Here’s a meatless recipe in the spirit of our week of eating virtually no meat inspired by Do The Green Thing’s Easy On The Meat Campaign (tho admittedly my day job has required the consumption of pork buns, some new york strip, a duck taco, and a few other land animals, but my family? Not a crawling calorie! Such filial discipline). This recipe is an international mash-up if there ever was one, hearty and flavorful enough to satisfy both carnivores and brownivores (which we call my brown-food loving number one son Desmond [four years old]). Andean red quinoa for nutty protein, Mediterraneanish chickpeas for starchy richness, Italian marinara for tangy herby antioxidants, and Greek-style yogurt for creamy unctuosness. You can definitely cook each and every one of these your own way, but our basic basics are:
quinoa: cook 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups boiling salted water until tender
chickpeas: cook as you’d like dried, or open one small can
marinara: buy some pre made, or made a quick version by sauteeing a garlic clove in some olive oil, to which you add a can of crushed tomatoes, some salt, pepper, and a handful of chopped herbs (parsley, basil, what have you), and simmer until a nice texture, about 15 minutes
greek yogurt: buy some
Plate it in a pretty way and eat it up. If you’re still feeling deprived, gastroparents, add some hot sauce. And some olive oil and salt, which never really heart anyone, in good measure.
—Hugh
