. Somehow the cilantro+lime+parmesan combo works. It’s bursting with flavor and I think you should spread it on everything. But start with quinoa… always start with quinoa.
I’ve been wanting to make a quinoa and roasted veggie wrap for the blog for quite some time now, because – guess what? – there’s one from Whole Foods that I like. Do I sound like a broken record? I’d say a good 50% of the recipes on this blog are inspired by Whole Foods. OK, so I exaggerate, but it’s a great place to find some veggie inspiration. I have to say, though, that this wrap goes above and beyond. It is filled with ALL the good things, pesto and quinoa being just the start.
We’ve also got beans and roasted red peppers, not to mention juicy roasted ‘shrooms.
It’s a pretty epic combo, especially when layered (with more pesto!) on a wrap.
I’m a chronic wrap over-stuffer. Anyone else? You should compare my plate to Nate’s after eating wraps or tacos. His? Spotless. Mine? Well, I set the forks out for a reason. I thought I was doing OK with this one until I tried to roll it up, but then… no such luck. Good thing no one was watching, because my wrap eating is pretty embarrassing.
That brings me to the other way this meal can be eaten, which is as a bowl. When I’m stuffing lunch in my face at my desk and 100% guaranteed to drop food all over the place if it’s not on a fork, a wrap is not really an option. Times like those call for a bowl of cheesy, cilantro-y goodness, no wraps required. I highly recommend it in bowl form! It will also use up more quinoa as a bowl, so keep that in mind if that’s your plan.
Do you think I can Instagram a picture of this wrap and caption it #swolebrahamlincoln? Just kidding, I’m not that embarrassing.
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups loosely packed cilantro (mostly leaves), about 2 bunches
- 1/2 cup pepitas (hulled, unsalted pumpkin seeds), toasted
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
- juice of 1/2 a lime
- salt and pepper
- 4 portobello mushrooms caps
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cooked black beans
- wraps or tortillas (about 6)
- roasted red peppers
- grated parmesan cheese
- lime wedges
- First, roast the portobellos. Preheat oven to 425. Slice the stems off the portobello mushrooms and wipe the tops clean with a damp paper towel. Brush both sides with olive oil and place, gill side up, in a baking dish. Roast until tender, 15-25 depending on the size of your portobellos. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, slice thinly.
- Next, cook the quinoa. Add the rinsed and drained quinoa to a pot with 3/4 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- Now make the pesto. Add the garlic cloves to the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir a quarter cup of pesto and the black beans into the cooked quinoa.
- Finally, assemble the wraps. Spread each wrap with a spoonful of the remaining pesto. Add a scoop of the quinoa mixture, sliced portobello, and a roasted red pepper. Top with a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of parmesan. Roll up and enjoy!
Do my eyes deceive me, or are your wraps some kind of fancy, extra long shape? Pretty genius. And I die for portobellos!
Yes, they’re Flatout brand!
While I’m not really a fan of cilantro, this wrap looks delicious! Feel free to keep the whole foods inspired recipes coming, as some of us live too far away from one to actually go to a whole foods mroe than 2x a year.
Sounds like a pretty amazing weekend – pesto OD and all! Now I need to hop on instagram and hashtag search #swolebrahamlincoln – I’m so instrigued!
These wraps look amaaaazing! I must make that pepita pesto and it’s been far too long since I’ve enjoyed a Portobello. Can’t believe your wedding is just around the corner!!!
I’ve explored with quinoa lately. I’d love to try these because the wraps look delicious.
Using an herb that’s cheaper than basil….genius! I’m just dying over the photos, and don’t even get me started on the addition of pepitas. They’re so underrated and SO jam packed with plant-powered protein! Pinning immediately.
I think the cilantro haters have somewhat scared the rest of us from using cilantro in less “traditional” ways. I’m gad to see that you went for it, and had a such a great result!
HA, cilantro of the gods! Must try. I might use extra nuts, as I’m off dairy again…ugh. But this looks delicious! Perfect for grilling weather :)
Good luck with your wedding stuff! The month before my wedding is mostly a blur…nuts.
I’ve had good luck with nutritional yeast in pesto, if you’re a fan. Though nothing beats cheese, of course… :)
I love cilantro/coriander! I am definitely more of a bowl girl – I haven’t managed to find a GF wrap here in Australia that does the fillings justice. A bowl is probably a good idea because I have the same taco plate issue. Hey, if it’s good it’s gonna get messy!
I have the same gluten-free wrap issue. These fillings in a bowl get two thumbs up though!
First off, can I say that I LOVE that there is a #swolebrahamlincoln hashtag?? My Aussie friend sent me the Abolish Sleevery meme and I loveee it.
Secondly, hot damnnnn these look delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Haha my friend and I were looking at Swolbraham Lincoln – Abolish Sleevery tank tops yesterday. So ridiculous!
I’ve been waiting for this since you gave us a sneak peek on IG! I was not expecting cilantro pepita pesto either but I should’ve known better, you are always full of genius ideas! I’m confident I would make a huge mess if I were to eat one too, mostly because I couldn’t control myself with so much deliciousness.
K, now I’m off to look at #swolebrahamlincoln pictures.
And one month left- aaahhh, so exciting! :)
Hah I didn’t intend to wait so long between the sneak peak and posting! Now you know how lazy I am and how long it takes me to get around to writing a post :)
Yum!! Will you cook this for us next week at MV?
Yes sir! :)