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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Quinoa with Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms

This dish works as a main course or a side, depending on portion size and preference. With hearty portobello mushrooms and almonds, this will definitely leave you satisfied for dinner. I stumbled across this recipe on the Whole Foods website and my curiosity was sparked by the unique dressing and roasted portobellos. Though portobello mushrooms are no stranger in our kitchen, I don't think I'd ever before roasted them.

The salad came together easily; I was able to tackle a few other tasks in the kitchen while working through the steps to put this together. Ryan and I both enjoyed the finished product. The pear balsamic dressing was full of flavor and you never would've guessed it didn't have a drop of oil in it! The crunch of the almonds was welcomed and I wouldn't recommend omitting. I think a little bit of feta cheese would have been a nice addition to the dish and I'll remember that for next time!

One Year Ago: Twice Baked Butternut Squash


Quinoa with Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms
from Whole Foods

Ingredients:
-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
-2 tsp Dijon mustard
-1 small pear, cored and cut into chunks
-1 garlic clove, halved
-2 lbs portobello mushrooms, stemmed with gills scraped out
-1 cup quinoa
-3 cups tightly packed spinach, chopped
-4 green onions, thinly sliced
-1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
-1/8 tsp sea salt
-1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 475F. In a blender, combine vinegar, mustard, pear, and garlic with 1/3 cup water. Blend until smooth. Cut portobellos into chunks. Take 1/4 cup of the dressing and toss with mushrooms. Lay mushrooms on a baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
2. While mushrooms roast, bring 1 3/4 cup water to boil in a medium pot. Add quinoa, cover pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
3. In a large bowl, toss mushrooms, quinoa, spinach, green onions, almonds, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup pear balsamic dressing. Stir to mix completely.