Cilantro Pesto Quinoa

When I brought home my produce groceries this week, I realized that I already had both cilantro and green onions in my refrigerator. In fact, counting this week's groceries, I had 3 bunches of cilantro and 2 bunches of green onions, so I decided to make a recipe that would use up a lot of both- cilantro pesto. It's super easy to make and can be used as a condiment, or as a dressing for grains or pasta, just use it the way you would regular basil pesto. I made mine without cheese because it's cheaper and healthier, and I don't really miss it when it's not there. If you want to add cheese to this, I'd suggest a 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan, and maybe add a little more oil to get the texture right. I used the cilantro pesto I made to dress a pot of quinoa that I plan to use on green salads with beans for lunches this week.

Cilantro Pesto Quinoa
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water

1/2 cup nuts (I used a mixture of hazelnuts, walnuts, and pecans since I had some little bits of each that I wanted to use up, but I bet any nut would work just fine)
1 large bunch of cilantro, washed and stems removed
4 green onions, trimmed and cut into pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
1/4 tsp salt
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil

Place quinoa and water in a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook quinoa for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the pesto: Grind the nuts in a food processor. Next add the cilantro, green onions, garlic, and salt. Blend until you have a vibrant green paste. Now add lemon juice and blend, scraping down the sides as needed. Add olive oil (in a slow stream if possible) and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning (salt, lemon juice, olive oil) as desired. When quinoa has finished cooking, mix in a large bowl with the pesto.