• In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the quinoa.

In a small sauce pot, combine the quinoa and 1 cup lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
While the quinoa cooks, prepare the zucchini and kale.

• Trim the ends from the zucchini; cut the zucchini lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick strips, and cut the strips into ¼-inch cubes.
• Finely chop, press, or grate enough garlic to measure 1 teaspoon.
• Strip the kale leaves from the stems; coarsely chop the leaves.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil until hot but not smoking. Add the zucchini, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the zucchini to a plate.
If the pan is dry, add 1 teaspoon oil; warm over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and as much chile flakes as you like and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the kale, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.
While the kale cooks, prepare the avocado.

• Cut the avocado in half. Remove the pit, scoop out the flesh, and cut the flesh into bite-size pieces.
• Zest the lemon; juice half and cut the other half into wedges, reserving the wedges for serving.

In a small bowl, stir the lemon zest and juice into the basil-mint pesto. Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add half the pesto to the quinoa and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the quinoa to individual bowls. Top with the zucchini and kale. Garnish with the avocado and pumpkin seeds. Serve the remaining pesto and the lemon wedges on the side.

Chef’s Tip To save time chopping, in Step 2, the zucchini can also be cooked in ¼-inch-thick slabs instead of cubes, 2 to 4 minutes per side.