Crazy for Quinoa

On a spring break diet kick, I've been eating a lot of quinoa. It's super healthy, filling, full of protein and perfect for cool winter nights. Sick of buying the stuff from Whole Foods for far too much money, I decided to make my own. It look a lot longer than I expected to cook, but was totally worth it in the end. It definitely involved a lot of time labor but was not particularly challenging prepare. I adapted my recipe from the quinoa risotto recipe on the back of the Trader Joe's Organic White Quinoa bag. This dish was great to give a taste of spring but still hearty enough for a winter night. Next time I make it, and there will definitely be a next time, I would consider adding an herb like fresh thyme or rosemary. I really loved the dish, and here's the recipe! I hope you enjoy it as much as my friends and I did.

Time: about an hour
Servings: I used 1 1/2 cups of quinoa, which made roughly 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Trader Joe's Organic White Quinoa
3-5 T Olive Oil
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
5 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 of a large white onion
1 cup of frozen corn
Asparagus (which I tossed in olive oil, sea salt and pepper, then roasted at 400 for about 15 minutes), cut into pieces
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Sea Salt to taste
Pepper

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 400, roast asparagus, keep aside
2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the garlic to a large skillet
3. When the garlic begins dancing, pour in the quinoa and stir so it gets covered in the oil for about 3 minutes until the quinoa gets slightly toasted
4. Warm the vegetable broth on low heat
5. Pour in the white wine, stirring, and lower the heat
6. Once the wine is absorbed, add a cup of the broth, stirring regularly
7. Let the quinoa simmer but stir regularly, when the broth is mostly absorbed, add the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly
8. Cook frozen corn according to package directions
9. Heat a 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a separate skillet
10. When that oil is hot, add the onions stirring until they turn translucent and begin to caramelize, move them to the side
11. When most of the broth is absorbed by the quinoa, stir in corn, onion and asparagus, continuing to stir frequently and letting quinoa simmer
12. Add zest of a lemon and juice from half the lemon, with the last of the broth
13. The quinoa is cooked when the germ bursts, making each kernel a translucent color
14. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!