It’s the perfect time for asparagus, so be sure to choose recipes that highlight this springtime-only vegetable!  I bought TWO giant bunches at the farmers’ market Saturday, and the first recipe I tried was Harley Pasternak’s Lemon Quinoa with Spring Vegetables, which is found in his Body Reset Diet cookbook.It’s as easy as can be; mix up a lemon juice and garlic dressing, steam your veggies and cook the quinoa.  Mix and serve. (Disclaimer: I added a tiny bit of olive oil to my dressing before mixing.  Good fats!)Using quinoa and chickpeas definitely make it a meal because both are high in protein, although grilled chicken would go nicely, too.  I even used some of the leftovers mixed with some cottage cheese as a post-gym snack!

Enjoy!

Lemon Quinoa with Spring Vegetables

1 clove garlic

2 T lemon juice

12 oz. water

2 oz. quinoa, uncooked

1 cup mixed spring vegetables (peas, asparagus, green onions)

4 oz. rinsed and drained chickpeas

parley, for garnish

1. Mince garlic clove and add to lemon juice.

2. Cook quinoa according to package directions, fluff with a fork and set aside.

3. Steam veggies just until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

4. Mix ingredients together and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Serves 2

Nutrition Information per serving:

Calories 390 Sodium 0 mg
Total Fat 6 g Potassium 0 mg
Saturated 0 g Total Carbs 67 g
Polyunsaturated 0 g Dietary Fiber 15 g
Monounsaturated 0 g Sugars 0 g
Trans 0 g Protein 20 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Vitamin A 0% Calcium 0%
Vitamin C 0% Iron 0%

 

Holly R. Layer

Holly R. Layer

Holly is a registered dietician and a freelance writer. She works as a clinical dietitian at DeGraff Memorial Hospital in North Tonawanda, teaches fitness classes at the Southtowns Family Branch YMCA and shares her love of food through her blog www.thefrozenpineapple.com (new website coming soon), as well as Buffalo News (Refresh), and the East Aurora Co-op Market (the "Eat This" blog series you see here). She lives in East Aurora with her husband Andrew, an East Aurora native and East Aurora Co-op Market board member.