South American

1. Place water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook until all the water is absorbed, about 10 to 12 minutes.

2. While quinoa cooks, prepare the vegetables. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Thinly slice scallions, reserving 2 Tbsp. of the greens, and add the rest (including white slices) to the pan, stirring slightly. Dice the bell pepper in 1/4-inch pieces, add to the pan, and stir to mix. Break off woody asparagus ends and discard; chop stalks into 1-inch lengths. Add to the bell pepper, stirring to mix. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and rosemary and stir to mix.

3. Rinse and drain chickpeas, then stir into the pepper mixture. Lower heat to medium and continue to saute.

4. Check the quinoa. When most of the water is absorbed, stir to fluff it slightly. Remove from heat and grate the zest from the lemon into the quinoa. Stir to mix, then add quinoa to the pan of vegetables. Squeeze the juice from the lemon; there should be about 3 Tbsp. of juice. Add to the pan, stirring to distribute. Stir in 3 Tbsp. of the almonds.

5. To serve, transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with reserved scallion greens and remaining 1 Tbsp. almonds. Serve hot, room temperature, or cold.

Source: fresh Magazine May, June 2010