Quinoa Risotto

Serves 3 as a main course

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh arugula
1 medium carrot, shredded (if you have a food processor, try the shredder disk)
1/2 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/2 bunch skinny asparagus, trimmed of the thick ends and sliced into 1″ pieces
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Using a large saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium heat. Saute the onion until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the quinoa
and garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute.

2. Add the broth and bring to a boil then simmer for about 12 minutes. The grain will be almost tender at this point. Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms and skinny asparagus pieces in a non-stick skillet using the remaining teaspoon of oil until the mushrooms are almost cooked and the asparagus is crunchy tender. Stir the arugula, carrot, mushrooms, and asparagus into the grain and simmer for another couple minutes. Stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Unbelievably good.

Recipe from Dr. Maring