Recipe: Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables and Balsamic Reduction Syrup

This Kosher recipe is for all my Jewish friends.  This year, we have the unique opportunity to celebrate Rosh Hashanah during the summer season. And if bright red tomatoes don’t scream summer, I don’t know what does. Add in some roasted asparagus and quinoa and you’ve got a perfectly light summery side dish.

Measure out 2 cups of raw quinoa. You can use white or red, quinoa, whichever you prefer.

Soak the quinoa for at least 1 hour, and cook according to the package instructions. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 and cut up the tomatoes and asparagus.

Spread the vegetables over a greased baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and salt.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until vegetables are soft and slightly brown around the edges.

Serve with a balsamic vinegar reduction. You can mix the sauce into the quinoa, or leave it separately on the side for people to pour over as they please. It has a strong, unique flavor, so I prefer to leave it separate and make it easy for people to opt out.

To make the sauce, mix the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring them to a boil over a low flame, stirring to incorporate the sugar into the liquid. Reduce to a very slight simmer, stirring every 5 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half. It will thicken and become more syrupy as it cools.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quinoa
• 1 bunch of asparagus (approximately 1 lb.)
• 2 containers grape tomatoes (approximately 60 tomatoes)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar

Directions:

1. Cook the quinoa according to the package instructions. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400.
3. Cut the grape tomatoes in half, and the asparagus into bite-size pieces. Place the vegetables on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and salt and bake for 20-25 minutes.
4. Mix the vegetables with the quinoa.
5. In a small saucepan, mix the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Bring them to a boil over a low flame, stirring to incorporate the sugar into the liquid. Reduce to a very slight simmer, stirring every 5 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half. It will thicken and become more syrupy as it cools.
6. Serve the balsamic reduction sauce on the side, so guests can choose how much to drizzle on their quinoa, or mix it in immediately before serving.