New meal: Quinoa Primavera

Sometime before Thanksgiving, inspired by a discussion on the merits of quinoa with a book club friend who cooks gluten free, I went prowling some of my regular go-to recipe sites for quinoa entrees. I'd only ever really made quinoa one way, the same way that my mom does; and although very tasty, that recipe feels like more of a side dish. During my search, I stumbled upon a particularly tasty-sounding quinoa dish on the Whole Foods website. I bookmarked it, made a mental note to try it out soon, and, well, forgot.

I finally made the quinoa primavera tonight, and was it tasty. The quinoa is cooked in water, not broth, which might seem as though it would limit the flavor profile of the dish, but I was pleased to taste that that isn't the case. The cooked quinoa is added to a mixture of red onion, asparagus, green peas, garlic, chicken, and spinach, so the flavor profile is actually quite robust. The variety of textures in the dish, too, is very pleasing.

Considering the facts that a) the whole thing takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish; b) it really is a complete meal in one bowl (lots of veg, ample protein); and c) it's just plain old pretty to look at, I'd say this dish is definitely a winner.