Ever since I made pistachio roasted asparagus, I’ve been craving that slightly sweet, savory and uniquely textured combination. I’ve eaten it on its own, and placed it over a tortilla and topped it with a fried egg, so this weekend I thought – why not mix it into one of my favorite grains – quinoa. So, Saturday night I did just that. I wanted to use red quinoa as black quinoa tends to be a bit dryer, but alas my local market was out of both the red and white varieties, so black quinoa it was! I knew right away that the slightly crunchy asparagus combined with the very grainy black quinoa would be a bit competitive in texture, but I made it anyway and when I took my first bite, I realized that I was in fact correct. I added a bit of lemon just for fun and miraculously this seemed to solve the problem. That bit of moisture and slight tang really brought this whole dish together and after I ate the whole bowl, I was left craving more. Here’s how to make it…

1 bunch of asparagus
1 cup crushed pistachios
1 cup red, white or black quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lemon

In a small pot, combine quinoa and vegetable broth, bring to boil and then let simmer with lid half on for about 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. While quinoa is cooking, chop up asparagus into small pieces (1 inch or smaller) and combine in a pyrex with pistachios and olive oil. Mix together and place in oven at 475 degrees for about 6 minutes. Move to broiler for a few minutes or until asparagus and pistachios start to brown a bit (careful not to burn). When quinoa is finished, combine with asparagus and pistachios. This should make 2 bowls. Squeeze a little less than half a lemon into each bow and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.