Black Bean and Asparagus Quinoa with Lemon Dressing

Week 3 is all about grains! Make sure to check out THIS post with really useful information on grains! Todays recipe will make about 4 to 6 servings and we adapted it from thekitchn.com.

Black bean and asparagus quinoa is number 1

What you'll need

• Pot
• Mixing spoon
• Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed several times and drained
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup (you can use honey or sugar)
• 1 (14-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 10-12 asparagus stalks, cut into bite sized pieces and steamed till crisp and tender 
• 1/4 cup feta (optional)
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley 

Directions for the lemon dressing

1. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, and maple syrup in a bowl
2. Whisk it all together
3. Add salt and pepper to your preference
4. Whisk it again and then set aside

Directions for the quinoa 

1. Fill a heavy bottomed pot 3/4 full of water, add a tablespoon of salt and heat until boiling. Add quinoa and cook until almost tender, which should be about 10-15 minutes
1. OR cook quinoa according to the chart above. If using chart (2:1 ratio) there will be no liquid to drain
2. Drain quinoa and return to pot
3. Reduce heat to low and cook quinoa, covered, until fluffy which should be about 5 minutes
4. Remove from heat
5. Fluff quinoa with a fork and toss it with the dressing
6. Add remaining ingredients and toss
7. Serve hot or room temperature 

This week is grains and since there are so many different types of grains we made five different recipes: 

• Black Bean and Asparagus Quinoa with Lemon Dressing (#1 in picture above)
• Farro Risotto with Corn and Tomatoes (#2 in picture above)
• Black Rice Salad with Avocado and Grapefruit (#3 in picture above)
• Sweet and Savory Wild Rice (#4 in picture above)
• Wild Rice Pilaf (Not pictured above)

Click on any of the above to see the recipe on how to make them and as always feel free to leave comments or questions below!