Spring Vegetable Quinoa
Spring Vegetable Quinoa is a veggie packed, high protein side dish or light main meal that takes advantage of all the spring and summer garden vegetables.
Servings: 4
Calories: 241kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 ½ cups water
- juice of ½ lime
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ½ + ⅛ teaspoon salt divided, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion sliced thin
- 1 medium zucchini cut in half lengthwise and sliced thin
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1 cup sweet green peas fresh or frozen
- 3-4 large swiss chard leaves stems removed, chopped
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve under cold water. Place quinoa, water and lime juice in an Instant Pot with valve sealed and set for 1 minute. When finished, press stop and let it sit for 10 minutes. Open valve and lid and fluff quinoa. (Alternately, cook quinoa on the stovetop according to package directions, adding in the juice of ½ lime.)
- While the quinoa is cooking, whisk together the dijon mustard, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar and ⅛ teaspoon salt and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté the red onion slices, stirring occasionally, for about 3 to 4 minutes or until starting to soften.
- Add the garlic, zucchini, ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper (or to taste) and sauté 2 minutes until starting to soften, stirring occasionally.
- Add the green peas, swiss chard and dressing. Stir and heat through for another 2 minutes.
- Plate the quinoa with the vegetable mixture on top...or just mix it all together. Serve immediately.
Notes
~ Rinse the quinoa well under cold water to remove any bitterness before cooking.
~ Start the quinoa first. The vegetables cook quickly and you don't want them getting too soft while you wait for the quinoa to cook.
~ Don't overcook the vegetables. You want them tender, but still with a bite. They cook quickly, so don't walk away.
~ The dressing will taste strong on its own, but don't tone it down. Once mixed with the veggies and quinoa, it will be the perfect amount of flavor.
~ For an oil-free option, sauté the vegetables in veggie broth or water.
Nutrition
Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 514mg | Potassium: 543mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2850IU | Vitamin C: 25.6mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 5.4mg