Double Broccoli Quinoa

3 cups cooked quinoa*
5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems
3 cloves garlic
2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 big pinches salt
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup heavy cream
optional toppings: slivered basil, sliced avocado, crumbled feta or goat cheese

1) Heat the quinoa and set aside.
2) Now barely cook the broccoli by pouring 3/4 cup water into a large pot and bringing it to a simmer. Add a big pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for a minute, just long enough to take the raw edge off. Transfer the broccoli to a strainer and run under cold water until it stops cooking. Set aside.
3) To make the broccoli pesto puree two cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 cup of the almonds, Parmesan, salt and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and cream and pulse until smooth.
4) Just before serving, toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli florets with about 1/2 of the broccoli pesto. Taste and adjust if needed, you might want to add more of the pesto a bit at a time, or you might want a bit more salt. Turn out onto a serving platter and top with the remaining almonds and any of the optional toppings.

*To cook quinoa: rinse one cup of quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan, heat the quinoa, two cups of water (or broth if you like), and a few big pinches of salt until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.

Review: I think quinoa is a bit weird, so I substituted with bulgur. I really liked this dish, except there was too much garlic in the dish. My tongue burned there was so much. Which is odd, because 3 cloves really isn't much. I suggest using only 2 cloves. I also used frozen broccoli, which cut down on some of the prep work.