Quinoa Primavera

My apologies for the crummy phone photo. You see, I wasn't originally planning to post this recipe here on HDHH. This is how it all went down...

Our friends Jill and Aaron hosted a little get-together on Memorial Day. The men grilled some fish, and the ladies made this Spring-y Quinoa Primavera to round out the meal.

I was first impressed by how simple this recipe was. Three couples catching up, babies and kids crawling, scooting, running around our feet, plenty of wine... Needless to say, it's easy to get distracted while you're cooking. But we got through this one without any incident.

We toasted our many blessings, and everyone started chowing down. We were all impressed with the quinoa. Even the kids nibbled a few bites. After I'd demolished a giant helping and was eyeing the bowl for more, I decided I should snap a quick pic for all you folks here at HDHH. I mean, when you have a recipe this easy and this delicious, it's cruel not to share, don't you think?

Quinoa Primavera
Adapted from Let's Dish
Serves 6-8 as a side dish

1 1/2 cups quinoa
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon butter
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
5 cups of vegetables,* cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper
4 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

In a medium-sized saucepan, bring quinoa and broth to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa is cooked and the broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the vegetables and cook until they're crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Combine cooked vegetables, cream cheese, basil, Parmesan cheese, and quinoa. Stir until the cheese melts and everything is evenly coated. Serve sprinkled with extra Parmesan cheese.

*You can feel free to use whatever vegetables you like/have on hand/are on sale. We used 1 medium summer squash (quartered and cut 1/8" thick), 1 bunch of asparagus (ends trimmed and cut into 1" pieces), and two handfuls of baby carrots (cut 1/8" thick).