Grilled Asparagus & Creamy Lemon Quinoa

It’s recipe time! We love trying new, healthy and delicious things here at SMT and as the seasons start to warm up, it’s great to have some light and Summery recipes at your fingertips. This is a particular favourite recreation of ours – try it next time you’re feeling adventurous in the kitchen!

You can prepare the quinoa in advance and just grill the asparagus for a little over 5 minutes before serving.

1 cup (190 g) white quinoa
2 bundles (800 g) asparagus
2 tbsp olive oil, for drizzling
1/2 cup (180 g) roasted, marinated red bell peppers, drained and cut into bite-size pieces (you can of course grill them yourself)
1 cup (200 g) feta cheese
1 handful fresh coriander/cilantro or flat-leaf parsley (reserve some leaves for garnishing)
salt

For the dressing
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp soy sauce
juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp cumin seeds

Rinse the quinoa, place in a small saucepan and add 2 cups / 475ml water. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and gently simmer for 15 minutes. Drain any excess water. Set aside to cool.

To prepare the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce and lemon juice. Gently crush the cumin seeds with a pestle or the back of a knife and add to the dressing.

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a griddle pan over high heat. Rinse and pat the asparagus dry and place on a plate. Drizzle olive oil over the asparagus and roll them until well coated. Season with salt. Arrange the asparagus directly over the heat on the grill rack or place in the pan and cook, turning as needed, until nicely marked on all sides without being burned – 6‑8 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the quinoa, dressing, bell peppers, feta and coriander or parsley in a large mixing bowl. Arrange the grilled asparagus on plates, top with the quinoa mixture and a few coriander leaves.

This delicious recipe is via: Green Kitchen Stories