Easy, nutritious, flavorful, quinoa and lots of veggies, chiles with lime and cumin
This just might be my favorite quinoa recipe. It’s got lots of flavor and has a healthy balance of textures, flavors, and multiple veggies. Plus it has a kick from the chile heat.
I’m headed to Snowmass for the Snowmass Mammoth Fest – 3 days of music, craft brews, and chili cookoffs. I’m judging two different salsa competitions. I wanted a healthy, tasty recipe that keeps for three days and is easy to transport. That way it’s not so tempting to hit the junk food all weekend. This fits just perfectly! You can experiment with various vegetables in it. I’m thinking of trying it with butternut squash. This will be a great side dish to go with whatever we’re cooking on the camp stove.
I made this with a hot green chile (Sandia) and I thought it had just the right amount of heat – a definite spicy kick. It would also be good with a mild chile; there would be lots of flavor but the heat would be subtle.
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 14 oz can vegetable broth + 2 oz water (2 cups total)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp diced hot green chiles
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 cup chopped asparagus, cooked
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- 1 cup peeled, chopped cucumber
- salt & pepper to taste
- chopped avocado for garnish
- Bring quinoa and 2 cups vegetable broth + water to boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer till quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit to let cool and absorb all liquid.
- Whisk olive oil, lime juice, cumin, and salt. Blend in green chiles.
- Pour dressing over quinoa and blend thoroughly. Stir in vegetables and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate. Garnish with avocado and serve.
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