I went for dinner at a friend’s place tonight. She was making quiche and asked me to bring a side salad. I considered Quinoa Salad but was tempted to make something new. I wound up with this recipe which was called a risotto, but it’s not so I’ll call it a side dish. I chose it because it has an ingredient I’ve never tried before (cooking sherry) and ingredients that I love (quinoa and mushrooms) It was perfect. Simple to make, delicious and incredibly satisfying. Plus, we all know quinoa has large doses of nutrients and vitamins and all that good gobbledy-gook.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups Water
1 cup Quinoa – Rinsed
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups Onion – Diced
2-4 Garlic Cloves – Minced
8 oz Cremini Mushrooms – Sliced
6 oz Shiitake Mushrooms – Sliced
3 tsp Thyme – Fresh
1 cup Cooking Sherry **SEE NOTES
4 tbsp Parmesan Cheese – Grated
METHOD
– In medium skillet bring water to a boil, add quinoa and stir. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer until majority of the water is absorbed. Turn the heat off and stir, let it sit until all water is gone.
– While quinoa is cooking, heat oil in large skillet, saute onion and garlic until onion starts to brown. Add sliced mushrooms and thyme and saute until mushrooms begin to soften.
– Add cooking sherry to mushroom mixture and simmer until liquid is reduced to a thin syrup.
– Combine the mushrooms with the quinoa, season with salt and pepper and serve with 1 tbsp of parmesan sprinkled over each serving.
NOTES
– Original recipe called for Dry White Wine. I chose sherry but feel free to use any cooking wine or just vegetable stock would be good too!
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serves 4
Weight Watchers points per serving – 7
Calories – 363.2
Fat – 8.1g
Fibre – 5.4g
Sodium – 106.3mg
Carbohydrates – 47.3g
Protein – 14.1g