Quinoa with Leeks, Chard, and other fun stuff!

I really, really, really like quinoa. If you've never tried it (this was I until 6 months ago), but you like rice, you'll probably like quinoa, too. It has a nutty taste to it and it kind of feels like the you're biting into little seeds.

You should also love it because it has 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per cup (cooked). In contrast, white rice has only 3.5 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber per cup. Quinoa has a nice dose of iron (2.8 mg, which is 15% of your recommended daily dose), too, while white rice only has a tiny bit (.2 mg).

But it's always been a challenge for me to find a recipe that brings out the best flavor in vegetables and results in a juicy dish when I want to cook vegetables and add them to the quinoa for a meal. It's mostly a challenge because I share my food with people who are not vegan/vegetarian and so they are not very lenient with vegetables -- they like their food intense, kind of like meat :)

This recipe, however, is anything but bland. To be honest, it's genius to me -- some of the best and healthiest ingredients combined to perfection - I love it.

Here's what you'll need:

1 cup dry quinoa
2 leek
1 bunch chard leaves
{2 bell peppers} (*I don't really like bell peppers, so I left this ingredient out, which is why the rest of the quantities are larger than in the original recipe)
1 medium red onion
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2 cups asparagus
{firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes} (*unless you're dying for extra protein, leave this out - you don't need it. I didn't include it, which is why the rest of the quantities are larger than in the original recipe)


 1 (15 1/4 ounce) can sweet corn (rinse it to reduce sodium)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
{1/2 cup sweet Thai sweet chili sauce} (*this usually has high-fructose corn syrup in it, so I left it out and the recipe was delicious even without it)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
salt and pepper 

Directions (courtesy of recipebazaar.com)
Cut the veggies into desired size and shape :)

Add 2 cups of water to the quinoa in a separate pan. Bring to boil, cover, turn to low heat or remove from heat, and let finish cooking.

In a separate saucepan, saute ginger and garlic until soft, then add onions until translucent. Add peppers and leeks; saute until tender. Add olive oil, white wine vinegar, and thai chili sauce along the way.

On a separate skillet, grill asparagus until slightly tender and grill tofu until slightly brown. You could also bake it in the oven, covered with aluminum foil.

Add the asparagus and tofu to the onions, peppers, and leeks. Add any remaining olive oil, white wine vinegar, and sweet thai chili sauce. Add carrots and chard, cover and let chard wilt. Finally, stir in corn.

Serve it over a bed of quinoa and top it with sprouts for an added bonus :) Enjoy!