MEATLESS MONDAY: brown rice with mint cilantro pesto

While Lola is apparently on cloud number nine (can we please all just appreciated how nice this is and really be happy with her?) - I have been experiencing quite the eventful Monday myself.. I just arrived at my hotel (The Banks) in Antwerp, Belgium. I'm here for a training that my agency is offering to me, and I'm so glad i got the opportunity to learn new things (about social media - I hope I will be able to tell more next week. It's been quite an eventful trip - and not really short (from Zurich via Munich and Brussels) - but with several meaningful coincidences that I'm planning to all neatly stash away in my 'good memories' archive.

For one, I sat next to a really nice (and handsome - honestly the perfect green-brown eyes, too) guy on the plane. We spotted and admired two rainbows together; one in Zurich when we left - and one in Munich (where i had to take my connecting flight). Then a nice family father helped me with my luggage (big suitcase....) without being overly fussy about it. Just a nice gesture, no biggie. He even saw me to the train station at the airport, despite his waiting family. Then one guy on the train (through nowhere, no less) began to chat with me, being curious but not in a pushy way, as to where i come from. He introduced me to his home-town Antwerp with the words: "You know, Antwerp people are the least shy in all Belgium".

Well, hello, pretty city with charming strangers...! Now that I finally got here after a long day and a long journey, I'm simply wearing a really big smile on my face (despite my imminently frizzy hair and wrinkly skin, ugh)! How good it is to change perspectives, get out of the rut, experience something new from time to time. What a charming city Antwerp is (what I've seen of it - from the short taxi ride here). And it really is true what they say: traveling broadens your horizon - even if it's only a business trip (laugh). I'm certainly planning to make the most of it.

So here's a recipe i prepared some time ago for you: a healthy, meatless brown rice (i like it, it's got texture and a nice nutty taste) with a mint cilantro pesto, french beans and peas. Curious as to what kind of food the Belgians have and what my colleagues will feed me tomorrow?

BROWN RICE W/ MINT CILANTRO PESTO

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup brown rice, cooked according to directions
• 1 tbsp organic butter
• 2 cups french beans, blanched
• 1 cup peas. blanched
• 1 cup mint leaves, minced
• 1 cup cilantro leaves, minced
• 2 cup basil leaves, minced (half of it left whole for decorating)
• 1 handful arugula leaves, for decorating
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 20 g or 3 tbsp. pistachio nuts (not salted), toasted and crushed in a mortar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 lime, juice
• Fleur de sel
• freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Cook the rice according to directions (it might take around 45 minutes until tender), then stir in some butter and put aside to cool.
2. In the meantime, blanch the beans and the peas in salted water. Drain and chill in ice water. Pat dry and put aside.
3. Make the pesto: combine the mint, cilantro and half of the basil leaves, plus some arugula (not too much, as you won't wanna make it to bitter), the olive oil, pistachios, garlic, lime juice, salt and black pepper in a food processor and blend. Pulse until mixture is smooth.
4. Now mix the pesto with the rice, place the beans and peas on top, drizzle some more pesto on everything and garnish with the remaining herbs, arugula leaves and some leftover pistachios.

I'm sorry, dessert will come again next week (I currently can not visit my own blog for the hotel has blocked it due to violation? What, I'm only a food blogger...?). Anyway, there is always something to look forward to: profiteroles, uhu, that's right. Next week.

Wishing you all a fabulous week! Thank you for reading.
Love, as always,
Scarlett