Flame Kissed Tomato Pesto Tapas topped off with a dollop of nutty quinoa, rich red roasted tomato pesto and grilled shrimp. Bring on the SIZZLE and CRACK out the GRILL for some weekend FUN! 
There is nothing like the warmer weather to bring out the chef in everyone. As soon as I fire up the grill, all the men in my family turn into grilling masters and want to join in on the fun.
Once the domestic activities in the kitchen have subsided and the outdoor events are in full swing, grilling turns into a real Manly Man Event. Everyone has a say on how it is cooked and prepared. I let the boys creativity run wild and they are just brilliant.
I was just going to make a relatively simple Grilled Veggie Quinoa Bowl with lots of goodies. My eldest, a real foodie that actually works part-time in the F & B business to make money for school, said mom, " Lets have some fun." I asked him what he had in mind and he just blew me away with his creativity. We had fun! Loads of fun! We grilled and chilled out on the balcony enjoying our million dollar view, taste tested the gorgeous roasted tomato pesto and chose some props for plating. All credit for plating and photos goes to my eldest son. Thank you sweetie!!!
You are just going to love these flame kissed tomato pesto tapas as they are one perfect little bite filled with all the flavours of the grilled veggies and shrimp, nutty quinoa and the lip smacking tasty grilled tomato pesto. These little tapas are going to knock your socks off. Flame kissed tomato pesto tapas are gluten-free, diabetic and cardiac friendly, low-carb, dairy-free, egg-free and can be easily made vegan just by leaving off the shrimp.
Entertaining outdoors and enjoying some of this lovely weather is very nice. Letting everyone take part in the process and lending you hand with some of the tasks when entertaining is even more awesome! Enjoying these little flame kissed veggie tapas with a little glass of wine or lime soda is even more sublime. Whether you enjoy this combination as a fun little tapas or just a grilled veggie quinoa bowl with grilled tomato pesto, I promise you will want to keep going back for more.
You can grill any little vegetable your heart desires, so do not feel restricted by the items on this list. I would have loved to grill eggplant and mushrooms too. Maybe you would like grilled flank steak, chicken, fish or even grilled tofu instead of shrimp...Knock yourself out and have some fun with this dish! If you do not have sun-dried tomatoes, just leave them out as this pesto is great even without it. I think you are seeing where I am going with this. This dish is perfect for substitutions. You may choose to double up on the recipe for the grilled tomato pesto recipe as it really is delicious and it so good on so many different dishes.
You can make a meal out of these delicious flame kissed veggies, grilled tomato pesto and quinoa by creating "grilled veggie quinoa bowls". A grilled veggie quinoa bowl meal comes highly suggested, according to my youngest teenager who licked his bowl clean and came running back for seconds. I could not make my little Flame Kissed Tomato Pesto Tapas appetisers fast enough for him. If you want to make a "grilled veggie quinoa bowl, mix the quinoa with a large dollop of the delicious grilled tomato pesto and then top with your roasted tomato pesto quinoa bowl with loads of grilled vegetables, shrimp and top with a little fresh parley or basil. You could even make this healthy meal completely vegan if you just left off the shrimp and added a few garbanzo beans or even grilled tofu on top.
I have created this recipe for 4 adult sized portions to eat as a grilled veggie quinoa bowl with grilled tomato pesto. You can adjust the amounts if it is just for a snack or a meal. You can grill any vegetables your little heart desires so have fun during your visit your market to see what is fresh and in season. I used wooden skewers to make my vegetables like a kabob because I do not have one of those veggie grill trays but if you have one of those, that would work great too. Let's get grilling!
