Meatless Monday: Colorful Quinoa Pita Pockets with Feta & Lemon Cumin Vinaigrette
Saturday was my 30th birthday and it was quite an indulgent one! I had a marvelous weekend that involved eating A LOT of awesome food. You can scroll down straight to the recipe if you don't care to hear the details. Otherwise, keep reading and check out Instagram for the food pics (@MinneappleEats)!
Friday night we headed to Sociable Cider Werks, one of my favorite places because I love hard cider (like LOVE LOVE) and had a chance to try some of fun and creative food truck dishes from The Curious Goat.
The next morning, on my actual birthday, my husband, sister, some friends and I had tickets for brunch at The Rookery (part of Travail Kitchen & Amusements in Robbinsdale). This brunch is like no other. It's 10 courses of haute cuisine and theatrical presentations, all the while goofy Christmas music was blasting from the speakers. We drank French press after French press, freshly squeezed juice after juice. We all left with full bellies and the need for, as one friend put it, a 10-course nap. It was my birthday though so I couldn't nap, I needed to be awake and present for its entirety. So we did a little winter walk around Minnehaha Falls, one of my favorite Minneapolis destinations, some vintage shopping along the Minnhaha Mile, and then a bit of couch time before starting the eating all over again.
Yes, that's right, more eating. For dinner, we went to The Rabbit Hole, which is in the same building as Midtown Global Market. We enjoyed a multitude of Korean fusion dishes in a fun and funky atmosphere. They even had Sociable Cider on tap! Excellent.
You probably thought I would stop there, but no. Sunday morning, my husband and I headed over to the Linden Hills Farmers Market at Sunnyside Gardens right next to Linden Hills Co-op. I beelined straight to the Rise Bagel Co. table, picked up one bagel to eat then (everything) and one to eat now as I'm writing this (rosemary olive oil). They had all sorts of fun stuff at the market, seemingly more than the outdoor market, even. We then did a little grocery shopping at the Linden Hills Co-op, which is where I got all the ingredients for this dish (yes, we will actually get to a recipe).
As is probably evident, I was in need of a light meal with an extra dose of roughage (in addition to a hot yoga double-header). I spotted a bag of pita pockets from Holy Land, which is based in NE Minneapolis, and felt inspired to make this light and lovely meal. Save it for a meatless Monday or when you've had enough holiday sweet and treats and are yearning for something healthy!
Colorful Quinoa Pita Pockets with Feta & Lemon Cumin Vinaigrette
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
For Quinoa Salad:
1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 carrot, thinly sliced (a mandolin works well for this)
1 pomegranate, arils removed & any juice saved
4 green onions, white & green parts thinly sliced
1 c. quinoa (I used tricolor)
2 c. broth or water (or a combination)
For Lemon Cumin Vinaigrette:
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. ground cumin
salt/pepper, to taste (I used garlic salt & lemon pepper)
To Serve:
4 pita pockets (I used Holy Land from NE Minneapolis)
almonds or pistachios, chopped
feta cheese, crumbled (I used Odyssey Feta from Klondike Cheese Co. in WI)
Method:
1. Slice carrots and green onions, drain and rinse garbanzo beans, and combine all in a large mixing bowl. Remove pomegranate arils into another smaller bowl. This short video shows you how to easily do this. It really is easier than it seems! Remove any pomegranate pulp that made its way into the bowl and then pour into the larger bowl, including any accompanying juices.
2. Rinse quinoa using a fine mesh strainer and then add to a sauce pan with water or broth. Bring to a boil, uncovered, and then turn down to low heat, letting it simmer with the lid on for about 10-12 minutes. Once cooked, but still a bit firm, drain again in a fine mesh strainer and return to hot pot and cover. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes and then fluff with a fork. Add to large bowl with the rest of the ingredients. See this link for quinoa cooking tips.
3. Make the lemon cumin vinaigrette by whisking all ingrediens in a small bowl. Normally I like to add something sweet to my dressings, usually honey, but the pomegranate juice will serve as the sweetener in the salad, so I opted out. Adjust any seasonings as you see fit, though.
4. Slice pita pockets in half and carefully open the pockets. Warm them in the oven briefly, if desired. Fill each pocket with the quinoa mixture and then top with almonds, feta cheese and Greek yogurt if using. Or just eat it straight out of the bowl!
