The boxed quinoa I buy is about 1 cup of dry quinoa. I add the rinsed quinoa to 2 cups of boiling water. I cover and let simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
I'm very picky about pesto (2 weeks travelling around Italy will do that to you!). I have found non-brand name pesto to be tastier. Also look for Genovese or Ligurian pesto (it should be the name on the jar). Minimal ingredients make for a better pesto - look for basil to be the first ingredient, followed by olive oil, pine nuts and/or cashews, parmesan and garlic. Good pesto doesn't require much more than this.