Adapted from this recipe.
Yum. This was a bit time-consuming because the quinoa, the greens and the mushrooms must all be cooked separately, but it was quite delicious and is healthy, almost in the extreme. Quinoa is a very healthy grain-like vegetable (it is possible to eat the greens, as well, but they are, as of now, uncommon outside of South America) , very high in protein, iron and fiber. It cooks very quickly and easily and has a nutty flavor and fluffy texture when cooked. Its flavor is neutral enough to easily accept the flavor of whatever stocks or seasonings that it is cooked with, so it lends itself to practically unlimited preparations. It is a great, gluten-free substitution for couscous or a healthier alternative to rice. Look for it in the bulk section of your favorite store. It is also getting popular enough that some stores are carrying it boxed, near the couscous and pasta and rice; look for a small, turquoisey-green box and know, in case you have to ask for it, that quinoa is pronounced “keen-wah.”
I intended to prepare this recipe as-is, but a lack of chard at my “everyday” grocery store, coupled with a whooping cough test (that’s a whole OTHER story) getting in the way of a planned, separate trip to the “gourmet” store to pick some up, caused me to go with an easy and already-on-hand Plan B: spinach. I just subbed a 10 ounce box of fresh baby spinach leaves for the chard and proceeded according to the recipe. I must confess that I am positively dogmatic about mushrooms, so this recipe took me MUCH longer than someone who is less obsessive. I LOVE thoroughly golden-brown mushrooms, so tend to only cook a dozen slices or so at a time, to insure that the mushrooms don’t crowd to much and soften instead of brown. The process is intensively time-consuming, but the pay-off is indescribable. If I ever open a pizza joint (who knows? it could happen!), I will offer super-golden browned mushrooms as a topping option. Too many times, when people cook mushrooms, they are more “steamed” than browned or sauteed. There should NEVER be a collection of liquid in the bottom of the pan. If there is, you’ve added to many to the pan at one time. In my opinion.
This, in my opinion, is what properly browned mushrooms should look like (NOTE: these are regular-old white, button mushrooms, so properly browned creminis will be even darker than this):
Note the golden-browned edges. Not a bit of sogginess and NO liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Mmm…somebody get me a fork.
So, back to the dish…
We all liked it. It was quite good and something that I would readily eat again. I love cremini mushrooms (which are the immature form of portabellas) and they give the dish a robust meatiness, even though it is completely vegetarian. I used some vegetable stock, instead of water, to cook the quinoa, just to give a bit more flavor. Quite nice.
Can you give us some other quinoa recipes… keeping my not-so-gourmet eater in mind? 😉
I can definitely look for a for more recipes and will post some more soon, but in the meantime, you can use it as a rice or orzo/small pasta/couscous substitute in any other recipe that you see.
You can cook the quinoa separately and then add anything that you like:
Toss with some chopped sauteed onion and any other diced vegetables that you like (carrots, cukes, chopped spinach, green peas) and drizzle with a bit of vinaigrette and chill for a cold salad.
Cut vegetables into large dice (butternut squash, onion, carrot, zucchini if your “not-so-gourmet eater” will allow) and roast them. Toss with the cooked quinoa for a warm side dish.
Quinoa pilaf: Saute a bit of chopped onion and a tiny bit of garlic in a little oil until soft and translucent. Toss with cooked quinoa and some minced herbs. Add a few chopped, toasted nuts (pecans or slivered almonds.)
Take cooked quinoa and let it cool a little. Mix with an egg (and some minced herbs) and form into patties that you can fry until cooked through and crisped on the outside. Like this, but with quinoa instead of couscous:
http://www.feedyourkids.com/blog/?p=585
You can also toss cooked quinoa into soups, burritos, any salads. Bake pre-cooked quinoa into a meatloaf. The possibilities are literally endless and it goes with anything and will take on the flavors of whatever you cook it with.