When I have leftover produce to use up, I turn to a frittata, fried rice, soup, or this dish. You can use just about any veggies you can think of, and fresh herbs make the flavor pop. I especially like parsley (though I limit it while I’m breastfeeding) and basil.

Today when I decided to whip this up for lunch, I decided to write down the approximate amounts used and come up with a recipe. Please understand that I usually throw this together without measurements, and you can too!

I went a step further today and made a VIDEO of the process! This is raw, unedited, Barr family awesomeness! Complete with a baby waking up from her nap, the camera falling over, and me having a couple of “mommy brain” moments and losing my train of thought. It’s also over 15 minutes long. I don’t want to discourage you from watching it though – please do! I really do want you to see how easy this dish is – just letting you know I didn’t make any effort to impress. :)

Quinoa Pilaf

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
2 Tbsp salted butter
1/2 small onion – diced
1/2 red bell pepper – diced
2 cloves garlic (or more) – minced
asparagus – chopped/diced
1 carrot – shredded
1 cup chicken stock (or water)
handful of fresh basil
Spaghetti noodles (gluten free if desired)
salt & pepper (1/4 tsp each)

Directions
Bring quinoa to a boil in medium sized pot. Lower heat and let simmer for 15 minutes or until done – spiraly tendrils should appear (see photo below).
In the meantime, prepare (dice, etc.) other ingredients.
In large skillet, melt butter. Sautee onions and bell pepper until tender/translucent.
Add chopped asparagus to skillet. Break spaghetti into 1/2 inch pieces and add as well. Stir well and watch to make sure butter doesn’t burn.
Add salt & pepper and carrots. Stir.
When butter is reduced/absorbed, add chicken stock, basil, and garlic.
Let simmer uncovered until stock is absorbed and asparagus is tender.
Add cooked quinoa, stir, & serve.

Or, you can just follow the video play-by-play. :)

And here’s a closeup of what cooked quinoa should look like (since the video quality isn’t good enough to show you).

Enjoy!