Easy Quinoa Primavera

I got the idea for this recipe from my sister and her husband.  They had it last week for dinner and my sister mentioned to me how good it was.  I'll admit that I had never heard of it before, but it sounded good!   I like quinoa and just bought a new package from the store, so I threw this together tonight using the vegetables I had in my fridge.  It was very easy to prepare and was a nice change from pasta. 

Quinoa Primavera
(serves 4)

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1.5 cups asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

1.5 cups carrots, shredded

1 cup peas

1/4 tsp pepper 

salt to taste

*1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

*I added 1 tsp of lemon juice to the portion on my plate, not while it was cooking.  It's optional but does add a nice, refreshing flavor!


Directions:

Chop onions & asparagus, shred carrots and mince garlic; set aside.

Prepare quinoa according to package directions.

While quinoa is cooking, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in 4.5 quart pot.   Add onions & garlic and saute for about 5 minutes.  

Reduce heat to med-low, add asparagus, carrots salt and pepper.  Pour remaining tbsp of olive oil on top and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 8 minutes. 

Reduce heat to low, add peas and stir to combine, and cook for 2 more minutes.  

Add cooked quinoa to sauteed vegetables and mix.

I should note that I don't typically like to cook with oil, but I make exceptions sometimes.  I felt that if I sauteed the veggies in water like I normally do, it would take away from some of the flavor of this dish. It turned out very good, and was the perfect light dinner for a spring night!