Grilled Asparagus Quinoa Risotto
Now, I hope you’re not turning your nose up at quinoa. It holds a stigma of being one of those boring, health foods, which can be true if you’re cooking it well. However, this quinoa risotto is far from boring. The crunchy quinoa is combined with grilled garlicy asparagus and creamy dill butter, melts heavenly in your mouth. Despite sounding kind of fancy, this dish is easy for a quick dinner, taking only 35 minutes to cook up without any fuss. A lot simpler than a ordinary risotto that you have to be constantly stirring!
Now the asparagus is all over the supermarkets, it’s the perfect time to hit up this summer dish. Make it even more summery by chargrilling on the bbq and drinking with some sangria! Get these godly greens down you.
Not keen on asparagus? Try grilling some Portobello mushrooms instead, cutting them into strips and serving on top of the risotto. Perfect meaty texture for your carnivore guests !
I was inspired by Honestly Healthy to create this dish, finding a quinoa risotto in Honestly Healthy for life book , which is a great cook book! They are not fully vegan, however most the recipes in the book are vegan or can be veganized. One day i’ll get to the stage of having my own cook book too!!
I’d love you to try out the quinoa risotto. It’s really worth the 35 minutes of fuss-free cooking, even for those who think they don’t like quinoa, your mind could be changed!
- 3½ cups vegetable stock (I used 1 tbsp. of vegan boullion powder)
- 1½ cups quinoa
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
- 15 asparagus spears
- 1½ tbsp. olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ tbsp. lemon juice
- ½ tsp black pepper & sea salt
- 4 Tbsp Vegan butter
- 1 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
- zest of one lemon
- Heat the oil in a large pan or wok and sauté the garlic for a few minutes until soft and brown, making sure not to burn it.
- Add in the quinoa and 2½ cups of the vegetable stock. Stir occasionally.
- After about 10 minutes most the stock should have been absorbed. Add in the remaining cup of stock and frozen peas. Stir frequently for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked through. Add more boiling water if necessary.
- Take off the heat, stir in the dill and season to taste.
- While the quinoa is cooking, break the tough ends off of the asparagus spears and lay them on a griddle pan.
- Combine the rest of the asparagus ingredients in a small bowl and brush each asparagus with the mixture fully. Drizzle any excess over the asparagus and pan.
- Heat the griddle pan over med/high and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning half way.
- Fold into the quinoa once it has finished cooking or place on top of each risotto serving
- Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
- You can either stir the butter into the risotto or spoon the butter on top of each risotto serving.