Spring Green Bowl (Printable version)

Vibrant spring vegetables over wholesome grains with tangy lemon dressing

# What you need:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup quinoa, brown rice, or farro
02 - 2 cups water
03 - 0.5 teaspoon salt

→ Spring Vegetables

04 - 1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
05 - 1 cup asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
06 - 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
07 - 2 cups baby spinach leaves

→ Lemon Dressing

08 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
09 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
10 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
11 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
12 - 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
13 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
14 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Optional Toppings

15 - 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
16 - 0.25 cup crumbled feta cheese, omit for vegan
17 - Fresh herbs such as mint, parsley, or dill, chopped

# How to Make It:

01 - Rinse grains under cold water. In a medium saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Add grains, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, approximately 15 minutes for quinoa, 35 minutes for brown rice, or as package directs. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
02 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the peas, asparagus, and green beans separately for 2 to 3 minutes each, until just tender and bright green. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, then drain well.
03 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until just wilted. Remove from heat.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, maple syrup or honey, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
05 - Divide cooked grains among four bowls. Top each with blanched peas, asparagus, green beans, and sautéed spinach. Drizzle with lemon dressing.
06 - Sprinkle with toasted seeds, crumbled feta if using, and fresh herbs. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like the exact moment winter finally lets go and you can open the windows again.
  • You can toss in whatever grains or greens you have on hand and it still works beautifully.
  • The lemon dressing is so good you will want to keep a jar of it in the fridge at all times.
  • It comes together in less than an hour but feels like you put real thought into dinner.
02 -
  • Don't blanch all the vegetables together, peas take two minutes but green beans need three and if you cook them at once something will be mushy or raw.
  • Make the dressing while the grains are cooking so it has time to sit and the garlic mellows out a bit.
  • If you're meal prepping, store the dressing separately or the greens will wilt into a soggy mess by day two.
03 -
  • Zest the lemon before you juice it, trying to zest a juiced lemon is messy and frustrating and you will end up with less zest than you need.
  • Toast your seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat and watch them like a hawk, they go from golden to burnt in about ten seconds.
  • If your dressing seems too sharp, add a tiny pinch of salt instead of more sweetener, salt balances acidity better than sugar does.
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