Spring Has Sprung!
This easy entrée highlights two seasonal spring vegetables: asparagus and peas. Served with lemony quinoa, this light dinner is a wonderful way to welcome the season! The chives added at the end are for garnish, but really make the dish pop so buy them if you can find them. You can use the rest later in the week on baked potatoes! Yum!
Lemony Quinoa with Roasted Asparagus and Peas
Serves 4-6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes (plus shelling peas) Cooking Time: 25 minutes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound asparagus (1 bunch), woody ends trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
1 1/2 cups uncooked yellow quinoa, rinsed
3 cups vegetable stock
1 Tablespoon lemon zest (almost the whole lemon)
3 Tablespoons lemon juice (get the zest off before you juice it)
salt and pepper
1 cup fresh peas (about 1 lb English Peas you shell) or 1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup toasted cashews
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped chives for garnish
Preheat oven to 400F. Place asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat other 1 teaspoon oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Add quinoa, stock, lemon juice, lemon zest and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove lid and sprinkle peas on top of quinoa mixture, cover and continue cooking for 5 more minutes. Add roasted asparagus, stir gently to combine, then garnish with cashews and chives and serve.
Until next time, Eat Well, Be Well and LOVE Every Bite!
~Jennifer
This recipe is excerpted from my weekly meal plan. You get 4 healthy recipes, an organized shopping list and coupons to New Leaf Community Markets. You can try it free for a month by clicking here.
Chef Jenny Brewer MS, CNS