Kale Pesto Mushroom Pistachio Bowls Recipe

Last August, we decided to move to Chicago. When we first walked around what would become our new neighborhood, it was sunny, warm, children were playing, and the birds were singing. It was pretty hard to picture the snowy cold weather that would only be a few months away. I grew up in Chicago, but the dreamer in me still thought “maybe this year it won’t be cold.” As the fall weather started to become winter weather, the realist in me spoke up and said “It’s Chicago. We’re going to hole up in this house, cook all winter, and order groceries with Instacart.”

Well, here we are, spring is almost here, and I’m still alive, still cooking, and still using Instacart. We’re partnering with ALDI on this post to announce to you that ALDI is now on Instacart(!) in Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles. What’s great is that the prices are the same as the in-store prices and the only challenging part was meeting the $35 minimum for free delivery. It’s a happy problem to have because everything at ALDI is so darn affordable. I got the fresh ingredients for these bowls as well as a restock of pantry staples such as olive oil and extra cans of chickpeas. If we ever get snowed in, at least we can make hummus.

Now it’s time to talk about these bowls! These are my “I’m-ready-for-spring-but-it’s-still-winter” bowls. They’re warm and hearty, yet fresh and bright. I started by using an Ambiano Professional Nutrition Blender to make a super creamy green pesto-like sauce using raw kale and pistachios. I tossed (more) kale with some of the sauce and piled it into the bowls with quinoa, balsamic-y mushrooms, chickpeas, crushed pistachios, and red pepper flakes. It all comes together in roughly 30 minutes and while the concept is very simple, it’s so, so delicious.

Btw, this sauce would be delicious on so many things (salads, roasted vegetables, etc). While we were cleaning up, I caught Jack eating it with a spoon, although I’m not sure I’d recommend that ?

Kale Pesto Mushroom Pistachio Bowls

 

• ¼ cup Southern Grove Pistachios, shelled
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 packed cup SimplyNature Organic Chopped Kale
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup Specially Selected Premium Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ¼ cup water

• 1 tablespoon SimplyNature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 16 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
• 2 teaspoons SimplyNature Aged Balsamic Dressing
• 4 packed cups SimplyNature Organic Chopped Kale
• 2 cups cooked SimplyNature Organic Quinoa
• ½ cup Dakota’s Pride Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon crushed Southern Grove Pistachios
• pinches of Stonemill Crushed Red Pepper, optional
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
• freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine the pistachios, garlic, kale, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper, ¼ cup olive oil and ¼ cup water in a small blender and pulse until pureed.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, pepper, stir to coat, then cook 8 to 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are browned and soften, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and toss with the balsamic.
3. In a medium bowl, finely chop the remaining kale and remove any tough stem pieces. Toss with a few scoops of the kale pesto sauce and season with salt and pepper. Toss and gently massage.
4. Assemble the bowls with the cooked quinoa, kale, mushrooms, chickpeas, pistachios, red pepper flakes and generous scoops of the sauce. Season to taste.

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And here’s a peek at my Instacart order, which included the grocery items for this recipe, plus some of my favorite everyday grocery staples.

This post is in partnership with ALDI. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep us cooking! Save $20 on a $35 or more ALDI Instacart order, enter the code LOVEALDI at checkout.