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SusanV I'm SusanV, and I love good food. Join me as I create delicious dishes made with whole foods and without a lot of processed fat and sugar. Want to know more? Check out my FAQs, look through my recipe index, or get inside info on Facebook. Like what you see? Then subscribe to receive email updates. But above all, enjoy!


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Sunday, April 27, 2008

Spring Green Quinoa

Spring Green QuinoaI love a good one-pot dish, but sometimes it's just not possible. This simple recipe is a good example. Oh, how I would have loved to have figured out a way to make it without using three separate pans. I combined steps as much as possible, quick-cooking the asparagus and zucchini in the same pot as the edamame, but my husband was still greeted with a pile of pots to clean after dinner.

Nevertheless, I think he'd agree that the meal was worth the clean-up. I served the quinoa along with a simple green salad for a meal that tasted fresh, healthy, and decidedly springish. (Yes, springish. It's my new word and I plan to spread it around!) I kept the seasoning light to allow the fresh flavors of the vegetables to shine though, but feel free to add more to your taste. Or, if you have fresh herbs on-hand, I know they'd take this dish to a whole new level of deliciousness.

Spring Green Quinoa

Spring Green Quinoa
(printer-friendly version)

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 clove garlic, minced
4 (about 1 ounce) sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), chopped
10 ounces frozen edamame (2 cups)
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices
3 -4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon oregano (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon basil (more to taste)
1 generous pinch red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon lemon juice (more to taste)
salt and pepper, to taste

Rinse the quinoa well in a fine-mesh strainer. Put it in a pot with the water, 1 clove of minced garlic, and the sun-dried tomato and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and cook until water is absorbed and grain is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered.

While the quinoa is cooking, bring a large pot of water to boil (Dutch oven sized, about 1/2 full). When it reaches a boil, add the frozen edamame. Return to boil and cook for 4 minutes. Add the asparagus and zucchini and cook until they are tender but still crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain well, and place in a large serving bowl. Add the quinoa and toss well.

In a small non-stick pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable broth. (If you're not following a strict fat-free diet, you may use 1 tsp. of olive oil.) Add the minced garlic and cook for one minute. Add the remaining broth, oregano, basil, and red pepper. Simmer, stirring, for about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over quinoa and mix well. Taste and add additional seasonings, including lemon juice, as needed. Serve warm.

Makes 4 large servings. Per serving: 270 Calories (kcal); 6g Total Fat; (19% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 44g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 168mg Sodium; 8g Fiber. Weight Watchers CORE/ 5 Flex Points.

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34 Comments:

Blogger Bonnie said...

I'd like to try this, it does look very refreshing and healthy.

Yes. Perfectly springish!

3:21 PM, April 27, 2008  
Blogger toontz said...

Susan-
This sounds wonderful! I have some quinoa in my pantry that I have yet to try, waiting for the perfect recipe...I think I have found it! Thanks!

3:21 PM, April 27, 2008  
Blogger Sheltie Girl said...

This looks fabulous. Even better it's gluten free.

Natalie @ Gluten a Go Go

3:43 PM, April 27, 2008  
Blogger Jennywenny said...

Great minds think alike! I just made something very similar. I steamed my edamame over my quinoa in a sieve, that saved a saucepan!

3:54 PM, April 27, 2008  
Blogger Elena said...

Here's my one-pot quinoa method:

In a heavy-bottomed wide saucepan or deep skillet with lid that fits, sautee onions/garlic/spices in a bit of olive oil (onions longest, then add garlic and spices). When onions are done to your liking, stir in quinoa (cook it in the oil for a minute, if using oil), then add broth or water in correct amount to cook quinoa. Put on the lid and let it cook, stirring occasionally. When the quinoa is almost done, throw chopped veggies on top to steam for a few minutes. Stir them in and fluff up the quinoa, then serve.

4:02 PM, April 27, 2008  
Blogger Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

I'm starting to make quinoa more often now; I love the nutty flavor, and paired with asparagus it will be perfect for spring.

4:57 PM, April 27, 2008  
Blogger Kalyn said...

Love the word Springish! This looks just fantastic.

4:59 PM, April 27, 2008  
Anonymous Ricki said...

This looks amazing--so fresh, so verdant, so. . . .springish!!

6:48 PM, April 27, 2008  
Blogger Joel said...

We did something similar recently:

http://foodmonkeys.blogspot.com/2008/04/quinoa-greens-and-eggs.html

The edamame sounds good, and the sun dried tomatoes would make Amy swoon! Quinoa is still a bit odd to me, but I have to admit that its appeal is growing.

And, springish, by the way, is fantastic!

7:14 PM, April 27, 2008  
Blogger Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Ooh, this sounds lovely! I just bought asparagus & zucchini at the Farmers Market today!

7:50 PM, April 27, 2008  
Anonymous The Fine Insides said...

That looks and sounds fantastic! I'm adding your link to our community at http://thefineinsides.com

8:35 PM, April 27, 2008  
Blogger gene said...

I really appreciate that you give a calorie count and other nutritional information for your recipes. Do you use a program or site that allows you to input ingredients and serving size and gives you the nutritional data?

8:56 PM, April 27, 2008  
Blogger Lisa (Show Me Vegan) said...

So pretty! I haven't tried edamame yet and this is a great reason to.

9:42 PM, April 27, 2008  
Blogger SusanV said...

Gene, I use a combination of a program called MasterCook and the website Nutritiondata.com. I enter the recipes' ingredients into MasterCook, but since a lot of the ingredients I use are not in its database, I use Nutritiondata as well as the products' packages and input the nutrition data into the program (I only have to do this once for each new ingredient). There are more expensive programs available, but this solution works for me.

