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Spring Green Quinoa

April 27, 2008 By Susan Voisin 13 Comments
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Privacy Policy.

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 vegan quinoa dish to a whole new level of deliciousness.

Spring Green Quinoa, a light, vegan quinoa dish featuring asparagus and edamame

Spring Green Quinoa

Ingredients

  • 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

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s) | Cooking time: 25 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

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.

 

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes Tagged With: Eat-to-Live, Gluten-free, Quinoa, Soy

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Comments

  1. vegandietguy

    June 22, 2010 at 5:09 am

    Hi, Susan.
    I had a zucchini, and asparagus in the fridge, then I saw fresh edamame at the entrance to the grocery store (we live in Tokyo), so this recipe was perfect vehicle for them. I started out by shucking the edamame raw, but it was taking so long that I decided to boil them a few minutes first then fire them out of their shells like we do when eating them as a snack. In the end, the whole bag of fresh edamame only yielded about 1/2 cup of beans, but the recipe was still a hit. Is there some reason you recommended frozen edamame (other than availability), and does 2 cups refer to them before shucked or after?
    BTW, I always love visiting your site, and don’t know how in the world you find time to try so many different recipes!
    William

    Reply
    • SusanV

      June 22, 2010 at 8:06 am

      Hi William,

      The two cups refers to shelled edamame, which we can buy frozen here, already shelled. I really should have mentioned that in the recipe, so thanks for pointing that out. As you can imagine, having the edamame pre-shelled is a big time-saver.

      Thanks for your complements on my site. To tell the truth, lately I feel like I haven’t had the time or inspiration that I once had. Sometimes I think that I’ve already cooked everything there is to cook–after the basics, it’s just a matter of slight variations.

      Reply
  2. Rebecca

    April 23, 2011 at 8:15 pm

    This recipe was delisious!
    I love quinoa and edamame so I knew I had to make this. I looked in the freezer however and noticed we ran out of edamame and at the store they were out to! So I decided to swap them with normal frozen peas. It was still amazing with just the perfect taste from the lemon. I will have to make this again when I get more edamame. 🙂
    Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Lynne

    March 2, 2012 at 4:02 pm

    Adding this to my must tries. Don’t worry about not feeling creative lately. I love trying your past recipes and no one minds.

    Reply
  4. KBeane

    April 13, 2012 at 10:04 am

    I made this last night for my husband and I and it was delicious! I served it with lemon rosemary baked tofu and have leftovers of both for lunch. Thanks for posting, I highly suggest this one to any quinoa lovers.

    Reply
  5. Crystal

    August 11, 2012 at 3:49 pm

    I made this the other night and after getting the quinoa and veggies mixed together my husband and I tasted it and the sauce separately and decided not to use the sauce as we are not huge fans of lemon. We loved it and so did our sometimes picky 12 and 9 year old daughters!

    Reply
  6. Jessica

    April 1, 2013 at 12:31 pm

    Perfect! I have two bunches of asparagus to use.

    Reply
    • Julie

      April 1, 2013 at 9:29 pm

      I made this tonight, and it was delicious. I used fresh basil and oregano and I think that made all the difference. Yummy!

      Reply
  7. Christine..

    April 24, 2013 at 2:51 pm

    Help..I just made this and it seemed to taste really bland. I am just starting to cook with more veggies and whole grains omitting a lot of salt and oil…What did I do wrong or what can I add to make it more tasty…
    I am sure it is me and not the recipe..

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      April 24, 2013 at 3:04 pm

      When you’re just beginning to cook with less salt, things can taste very bland. Try increasing the other seasonings and maybe squeezing on a little lemon juice just before serving.

      Reply
  8. Lindsay

    April 29, 2013 at 1:07 pm

    This looks delicious but I’m not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes. Could I use chopped roasted red peppers instead? Or are the sun-dried tomatoes key to the flavor?
    Love your site!

    Reply

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Susan VoisinI'm Susan Voisin, and I love creating delicious whole foods plant-based dishes with no added oil. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
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