Between the heartbreak and the heat, every cell in my body craved something cool, juicy, savory, sweet, and absolutely delicious. This salad hit all the marks.

The juicy watermelon perfectly complemented the peppery bite of the arugula, creating a harmony of flavors that delighted even the most broken of hearts. The crunch of the pistachios, the softness of the cheese, and the cool, crisp, sweet watermelon satisfied my tasty texture desires.

A friend recently requested a Quinoa recipe and I instantly thought of this super-duper yummy Quinoa Breakfast. In fact, this is my favorite summer breakfast meal. It is simple, and I always feel ready to take on the world after eating it. I hope that you do too!

A Few Quinoa Facts

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is actually a species of Chenopodium grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds. Yum! It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal as it is not a grass and its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable.

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has officially declared that the year 2013 be recognized as "The International Year of the Quinoa." Yay!

I love soups. In fact, every Sunday (Soup Sunday), I make soup for the week — especially during the cooler months. Having soup on hand makes for easier meal prep throughout the week. Plus, most soups freeze well. So I can stock the freezer for days when I don’t have the time or bandwidth for preparing a meal from scratch.

In my household, we have different nourishing needs. My partner often prefers more meat. I prefer more vegetarian meals. For this recipe, I cook it up until the point where the lentils are fully cooked. After that, I divide the soup before I serve. I add the kale and corn to my soup and the Polish Sausage and spinach to his.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

This is a wonderful recipe for a quick and nourishing breakfast! It's even fancy enough to serve at your next Sunday Brunch, and it's guaranteed to rock your taste buds. 

Kale is a super-duper nourishing and low oxalate food. You can cook, blend it, massage it, and serve it in a stew. It's packed with antioxidants, and it's a cruciferous vegetable, which means it can block an enzyme that causes swelling in the joints. Just one cup of kale contains 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. That's some serious nourishment.

Pesto is one of my favorite things to make and have on hand. Always! I keep a jar in the refrigerator and frozen pesto cubes in the freezer! It is one of my secret weapons for sneaking in a little extra dose of green goodness. I put spoonfuls of it on just about everything. I tell you, it makes any meal feel gourmet.

And the best part... this recipe takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish.

I really enjoy the cool quickness of a green smoothie during the summer months. There's nothing like gobbling down those enzymes and phytonutrients that you can only get fresh from the vine.

Let me start by saying I LOVE roasted roots and veggies of all sorts. The earthiness of roasted broccoli makes my inner goddess swoon. In the Springtime, this glorious green crop joins in the flames of our grill for a bit of tasty magic. In fall, the earthy fumes of florets meet fire, oven style, fills our house with a scent that acts as an aphrodisiac for the palate.