Just a little chocolate . . .

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, well rinsed (can find at almost any grocery store – if you buy in bulk at a natural food store it is much cheaper – Next time I am going to decrease this by 1/2 cup as it made too much quinoa.)
• 1 cup vegetable broth (I only had Better Than Bouillon Chicken paste so I made broth out of this – tasty, MSG free and can keep in your fridge when you run out of broth!)
• 2 cups frozen petite peas, thawed, divided
• 5 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves, divided
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 large leek (white and pale green parts only), halved, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 3/4 cup sliced shallots
• 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, thickly sliced (I used Portobello mushrooms instead – 1/2 the price of Shiitake although Shiitake are my fav mushroom)
• 1 14-ounce bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces

• Bring 2 1/2 cups water to boil in small saucepan. Add quinoa and 1 teaspoon salt; return to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed, 15 to 17 minutes. Drain if necessary.
• Puree broth, 1 cup peas, 4 tablespoons mint, and garlic in blender until smooth.
• Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leek and shallots; sauté until soft and light brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, then asparagus; sauté until mushrooms are tender and asparagus is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in puree and 1 cup peas; stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add quinoa; stir to coat.
• Divide pilaf among bowls; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon mint and serve.