Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms

After a much needed two days in the mountains, I'm back and fully energized to get through the next 6 months of school and take on some new exciting health ventures :)

I was in the mood for a nice, light and healthy dinner today so I found some portobello mushrooms and literally stuffed them with anything I could find. The result? A burst of flavors and textures without the extra fat and calories. This will take you 30 minutes max since mushrooms and quinoa both cook ridiculously fast. If you have no idea what quinoa is or how to cook it, just go buy it..you will be a changed person forever. For those of you new to this weird sounding stuff, here you go:


Quinoa 101

• Has been around forever and was considered a sacred crop to the Incas 
• Considered a "super grain" 
• Is a complete protein, ideal for vegetarians
• Has more fiber than most grains 
• Full of vitamins & minerals 
• Gluten free source of grains 
• Complex carbs so you won't pack on extra pounds!
• Cook it like you would rice, but uncovered for about 15 minutes (it will double just like rice does after cooking)
• Cook in water or any broth & throw in any seasonings to the pot. My usual seasonings: bay leaf, paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder. 
• Add it to anything! I put this in my salad on a daily basis to add in extra fiber and substance 

Now this recipe is surprisingly filling, since portobello mushrooms are pretty "meaty" as some would say, and it's very low in calories and fat. Don't let the word vegan scare you, this stuff is pretty damn good. And no trying a vegan recipe will not magically turn you into a hippie so relax.

Vegan Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

4 portobello mushrooms

1 cup cooked quinoa 

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup diced sundried tomatoes 

1/4 cup slivered almonds 

3/4 cup finely diced tomato 

3/4 cup chopped red onion

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp lemon

Salt, pepper, basil

(amounts are approximate, feel free to experiment!)

EDIT: made this again and added some artichoke hearts & feta. Amazing.

Directions 

• Clean mushrooms & remove the black gills underneath carefully
• Place mushrooms in a baking dish with some balsamic vinegar, olive oil salt and pepper & bake for about 10 minutes in a 350 degree over until slightly tender but not completely 
• Meanwhile saute onions & garlic until tender
• Add in tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, dried cranberries, almonds and cook for about 2 minutes, squeeze lemon over top & add in seasonings 
• Pour in cooked quinoa and stir together, remove from heat
• Take mushrooms out of oven and spoon in generous amounts of the mixture into each mushroom cap
• Bake for another 10-15 minutes until mushrooms are tender 
• If you want to make a non-vegan version of this add in some cooked chicken or ground turkey into the mixture and decrease the amount of quinoa & top with some breadcrumbs 

Enjoy!

Fun fact: Did you know that the United Nations declared 2013 as the International Year of the Quinoa? That's how awesome it is so go try it today!