I’ve stressed a lot recently that presentation impacts taste by leaps and bounds. That’s why fancy restaurants serve small portions of perfectly curated food with tasteful drizzles of sauce, why cafés dress up smoothie bowls with fun patterns and bright colors, and why I and so many others like to eat out of upcycled coconut bowls. People even make careers out of just taking pictures of food! So far this summer, I’ve spent all my time in the Appalachians of North Carolina and Kentucky. Don’t get me wrong, I love the mountains for all the backpacking opportunities and beautiful vistas, but I miss the beach. I miss listening to Jimmy Buffett and falling asleep under the hot sun. I miss swimming in the ocean with friends, SCUBA diving on coral reefs, and taking long walks and runs on the shoreline. I miss going out at night, having the entire beach to myself, and listening to the waves crashing down while stargazing (what a meditative experience that is). The closest I can come to visiting the beach right now, though, is making a beach-themed meal and listening to a lot of Jimmy Buffett and the Zac Brown Band. So, at the grocery store earlier this week, I bought a pineapple and two coconuts on a whim. Thus, a pineapple boat was born. This recipe combines some of my favorite ingredients (raisins, peanuts, pineapple, and tempeh) for a healthy dish with the perfect combination of salty and sweet. I love how it brings together whole grains, fruit, proteins, and vegetables for a well-rounded meal that leaves nothing for the wanting. It’s easy to make adjustments to this recipe; I was originally going to lightly fry some rice with turmeric, but decided to work with what we had in the pantry instead (quinoa). Cashews are also a tasty substitution for the peanuts, and carrots are a good addition to up the veggie content of the dish. When I initially made this, I did not marinate the tempeh or soak the raisins. While you can absolutely skip these steps and still get good results, I find that the marination virtually doubles the tempeh’s savory taste and that soaking the raisins to expand them highlights their flavor and adds some juicy texture to the dish. Enjoy! Pineapple Quinoa Boats
Serves 4 Active Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 2 ½ hours Ingredients: For the marinated tempeh:
Instructions:
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