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Flame Kissed Tomato Pesto Tapas
Ingredients
Grilled Veggies (Feel Free to Use any Vegetables you Like)
- 1 zucchini (courgette) medium sized washed and cut into slices on an angle
- 1 onion large cut into fourths and separated into sections (save ½ for tapas and ½ for grilled tomato pesto)
- 2 bell peppers (red and yellow cut into large 1.5 inch squares)
- 14 oz asparagus (tough ends removed and peeled at the bottom if tough)
- 1.5 cups tomatoes Malaysian grape washed and left whole
- ¼ cup olive oil (reserve a little for your shrimp)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cloves garlic minced (reserve a little for your shrimp)
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined (you can leave the tail on if you wish)
Quinoa
- quinoa - 4 cups cooked (according to package directions)
Grilled Tomato Pesto
- ¾ cup grilled tomatoes of grilled Malaysian grape tomatoes from the grilled veggies above)
- ½ grilled onions
of the grilled onion from above - ½ cup sun dried tomatoes -
(Soaked in warm water to soften and drained) - 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup basil leaves
fresh - ½ cup parsley
(flat leaf or curly is fine)- save a little extra for garnish if you wish - ¼ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place zucchini (courgettes), onion, bell peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper and garlic in a bowl or baggie to marinate for at least 30 minutes. In a separate container place shrimp, a little olive oil, salt and pepper and garlic to marinate for at least 30 minutes. Soak bamboo skewers in water so they do not burn during the grilling process. (You can skip soaking the bamboo skewers, if you have a vegetable tray for the grill or have metal skewers.)
- Cook your quinoa according to the directions and set aside. Place your sun dried tomatoes in warm water to soften. (Takes about 15 minutes for sun dried tomatoes to soften)
- Preheat your grill. I placed my marinated vegetables (zucchini (courgettes), onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper and garlic) on the pre-soaked wooden skewers and placed on the grill to cook. I placed my asparagus directly on the grill. I placed all the harder vegetables closer to the heat and placed the tomatoes on indirect heat. I turned my vegetables every 2-3 minutes and the harder vegetables (peppers and onions) took about 8 minutes. The zucchini only took about 5 minutes total to get some awesome grill marks. I cooked the asparagus directly on the grill and they took about 3 minutes on each side to cook. The tomatoes only took about 4 minutes on the grill or just until ready to burst. Remove vegetables from grill and keep warm. Add your shrimp on the BBQ grill and cook. Shrimp only takes about 1-2 minutes on each side to cook (depending on the size of your shrimp). Cook the shrimps just until pink and no longer translucent.
- In your food processor, place in the grilled tomato, grilled onions, pre-soaked sun dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste and pulse together until well blended. If you need a little extra moisture just to get the food processor to go around, use a little water (a teaspoon at a time) just enough to get it going. Your goal is a nice thick and delicious grilled tomato pesto.
- Mix your grilled tomato pesto in with quinoa until well mixed.
- If you want to make fun little Flame Kissed Tomato Pesto Tapas (appetiser): Layer in a stack starting with the larger grilled zucchini then top with grilled peppers, onions, a teaspoon side dollop of grilled tomato pesto quinoa. Next nestle a shrimp in the grilled tomato pesto quinoa and garnish with a wedge of asparagus and a little parsley or basil. Serve to your guests and enjoy!
- If you want to make delicious grilled veggie quinoa bowls (Complete Meal): Add one cup of the grilled tomato pesto quinoa to the bottom of the bowl. Garnish your bowl with loads delicious grilled bell peppers, asparagus, onions, zucchini, shrimp, etc and then garnish with a little chopped parsley and basil on top. Enjoy!
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
The pesto sounds perfect for all those vegetables 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Tandy, I just love this grilled tomato pesto it tastes good on steak, chicken, pasta, fish, really it goes well with so many things. I always make a double batch!
dedy oktavianus pardede says
wow, stunning photograph Bam!!!
i love tomato pesto too, i used to made it with homemade sun dried tomato too...
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank You Dedy! I bet your homemade sun dried tomatoes would take this dish to a new level.
nancyc says
The tomato pesto sounds wonderful in this dish–I'm such a big pesto fan, I could probably eat that by itself! 🙂
Eha says
The moment I read the dramatic and romantic 'flame kissed' I knew we were in for a treat! A beautiful, appetizing, healthy idea innovatively executed. So thrilled for you to learn you have another budding foodie in the family . . . . will make the tomorrows even more fun 🙂 ! Meanwhile I shall copy!!!
