Quinoa Pilaf and Warm Mushroom Salad

Delicious recipes from Stacy!!


I usually follow these recipes pretty closely. The only change I make is adding mushrooms to the quinoa pilaf as well if I want something more hearty!


Quinoa Pilaf with Arugula & Sun-dried Tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup (6 oz) quinoa, well rinsed
2 1/4 cup vegetable stock
2 cups arugula (rocket), stemmed and chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded or chopped into matchsticks
About 8 sun-dried tomatoes halves, julienned (if using dried, soak in water to reconstitute, if using oil-packed, rinse well)
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper


Directions
In a small skillet, toast the quinoa over medium heat until fragrant and slightly browned.


In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and quinoa and cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Do no let the garlic brown.


Add the stock about 1/2 cup at a time, letting the grains absorb the liquid before adding more (risotto-style). Just after you add the last bit of liquid, stir in the arugula, carrot, and sun-dried tomatoes and simmer until the liquid is completely absorbed and the grains have turned translucent, about 2 minutes.


Stir in the lemon zest and cheese and season with the salt and pepper. Serve immediately.


WARM MUSHROOM SALAD
1 tablespoon olive oil & butter
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil/butter
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 (10 ounce) package baby greens/spinach or anything else “wiltable”


DIRECTIONS
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil/butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, and cook stirring until soft. Continue cooking until the juices from the mushrooms have reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Stir in the remaining olive oil/butter, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper until evenly blended. Turn off heat, and let the mushrooms sit in the pan until they are just warm, but no longer hot - otherwise the greens will wilt too much.


Put the greens into a serving bowl, and pour the warm mushroom mixture over them. Toss to enjoy!


Sometimes I mix it up and replace balsamic vinegar with a mixture of soy/rice vinegar and some sesame oil to replace some of the olive oil. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top.

Time to Eat!

We love cooking and we love eating! But, sometimes it's impossible to find that delicious recipe we used last time, or the one our friend sent us that we want to try out. So, we will use the magic of the interwebs to organize ourselves. Happy blogging, cooking and eating!! Nom nom.