Quinoa and Spring Vegetable Pilaf

I'm a little behind on the quinoa phenomenon. So, this was my first experience with it. I'd heard and read about it for months now and have been curious to try it out for some time, but I just never could find a recipe that really encouraged me. Well, thanks to the very first issue of my new Bon Appetit subscription that arrived on my front porch over the weekend (yes, after years of buying the $5 version off the shelf, I finally broke down...ahem, stopped wasting money), I found a recipe that not only intrigued me, but got a "mmmm" response from my husband when I read him the list of veggies it called for. That's a double plus.

I was surprised at how easy the quinoa was to prepare, and how little "dressing" went into the base...just a little salt and some water. It was just as easy and simple as cooking rice. I'm sure you could get fancy if you wanted, like substituting chicken or veggie stock for the water, and adding in some herbs to infuse flavors as it cooks, but salt and water did just the trick for this recipe.

I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed the texture of the quinoa. It was light and fluffy and not quite as heavy as rice tends to be, and it soaked up the sauce and the juices from the veggies perfectly...a real flavor absorber.

We decided to add grilled shrimp to ours, but it could easily be served without if you are avoiding fish and/or meat. Overall it made a perfect light and springy meal for a cool evening on the last weekend of winter.

It's also been great for leftovers!

I plan to submit this to Cook Almost Anything's Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Recipe for Quinoa and Spring Vegetable Pilaf from Bon Appetit.