Some of the best things in life happen by accident or when they are unplanned. Chance meetings with friends, misread maps leading to epic adventures, ordering the wrong dish but loving it anyway… life goes awry so often and it’s not always a bad thing. I once jumped in the car with some university friends in Durham (pretty far north in England) and we went for a countryside drive.

After a few hours of gazing at mountains, we found an unbelievable gastro pub where we had a meal that we still talk about to this day. And it was just slightly odd that everyone had a Scottish accent. It was only on our return journey that we discovered we had in fact crossed the border and been in …. Scotland. Oh boy, we were such drifters and dreamers then.

As a busy working mom, I sometimes have to remind myself to let go and not try and control everything. Throw in an upcoming wedding in a country where we don’t speak the language (Hungary!) and life has officially entered “cross your fingers and hope” mode.

We are having a little welcome party on a boat on the River Danube. The river runs right through the heart of Budapest (the city is technically divided into two – Buda and Pest) and the views from the water are beautiful. But in case you didn’t know - because of the heatwave in Europe – the Danube has been reduced to a trickle. Will the boats be sailing? Who knows! We just have to wait and see. I am just not very good at waiting and seeing. I do love to have a plan.

Most evenings when I get home, I already know what’s for dinner. I know it because I planned it a few days ago. The last few days have been so busy though that as I was rushing out of the door from work, I realised I had no idea what I was cooking. I asked my co-worker Jenna what she was cooking and it sounded so good, I just ran with that. But I cheated a little as I was tight on time.

Jenna was making Mediterranean quinoa, packed with veggies. Instead of starting from scratch, I stopped at Miles deli and bought some cod and their grilled vegetables – the giant mushrooms, green zucchini and red and yellow peppers. That night, I chopped and sauteed the veggies, threw in some pitted kalamata olives, spinach and vegan pesto (a premade one), and then tossed it all together with quinoa that I had cooked in half a box of chicken bone broth. Other than the cod/veggies, I had all the other things at home so it felt good to use up open jars and packets!

We had the quinoa with the cod (roasted with a layer of pesto) and it was honestly so good. There was no need to make a veggie side as there were so many in the quinoa. For a vegetarian dish, you could just do the quinoa and maybe (Jenna’s suggestion and sounds amazing) sprinkle some crumbled feta, crushed pistachios and fresh herbs on top.

For the carnivores, this goes well with any meat or fish. To see the cod, pop along to my Instagram – @naturalbda – (although it wasn’t very pretty as evening kitchen photography in artificial light is HARD!) but you can see my version with a Miles grilled chicken breast here.

If you can’t be bothered to faff about with fish, or if you don’t want your house to smell of fish, this is a good option. (By the way, if any of you know how to cook cod without your house smelling like you did, PLEASE tell me! I can’t do scented candles as they give me a headache and trigger my asthma, which is sad.)

What’s not sad, is the recipe. It’s quick, easy and I really hope you try it and love it. It’s worth soaking the quinoa for a while before you cook it – see my Instagram stories for the details on why. If you want to try the cod option it’s so easy, simply layer with some pesto and bake at 400F for 15 to 20 minutes. Thank you Jenna for the inspo! Everyone else, enjoy!

Mediterranean quinoa with vegan pesto

(serves 2)

Ingredients (all from Miles):

½ cup dry white quinoa

½ - 1 box chicken bone (or vegetable) broth (I used Fire & Kettle)

Medium container of grilled vegetables from the deli (whichever ones you like)

½ jar pitted kalamata olives, drained

2 tbsps vegan pesto

½ box of spinach

Salt and pepper, to taste

Light olive oil or avocado oil

Feta, pistachios/fresh herbs – optional

Method

1. If you have time, soak the quinoa for at least two hours in a large bowl of water and agitate it well a few times. Drain and rinse thoroughly.

2. Boil the quinoa gently in plenty of broth for about six minutes (longer if you didn’t soak it previously). Once the quinoa is tender, drain and set to one side.

3. Roughly chop the grilled veggies and sauté over a medium heat in a large pan with a little light olive oil or avocado oil. Once heated, add the pesto, olives and the spinach. Sauté further until the spinach has wilted and everything is warm .

4. Pull the pan off the heat. Add the quinoa to the pan and gently toss. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or cold with a side of protein if you choose or topped with feta/pistachios/fresh herbs (totally optional).

• The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION, BNTA is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the U.K. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda or instagram @naturalbda