Quinoa Primavera with Chicken, Spring Peas and Asparagus

This dish is both fresh and warm, homestyle and almost casseroley. Use leftover or rotisserie chicken and it takes about 25 mins to prepare. And defiantly make enough to have leftovers because it's excellent cold.

Serves 4

Secret Ingredient: Quinoa Roasted or rotisserie chicken works perfectly in this recipe. Any leftover quinoa primavera can be chilled and tossed with vinaigrette to make a lively salad. To learn how to make this recipe, watch the Secret Ingredient cooking show.

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 pound (about 1/2 bunch) asparagus, woody ends snapped off and discarded, spears cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup fresh peas or frozen petite peas, thawed
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 cup thinly sliced baby spinach leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Rinse quinoa under cold running water and drain. Combine water and quinoa in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until quinoa is tender and all the water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and asparagus. Cook, stirring often, until asparagus is tender and bright green, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and peas and continue cooking for another minute. Stir in chicken and cooked quinoa. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 11oz/325g-wt.): 310 calories (80 from fat), 9g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 30mg cholesterol, 370mg sodium, 39g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 20g protein

This recipe from Whole Foods at http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=1087