I ended my Vegan week challenge with a simple and healthy recipe. My sister introduced me to quinoa six years ago and since then I’m totally hooked. I usually eat quinoa in salads, however from time to time, I find myself replacing rice with quinoa to accompany my curries or stew dishes. Quinoa is also listed as one the world’s healthiest foods because it’s a nutrient-rich grain with countless health benefits. Quinoa is easy to prepare and also gluten free.

Mushroom quinoa is a recipe that I have been making for a couple of years and it’s one of my favorite dishes because it tastes good and easy to make. Ordinarily, I add grated parmesan at the end, but since I was fully vegan for a week, I couldn’t use dairy so I decided to skip that part. If there are vegan substitutes to parmesan, it’s possible to add them.

 

Prep: 10 min                        Cook: 20-25 min                 6 Servings

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of Quinoa

2 cups of Water

700 g of Cremini or whole white mushrooms, sliced

1 Shallot, chopped

4 cloves of Garlic, minced

Olive oil

Salt

Black pepper

1 teaspoon of Chili flakes (optional)

1 cup of Parsley, roughly chopped

 

 

DIRECTIONS

1. To cook the quinoa, follow the package instruction. And set aside.

Disclaimer! Here how I cook my quinoa: In a saucepan, over medium heat, heat one teaspoon of olive oil, add the quinoa and stir for 2 minutes before adding two cups of water. Add salt. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer with the lid on for 12-15 minutes before turning off the heat. Without removing the lid, let the quinoa rest for another 5 minutes. And it’s done.

2. Over medium heat, in a large skillet, heat two tablespoons of olive oil and add shallots, garlic, mushrooms and chili flakes. Sauté the mushrooms while stirring for 3-4 minutes or until they become tender to your liking. Add salt and pepper.

3. Stir in the quinoa until everything is well combined. Turn off the heat. Add the parsley and stir.

Serve in a serving bowl and garnish with sweet grapes tomatoes cut in half (that’s totally optional)

 

Tips:

The ratio for cooking quinoa is 1 cup of quinoa for 2 cups of liquid (water or broth)

If you want your quinoa to have a nutty flavor, simply dry roast them in a skillet, over medium heat, for 4-5 minutes. Then resume cooking with your usual method.