Whole Foods had quite a few gems for me this past week. This is another of their winning recipes both for flavor and for the healthy prep. Of course I changed it up a bit to suit my needs. Then I served it along-side a very rich cut of meat. Hey, you’ve got to cut your fat and calorie corners where you can right?
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 small pear, peeled and cored
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 pounds portobello mushrooms, stemmed
- 1 cup quinoa
- 3 cups spinach, chopped
- 4 chives, chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Put vinegar, pear and garlic in a blender with 1/3 cup water and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Cut mushrooms into chunks and combine in a large mixing bowl with 1/4 cup of the pear balsamic dressing. Spread mushrooms in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast mushrooms until tender, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. *I can honestly say that when I pulled the mushrooms from their roasting in the oven they looked and smelled burnt. In fact, Neil asked whether or not I was still going to use them in dinner. I scraped them off of the baking sheet and plopped them into the salad and they were very good. I do believe that Neil was surprised at the beautiful flavor and texture that came from these beastly looking little things (as was I).
- While mushrooms roast, prepare quinoa. In a medium pot, bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil. Stir in quinoa, cover pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat and set aside, covered, 10 minutes more. Uncover and fluff.
- Combine mushrooms, quinoa, spinach, chives, salt, pepper and remaining pear balsamic dressing in a large, wide serving bowl. Stir to mix well.
This salad is packed with fantastic flavor, and does well left-over for lunch the next day, cold.