10:23 PM, April 27, 2008  
Blogger Bee Roach said...

This looks so good! I love the addition of sun-dried tomatoes!

9:42 AM, April 28, 2008  
Blogger bazu said...

that is so gorgeous! I don't know what it is about quinoa, but it really signals spring for me. We had a big dish of something very similar just last week!

11:49 AM, April 28, 2008  
Blogger zlamushka said...

lovely salad, the quinoa grains look like morning dew :-)

1:47 PM, April 28, 2008  
Blogger Suganya said...

Susan, I cook quinoa using pressure cooker. I guess you can pressure cook edamame along with quinoa, and saute the vegetables in another pan. That way its two vessels and one pan. This dish is more like what we call 'upma' but with more veggies. Thanks for an inspiring recipe, as always :)

2:09 PM, April 28, 2008  
Blogger BigBear said...

WOW! I am SOOoo jealous of people who can come up with such wonderful ideas.

I am obese and unemployed BECAUSE I get fed way too much pasta bake.

Obviously, I am either going to have to learn to cook or find a different trailer mate.

2:45 PM, April 28, 2008  
Blogger sarahsouth said...

quinoa is finally becoming more mainstream and i am so glad!

6:35 PM, April 28, 2008  
Blogger Kevin said...

That salad looks nice an fresh and healthy and good. Perfect for Spring.

5:35 AM, April 29, 2008  
Anonymous jj said...

This looks so good and so healthy! Thanks ... it does look like a bit of work, but also sounds well worth it. (Always looking for short cuts myself! lol)

11:18 AM, April 29, 2008  
Anonymous moonwatcher said...

This looks delicious, and so pretty too!! I look forward to trying it.

8:53 PM, April 29, 2008  
Anonymous Polona said...

Susan, I made this dish yesterday.
Wonderfull! I didn't have the edamame (I don't even know what it is), so I wanted to add some avokado, but opted for 1 tablespoon of Tofu mayo I made a few days ago (so it was a little bit moist, not so dry) - I love it!!
Thanks for recipe!

4:23 AM, April 30, 2008  
Anonymous Kay said...

mmm ym. Just boght some quinoa the other day. What a coincidence! and green! my favourite colour!
this dish is so healthy, and looks (and I'm sure tastes) so droolsworthy

7:04 AM, April 30, 2008  
Blogger SusanV said...

Polona, I can see how mayo would make this more moist, but I just wanted to clarify that this dish is NOT dry. The sauce added at the end adds moisture--and is the reason why it had to be made in at least 2 pots!

7:13 AM, April 30, 2008  
Blogger Wheeler's Frozen Dessert said...

This looks so delicious and healthy!

2:03 PM, April 30, 2008  
Anonymous Amber said...

I made this tonight and it was great. I was compleatly sceptical but you've won me over.

Until today I had only had quinoa as made by a dear but not very good in the kitchen friend. I kept meaning to try it again but time and time again wussed out. Add to the fact that I have been making anything BUT healthy vegan food...
but something about this dish and your blog kept calling me back. I couldn't figure how any of this would go together and even said "eww" when I first saw in on here! None the less, I was intrigued. But still sceptical enough when making it tonight to cut the recipe in half, for fear of wasting lovely veg on something that might just be gross. but to my delight, it was lovely. Very fresh and springish, as you say.

The only thing I did differently was to cook the veg first then use that water to cook the quinoa. I also added half a stock cube(which was way too salty as it turned out, next time i will use 1/4) at that point. I didn't need any other seasoning as it turned out.

Thanks for helping to clean up my snd my husbands' diet! (he was dissapointed I hand't made enough for seconds)

5:00 PM, May 06, 2008  
Anonymous PCD said...

Hi there,

This is the first recipe that I have tried from your site. I was very pleased, so I look forward to trying more of your recipes. This quinoa was delicious, kind of like a risotto primavera.

I made a few modifications. Asparagus is so expensive here right now, so I used broccoli instead. I also added a yellow squash (I know it doesn't go with the green theme but it was still good!)

I thought it was quick and easy to make. The most labor intensive part was the chopping veggies, which can be done while the quinoa is cooking. To save a dish, I put the veggies back in the pot (after I drained the cooking water out) and mixed in the quinoa and broth right in that pot.

This recipe made a lot! Probably a good 8 servings. I should have halved it, but at least I have some leftovers for a few days.

9:59 AM, May 13, 2008  
Blogger Sarah said...

I made this tonight for my family! They loved it, they were skeptical meat-eaters, but they all went for seconds! Thanks so much for a great recipe!
I have a picture in my blog.

12:53 AM, May 14, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

is the basil dried or fresh??

thanks! Lisa in Seattle

11:25 AM, June 23, 2008  
Blogger SusanV said...

I used dried basil because that's all I had, but fresh would really be great in this dish. I would use more--as much as you feel like adding.

11:44 AM, June 23, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Susan,

I really could have posted this anywhere, but I just happened to stop-in on this recipe because it sounded delicious. I'd like to say "thank you" for posting all the nutritional information at the end of your recipes (most of them anyway!). Even though I eat vegan, I can still way, way overdo it and end up gaining weight if I don't keep tabs on how much I'm consuming. Thanks so much. You save me a lot of time on the computer calcuting all these delicious recipes myself. KatyInAZ

9:48 AM, July 10, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

this is simply fabulous! i'm a new vegetarian want to be vegan and this tastes so yummy! Thanks for sharing

9:26 PM, December 23, 2008  

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