yummy recipes: mushroom spinach sauté with quinoa

i have to start this off with the following confession: i love karina's kitchen. i only discovered it about two years ago but i was inspired by her writing and knowledge on how to make gluten-like things without gluten. i mean, after 4 years of no foccacia, finding her recipe was like seeing a ray of godly light! i'm not playing around. in fact, i could credit that blog with inspiring me to try different flours to come up with my own gluten-free buckwheat crust for my quiche.

anyway, the point is that this recipe is not truly my own. karina's recipe for warm spinach salad was the inspiration for the recipe below. i have to give props where they are due because it was her recipe that made me wonder what would happen if i used the ingredients i had on hand at the time.

this dish can be used as a side dish but works well on it’s own as the star of the show. this makes a perfect lunch the next day and if served with eggs, makes a super-yummy and great breakfast.

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
12 crimini mushrooms with stems removed, chopped
2 teaspoon of garlic paste*
1 tablespoon of ginger paste*
2-3 big bunches of spinach, stems trimmed
5-6 twists of pepper mill
1 tablespoon of wheat-free tamari soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
2 cups cooked quinoa

*if you don't have one, go out and get a ceramic ginger grater. the advantage is that you make your own FRESH garlic/ginger pastes that don't have any preservatives or salt. not to mention how much MORE incredible the dish is when using the fresh grated stuff. there aren't even words adequate enough to describe what it does to overall flavour.

prepare and cook 1 cup of quinoa. if you don't really know how to prepare quinoa, here's a really great primer from saavy vegetarian that works really well. alternatively, karina's kitchen has a much simpler approach if you have a rice cooker handy.

start a large skillet on high heat. when the pan is fully heated, add the olive oil and the onions. saute for two minutes, until translucent. then add mushroom and sauté for another 3-5 minutes, until onions and mushrooms caramelize.

add garlic and ginger paste and sauté for 30-45 seconds. add spinach and pepper then let sit in the skillet for a minute before stirring. add soy sauce and lemon juice ad carefully stir. in another minute, the spinach will start to wilt and decrease in volume. keep sautéing until the spinach is still bright green but wilted through, about 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

i prefer my spinach just wilted and bright green. overcooking it makes it more brownish green (like the frozen stuff); the longer you cook spinach, the more slimey it becomes.

squeeze lemon juice over spinach and let juice cook off a bit. remove from heat.

immediately fold in quinoa and stir until well mixed. serve immediately.

makes 3-4 servings

optional toppings:
gomasio
bragg’s liquid aminos
tamari sauce
green onions/chives
parsley/cilantro
crumbled feta

serve with:
fried eggs
avocado slices
sliced fresh tomatoes
grilled tomatoes
grilled pork or lamb chop, chicken breast