Here's what I made on the 4th, with minimal prep, cooking time and heat
Lemon Artichoke Quinoa
1 pound quinoa, rinsed
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 a sweet and 1/2 a red onion, finely chopped
2 cans rinsed and squeezed then chopped artichoke hearts (packed in water)
2 T. freshly minced thyme
Salt and pepper, freshly cracked
Optional: 1 tsp. olive or coconut oil to cook the onions in and 1 tsp. to put in the cooking quinoa
In a large pot with a lid, heat the low-sodium vegetable broth.
In a frying pan, cook the onions until they are translucent.
When the broth boils, add the quinoa (and 1 tsp. oil if desired), stirring until it reaches a boil again. Simmer a few minutes, then cover and reduce the heat, allowing it to cook for 6-10 minutes or until desired texture is achieved (We like our tails LONG!). Remove lid, stir and then cover up. After 1 minute, turn off the heat and let sit. Add everything else in and then enjoy!
This tastes good with cooked carrots, celery, garlic, zucchini, kale, spinach, corn, chickpeas, or over a bed of mixed greens, arugula or freshly cut corn. Its also great with a few slivered and toasted almonds.
A tasty alternate is to omit the artichokes and substitute zucchini, use lime juice instead of lemon, use cilantro instead of thyme, add garlic, toasted pumpkin seeds, corn and black beans then finish by topping it off with salsa. YUM! High in protein and fiber!
I am a big fan of meals that are all in one like this!
I served it (throughout the whole day, not all at once)with dino/lacinato kale with caramelized onions, avocado dip with tortilla chips, eggless tofu salad with whole grain crackers, a salad with mixed greens and romaine, tomato, chickpeas, fresh lemon dressing (there's a lemon tree at DH's mom's house where we are staying!) and a mixed berry crumble top pie with coconut sorbet.
