Day 12 -- Quin– NOH– ah? No, Dummy, It’s KEEN – nwah!

It may be hard to believe, but I’ve gone 57 years without having the pleasure of eating quinoa.  I grew up on a farm where pasta and rice were considered exotic and potatoes were served at almost every meal.  But I have been a pretty adventurous eater in my adult life and I can’t believe I missed out on this interesting grain.

According to Bob at Bob’s Red Mill, quinoa is a high-protein grain cultivated by Incan tribes in the Andes Mountains of South America.  It’s grown in Peru and considered to be a “powerhouse” grain, packed with protein and nutrients.  I cooked mine up in my trusty rice cooker and it turned out light and fluffy.  I love the way it pops in my mouth

I found this recipe on the Whole Foods website and between the quinoa and the spinach, this dish is can’t get much more nutritious.  Any dish that can get me to eat raw spinach is a good thing.  And the mushrooms are earthy and almost meaty.  I halved the recipe and used sliced baby portobellos.  If you want to save time, use a commercial balsamic dressing, fat-free or not, and toss the mushrooms in a mix of  ¼ c.of the salad dressing, 2 T. brown sugar, 1 t. minced garlic and 2 t. Dijon mustard before roasting.  Another blogger from the blog "My Plant-Based Life" suggests adding a roasted red peppers to the dish.  I've also tried dry pack sun-dried tomatoes and roasted some slices of Vidalia onions with the mushrooms.  All are delicious!

Quinoa with Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms

Serves:  6

Mushrooms roasted in a simple oil-free pear balsamic dressing are delicious tossed with quinoa, spinach, green onions and almonds. Serve this dish warm, room temperature or cold, as a side dish or the main event.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 ripe pear, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

1 garlic clove, halved

2 pounds portobello mushrooms, stemmed and gills scraped out

1 cup red or white quinoa

3 cups tightly packed fresh spinach, chopped

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 475°F.

Put vinegar, mustard, pear and garlic in a blender with 1/3 cup water and blend until smooth, about 1 minute, to make the dressing. Cut mushrooms into chunks and combine in a large mixing bowl with 1/4 cup of the dressing. Spread mushrooms in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast until tender, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

While mushrooms roast, prepare quinoa. In a medium pot, bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil. Stir in quinoa, cover pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat and set aside, covered, 10 minutes more. Uncover and fluff quinoa with a fork.

Combine mushrooms, quinoa, spinach, green onions, almonds, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup more dressing in a large, wide serving bowl. Stir to mix well. Serve with remaining dressing on the side.