Spring Green Bowl (Printable)

Fresh spring vegetables over hearty grains with zesty lemon dressing for a light, wholesome meal.

# Ingredient List:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup quinoa, brown rice, or farro
02 - 2 cups water
03 - ½ 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 - ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
17 - Fresh herbs such as mint, parsley, or dill, chopped

# How-To Steps:

01 - Rinse grains under cold water. Bring water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add grains, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, approximately 15 minutes for quinoa, 35 minutes for brown rice, or according to package directions. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
02 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch peas, asparagus, and green beans separately for 2 to 3 minutes each until just tender and bright green. Immediately transfer to ice water to stop the cooking process, then drain thoroughly.
03 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 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, Dijon mustard, maple syrup or honey, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
05 - Divide cooked grains among four bowls. Layer each with blanched peas, asparagus, green beans, and sautéed spinach. Drizzle generously with lemon dressing.
06 - Sprinkle each bowl with toasted seeds, crumbled feta cheese if desired, and fresh herbs. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's flexible enough to use whatever vegetables you find at the market, so it never feels like the same bowl twice.
  • The lemon dressing somehow makes everything taste fresher, even the grains, and you'll find yourself drizzling it on other things all week.
  • You can prep most of it ahead and assemble in minutes, which means actual restaurant-quality lunch without the fuss.
02 -
  • Blanching vegetables in separate batches isn't fussy—it's actually the difference between perfectly tender-crisp and mushy, and once you taste the difference you'll never go back to dumping them all in together.
  • The lemon zest is doing more flavor work than you'd think, so don't skip it even if it seems like a tiny amount; it holds brightness that juice alone can't deliver.
03 -
  • If you're making this ahead, keep the dressing completely separate and add it just before eating, or your grains will absorb it all and the bowl will dry out by lunchtime.
  • Toast your own seeds in a dry skillet for two minutes—they transform from flat and forgettable into genuinely nutty and crunchy, and it takes almost no time.
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