Featured SPRING Recipe

Last time I talked about my Spring Clean Cooking class and the wonderful vegetables and fruits popping up in Spring.  Here I leave you with one of the recipes we cooked, and one of my personal FAVORITE Spring recipes!!

*By the way, we made the recipe with quinoa instead of couscous, as couscous is wheat derived and some of us are sensitive to gluten.  I also like the added protein from quinoa, but either way, it is delish!*

Israeli Couscous with Asparagus, Peas, and Sugar Snaps

Israeli couscous is small, round, toasted pasta with grains about the size of peppercorns. Serve this dish chilled or at room temperature.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 large garlic cloves, minced, divided
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 1/3 cups Israeli couscous (6 to 7 ounces)
1 3/4 cups (or more) vegetable broth
14 ounces slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut diagonally into 3/4-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup shelled fresh green peas or frozen, thawed
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Whisk 2 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, 1 garlic clove, and lemon peel in small bowl; set dressing aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add couscous, sprinkle with salt,
and sauté until most of couscous is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups broth, increase heat, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 10 minutes, adding more broth by tablespoonfuls if too dry.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add asparagus, sugar snap peas, green peas, and remaining garlic clove. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; sauté until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer vegetables to large bowl.

Add couscous to bowl with vegetables. Drizzle dressing over. Add chives and cheese; toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Test-kitchen tip:
To trim asparagus, hold onto the top of the stalk with one hand and bend the bottom of the stalk with your other hand. The stalk will snap, separating the woody end from the tender top.

Ingredient tip:
Some sugar snap peas have a tough string running along the top of the pod. To remove it, snap off the leaf end and pull the string.

Enjoy!!

Recipe: Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro

I LOOOOVE this recipe! We try to eat vegetarian a few times a week.  I started following the "Meatless Monday" movement a few years ago but I've learned that we really do not need as much animal protein as we consume, so now it is "Meatless Several-Days-a-Week".

When eating animal protein it should be of the highest quality- organic, grass-fed, no antibiotics and hormones, wild fish (rather than farmed), etc...  As you may know, this can get expensive (although there are ways around that- will blog about that some other time), but for your health, and in my household- it is the only way to go... (hence, the few vegetarian meals a week!)

So here is one of our "meatless" recipes, packed with good protein from the beans and quinoa, good vegetables and spices, and my all.time.favorite.herb- CILANTRO!

Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro
Servings: Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 cups chopped white onions
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup quinoa,* rinsed, drained
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 15-ounce (BPA free) can or box black beans, rinsed, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• Crumbled Cotija cheese or feta cheese (optional)
• Sliced avocado

1. Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. 
2. Add onions and red pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in next 4 ingredients. 
3. Add water; bring to boil. 
4. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until quinoa is almost tender, about 14 minutes. 
5. Add beans and 1/4 cup cilantro; cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is fully absorbed, about 3 minutes. 
6. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro and cheese, if desired, and serve with sliced avocados on the side.

* A grain-like seed with a delicate flavor and a texture similar to that of couscous; available at natural foods stores. 

Note: You can get more creative with this dish and add corn (non-gmo or organic!), sliced cherry tomatoes, maybe even squeeze some lime for a little zest!

Note #2: Soak or rinse the quinoa for at least 5 minutes to remove the saponins in it.  Saponin is a coating in quinoa which gives it a bitter taste. The saponin content in quinoa can be mildly toxic, however, the risks associated with quinoa are minimal provided that it is pre-washed and the leaves are not eaten in excess.

Have you tried quinoa? Do you have favorite quinoa dishes? Please comment below, would love to hear what they are!