Creamy Quinoa and Spring Vegetables

Spring is in the air over here! We've had hints of her in all her forms this week— fresh budding light, warm sunshine, mercurial snow squalls, lioness wind gusts, and misty mornings swelling into pattering rain. We’ve had trilling birdsong days alongside forecasts of coming snow. If there’s anything predictable about Colorado, it’s the temperamental unpredictability of the weather, particularly in spring. This simple, savory quinoa topped with roasted asparagus and broccoli, plus sweet and bright steamed peas is suited to it all.

Warming, cozy, and bursting with bright green goodness, this meal is simple, satisfying, and open to a whole host of variations. Stirring creamy cannellini beans blended with a little unsweetened almond milk, nutritional yeast, and other seasonings into cooked quinoa yields a hearty, flavorful porridge brimming with good energy. It's the perfect nutritious boost even if you need to forego the broccoli and asparagus.

One of our bowls was topped with just the peas (plus a lift of lemon zest and a sprinkling of Olivelle 's black garlic sea salt blend--sooooo good). We're adjusting to braces in our house again, only this time they're mine! I’ll spare you the details around the why, but let’s just say I took the biggest face plant of my life at the end of a run, and now I'm set to celebrate a too-big-for-comfort birthday in braces. Speaking of discomfort—braces! I longed for them as a kid, when everyone seemed to have them. Now I understand what I escaped. Even more, I have a whole new empathy for what Felix went through in his first few days, with mama trying desperately to entice him with soft foods that just weren’t going to work, despite theoretically being on the OK list. And, I have a robust appreciation for what friends call Vitamin I, though hoping to wean off the painkiller rota very soon.

I'm going on four days of this projected 2-year stint, and I had hoped and anticipated that I’d have settled into my new normal for now, by now—but my mouth is still soooo sore! Felix has been getting a kick out of doling out expert advice while being awfully sweetly sympathetic to the discomfort. For the first two days, anything but liquid was out of the question for my aching mouth. Day three, this energizing quinoa really hit the spot, and continues to nourish, filling in the gaps where smoothies find their limits. Top yours with any assortment of roasted spring vegetables you choose, sprinkling a little lemon zest and maybe tempeh bacon crumbles, too. Here’s to turning corners! Happy weekend! xo

Quick, versatile, and satisfying!

Creamy quinoa and vegetables

Serves 4

For the quinoa:
1 Cup quinoa, rinsed
1 ¾  cup vegetable broth
½  cup unsweetened almond or other plant milk
1 15-ounce can cannellini or other creamy white beans, drained and rinsed
⅓ cup nutritional yeast
1 good shake each of garlic and onion powders
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

For the vegetables:
1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound)
1 medium to large head broccoli
2 Tablespoons avocado oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste (or Olivelle black  garlic salt)
1 cup frozen peas
Lemon zest to serve


Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Cut the broccoli into florets and cut the asparagus (discarding the woody stems) into approximately 2-inch pieces. Arrange the vegetables on a roasting pan. Drizzle with the oil and toss to evenly coat. Roast for approximately 25 minutes, or until browned, turning halfway through.

While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the quinoa. In a saucepan, combine quinoa and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower heat to medium low. Let simmer until the quinoa is soft, most of the liquid absorbed, about 15 minutes. Just before the vegetables are finished roasting, steam the peas. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and add the peas.

In a blender, combine the ½ cup almond milk, cannellini beans, nutritional yeast, and garlic and onion powders, and puree.

Return the saucepan to low heat and add the pureed mixture to the quinoa, stirring to combine. Allow to cook until heated through and slightly thickened. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve warm with roasted vegetables and a sprinkling of lemon zest. Enjoy!