Roasted Asparagus and Quinoa Salad. Roasting asparagus gives it a delicious nutty taste, and you may think you already love asparagus, but wait until you learn the nutrition benefits of asparagus. This vegetable provides 2/3 % Daily Value (DV) of folate, 114% DV for vitamin K and 12% the DV for potassium. Lesser amounts of vitamins C and A, thiamin, riboflavin, manganese, vitamin B6, copper, niacin and phosphorous. Lastly, check out the low calories in one cup of asparagus; only 40 calories in one cup and 3 g of fiber. This makes asparagus a great snack food and terrific to serve with meals!
Roasted Quinoa Salad Preheat oven to 400˚
1 ½ cups water
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup quinoa
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
½ cup chopped Kalamata olives
8 small grapes, halved
In a medium saucepan, bring water and salt to boil. Stir quinoa into boiling water. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 20 minutes (until water is absorbed). After cooking, set aside to mix with the following ingredients.
Cut asparagus into 1-2” pieces. Place on a roasting pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil; toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired. Roast for 12-15 minutes, until tender.
Stir lemon juice and remaining olive oil into cooked quinoa; add roasted asparagus, feta cheese, basil and olives. Toss gently to mix. Arrange tomatoes on top. Serve warm or chilled.
Per serving: 206 calories, 9 g fat, 8 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 289 mg sodium.
*Daily Value – recommend daily intake based on 2000 calories a day.