Healthy World Cuisine says
I am so excited too Eha! It is so nice to have a partner in crime who is just as picky to get those perfect foodie shots for social media as I am. LOL Heck I am just delighted to have a teenager that says words other than grunts and groans as they pile more food on their plates. Wishing you a super Day!
deliciousmeetshealthywp says
What a fantastic presentation for these cute tomato pesto tapas! Your son did a great job! Very creative indeed! 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
I think he did an awesome job too and will pass on your very kind comments on to him. A second foodie in the family. Woo hoo!
allthatsjas says
Wow, Bobbi! You have, again, created a masterpiece! Too pretty to eat but I bet it tastes just as it looks - awesome! 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Jas, but I did not create this masterpiece but my little foodie son did. I admit I had a heavy hand with partial clean up but this was his idea and it is even healthy!!! Pretty awesome, huh!
Gerlinde@ sunnycovechef says
My husband does all the grilling in the family. Your little veggie tapas are so cute , your son did a fantastic job, very creative and tasty. The presentation is fantastic. I love the tomato pesto .
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Gerlinde. I will pass on your kind message to my son. I can't get my husband any where near the kitchen or the grill , well that is until he is hungry and wants a status update on the progress in the kitchen. LOL
The Foodie Affair says
Aren't these bites delicious looking! You have an awesome assistant. Fantastic job!
Healthy World Cuisine says
He is an awesome kitchen assistant. You know I was just going to dump everything into a bowl and call it a day and he had an idea...a great one at that.
kitchenriffs says
The plating is really good -- your son has talent. Pictures are good, too -- but that's your talent. 😉 Really nice recipe too -- so much fun playing in the kitchen, isn't it? Must be a lot of fun to do it with your son.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks John! It is so nice to know we have another budding foodie in the household.
Monica says
This looks amazing! Your son is obviously very talented and needs to hang out in the kitchen (or by the grill) more often. : ) Not only does it look good but the pesto, the layers...it just sounds delicious. This is something I'd be happy to see comes at me at a top-notch restaurant.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Aww, thanks for your sweet comment Monica. I will be certain to pass your message on to him.
dianeskitchentable says
Creativity certainly runs in your family. That's fantastic that your son is so interested in creating new food ideas and it sound like you had a great time putting this together. What is it with guys and grills though? Mind you, I'm not complaining when my husband takes over the cooking on the grill.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Diane, I love when kids take a liking to some of the same passions we have, how fun is that! Yes, what is it with guys and grills!!! I am shocked they do not beat their chest like Tarzan just to get pumped up for the cooking event. I am more than happy to hand over the grilling tongs to the boys. Wishing you a super weekend.
shashi at runninsrilankan says
You and your eldest sure did have fun coming up with this - and, Bobbie, he is quite the budding foodie with his creativity and presentation skills! Love the versatility of this and that tomato pesto with quinoa might just become our dinner tonight!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Shashi, I will certainly pass on your kind words to him. I bet you have loads of fun cooking with your daughter as well. Usually my teenagers are just the QA analysts but sometimes they like to lend a hand in the creation.
Mary Frances says
Wow!! These are so colorful and beautiful! I'm sure they taste amazing as well.
Healthy World Cuisine says
thanks Mary! I give full credit to my son, he did the plating and was the inspiration for this lovely appetizer. I am so excited to have a budding foodie in the family.
thecompletebook says
What a great idea! Can almost taste how delicious these are.
Have a super day Bam.
🙂 Mandy xo
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Mandy! We are always cooking out on the grill. Everything just seems to taste better.
chef mimi says
Those are too pretty to eat!!! But they sound so delicious.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Mimi! My son did all the plating and he did an awesome job!