‘Karma Chow’s Ultimate Cookbook’: Mushroom Quinoa Pilaf
- Posted on February 22, 2013
- in Cook Books, Nutrition
- by Natalie
This was a really easy side dish that comes from ‘Karma Chow’s Ultimate Cookbook,’ by Melissa Costello. It’s a pilaf made with quinoa instead of the typical rice. Quinoa is often referred to as a ‘super grain.’ It may be lacking tights and a cape but man, is it full of awesomeness. Quinoa gives you plenty of fiber, magnesium, vitamin B2, manganese, iron, and protein-quinoa is a complete protein all in itself!
I was not completely thrilled with how the dish came out- Hence the ‘meh’ rating. I think I need to experiment a bit more with spices and flavoring to perk it up a bit. The dish fell a little short, so I added a little extra Herbamare (a salt and herb blend) which helped a bunch.
1. Cook 1 cup of quinoa according to the package directions and put to the side. (The 1 Cup is the amount you’ll need ONCE IT’S ALREADY COOKED-for some reason that always confuses me. But feel free to cook extra for other dishes!)
2. Saute 1/2 a diced medium onion with 2 minced cloves of garlic in 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a pot until the onion is soft.
3. Throw in 1 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar, 2 cups of mushrooms (these can be any kind you want! Make it a variety for fun), and salt and pepper to taste, and cook for a few minutes or until the mushrooms are nice and soft.
4. Add 2 Tbsp. of fresh parsley, 1 tsp. of dried oregano, and 1/4 cup of pine nuts (the book says they should be “lightly toasted,” but I just threw them in there fresh) and give it a mix.
5. Add all of it to the cooked quinoa and pour on the lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon. Give it one last mix.
6. Enjoy!
Naturalie’s Note: I added some celery, which was starting to turn, to the mix. Add in some carrots or any other veggies that you want for extra veggie power!
If you want to see more recipes from ‘Karma Chow’s Ultimate Cookbook,’ check it out below!
Tags: karma chow, karma chow's ultimate cookbook, melissa costello, mushroom quinoa pilaf, mushrooms, pilaf, quinoa, quinoa pilaf, vegan