Savor the taste of sautéed mushrooms accompanied by the sweetness of sun-dried tomatoes atop a nutritious quinoa pilaf. A beautiful taste and nutrient-rich combination for those cool months of late winter and early spring.
This one is sure to please!
This recipe serves 4…
Or three really hungry people…
Or one person and then consider your lunch prep done for the next three days…
Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1/2 cup raw whole almonds (chopped into pieces)
- 4 large handfuls of fresh spinach (or any hearty green of choice; kale, chard, mustard greens sliced very thin)
- 1 onion (cut into strips)
- 500 grams mushrooms– about 32 small or 16 med mushrooms (cut into quarters)
- 4 large cloves of garlic (sliced)
- 1 Tbsp fat of choice (ghee, high-temp cooking oil, butter, etc)
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (slice them up so you get some in every bite!)
- 1 large handful fresh basil (chopped to garnish)
For the Quinoa:
In a pot, toast the quinoa and chopped almonds over medium-high heat for two minutes, giving the pan a little shimmy every 30 seconds or so, so that the bottom doesn’t blacken. Add 2 1/4 cups of water, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover with a lid. At this point, you can get working on the mushrooms.
After 12-15 minutes of the quinoa cooking, add a sprinkle of salt and place the spinach into the pot of quinoa. Return the lid and allow the spinach to wilt down. After a couple minutes, the quinoa should be cooked, water absorbed, and spinach wilted. (If the quinoa is still not thoroughly cooked-you will see that the seed has split-but all the water is absorbed, add a bit of hot water, then return the lid. If the quinoa is done but there is still water at the bottom of the pan, remove the lid so the water can steam out.) Fluff the mixture with a fork and take off the heat.
For the Mushrooms:
In a sauté pan over medium heat, add your fat of choice. Once the fat is warmed, add in sliced onions and sauté for about 5-10 minutes. Once the onions start to become translucent, turn the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is nice and hot, add garlic and mushrooms, tossing in the pan for another 5 minutes or so, or until the mushrooms get their gold spots. Remove from heat when mushrooms have golden edges and garlic had toasted up.
Putting it all Together:
Combine the quinoa pilaf and the mushroom mixture and stir in the sun-dried tomatoes. Dish into your favorite bowl and top it with freshly chopped basil. Enjoy!
MAKE IT YOURS:
Feeling a little slow and sluggish lately?
Top with some chili flakes and the spice will put a little fuel in your fire!
Feeling a little spacey and having trouble with focus?
Drizzle some olive oil atop your bowl to help you ground.
Shinning light on the recipe:
Mushrooms have the potential to be very high in vitamin D, a vitamin that aids in the absorption of calcium (for healthy bones and teeth), and a vitamin that is sometimes referred to as the happiness vitamin (depression has often been linked to vitamin D deficiencies). By potential, I mean that not all mushrooms are created equally. Only the mushrooms that have been exposed to sunlight will contain this important vitamin but if your mushrooms were grown indoors (as most mushrooms sold in US markets are) you still have hope. Allowing your mushrooms to rest in the sun for a couple hours before cooking with them allows them to absorb this happiness vitamin. So let your mushrooms enjoy a little evening sun before cooking them!
And you’re in luck, because out of all the leafy greens, spinach has the highest calcium content. So cooking with the combination of our sun-tanned mushrooms, and our deep, leafy-green spinach, you are sure to get an effective combination of calcium and the vitamin needed to absorb it. And it is all plant-based! How’s that for a pocket full of sunshine!
