Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables
(makes approximately 2 light meal sized servings or 4 side dish sized servings) Source: Suzanne Ickes, RD, LDN / Dr. Shekhar Annambhotla Newsletter

Quinoa seeds, with their nutty, grain-like texture, are a delicious and healthy alternative to pasta.  A wonderful food for all the doshas, quinoa is especially healthy for balancing kapha and vata.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 teaspoon kapha churna (available from Dr. Shekhar)
1 cup zucchini (cut into 1 inch bite size pieces)
1 cup eggplant (cut into 1 inch bite size pieces)
1 cup butternut squash (cut into 1 inch bite size pieces)
1 cup asparagus (cut into 1 inch bite size pieces)
1 cup red pepper (cut into 1 inch bite size pieces)
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups cold water
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. For the quinoa: Soak the quinoa for 15-20 minutes in cool water.  Wash and rinse, using a sieve near the end so as not to lose any of the quinoa seeds.  Add the 1 1/2 cups of cold water to the clean quinoa along with a little salt to taste.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, and simmer with a tight fitting lid for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool 5 minutes before removing the lid and fluffing with a fork. (Note: This will result in fluffy quinoa; if you want softer, moister quinoa, add more water when cooking.)

2. In a separate saucepan, heat the sunflower oil and add kapha churna.  Stir quickly to cook the spice mixture, and immediately add the vegetables.  Roast them until they are crisp-tender.  Add salt to taste.  Remove from heat.

3. Serve the roasted, aromatic vegetables over the quinoa while hot and fresh.  Enjoy!