Spring is definitely here now! The weather had been pretty up and down over the past few weeks, but I think Mother Nature has finally made up her mind to go with Spring & put an end to winter, at least in the Northeast! It is a beautiful thing to finally be celebrating Spring with spring-like weather! Lots of green things are up & the flowers are popping with their bright colors. The fenced in yards of the two local goat farms are filled with kids running, playing & eating the grass. The trees are flowering & leafing out nicely. And we are eating all the asparagus we can find!
I first made this for a light Sunday lunch a few weeks ago when Kelly & Gilbert were joining us. All four of us liked it, so it passed my blog-worthy test. I decided to try it out on my extended family when they were visiting this past weekend. My sister Andi, is vegetarian. My sister Diane & my mother do not eat asparagus, but Diane likes goat cheese. My Dad loves everything. Together, they comprised the perfect taste-testing group. Everyone sampled the quinoa and enjoyed it, although the non-asparagus eaters picked out most of the vegetables. (I think Diane purposely chopped the stalks on the longer side to easily pick it all out of her serving. My mom appreciate her effort!) When a dish gets positive reviews from this elite focus group, said dish immediately gets a blog slot!
Asparagus & Goat Cheese Quinoa
Asparagus & Goat Cheese Quinoa (adapted from joyfulhealthyeats.com)
Time required: about 30 minutes Makes 2-3 main dish servings or 3-4 side dish servings
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of asparagus, about 1 pound, woody stems removed
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup roughly chopped pecans
- 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- salt to season
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ½ teaspoon of sea salt over it. Add the minced garlic. Toss the asparagus & garlic to coat them with the oil & salt, then arrange the asparagus in a single layer on the sheet. Bake them for 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and cut the asparagus into ½” slices. Set them aside.
The asparagus & garlic get roasted together.
While the asparagus is baking, bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook the quinoa for 15 minutes or until the liquid is evaporated. When it is done, fluff the quinoa with a fork.
Transfer the quinoa to a medium bowl along with the chopped asparagus, pecans, goat cheese, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and season it with salt to taste. Toss everything together and serve, warm or cold.
Toss it all together.
This can be a complete meal or a side!
We like this for Meatless Mondays by itself or as a veggie & grain side! ~Linda
Asparagus & Goat Cheese Quinoa (adapted from joyfulhealthyeats.com)
Time required: about 30 minutes Makes 2-3 main dish servings or 3-4 side dish servings
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of asparagus, about 1 pound, woody stems snapped off
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup roughly chopped pecans
- 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- salt to season
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ½ teaspoon of sea salt over it. Add the minced garlic. Toss the asparagus & garlic to coat them with the oil & salt, then arrange the asparagus in a single layer on the sheet. Bake them for 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and cut the asparagus into ½” slices. Set them aside.
While the asparagus is baking, bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook the quinoa for 15 minutes or until the liquid is evaporated. When it is done, fluff the quinoa with a fork. Transfer the quinoa to a medium bowl along with the chopped asparagus, pecans, goat cheese, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and season it with salt to taste. Toss everything together and serve, warm or cold.