Most people wouldn't consider (extra virgin) olive oil or quinoa to be high calorie/low nutrient -- what percentile would you put nutrients/calorie ratio of, e.g., quinoa? That said, it's easy to reduce the caloric content of the above recipe by simply decreasing the olive oil (I increased it because I have higher caloric needs).
And, though I didnt' mention it, I typically consume the meal with capsules of fish and cod liver oil.
"Very poor" alternative? Really? What kind curve are you grading on, exactly? I would say twinkies, or meat-and-potatoes, or anything that took hours to prepare, would be "very poor" alternatives. If this is a "very poor" alternative, what is a "reasonable" alternative, then?
