I try, really I do, to cook healthy food. Sometimes I go a little whacko and decide the only thing worth eating right at that moment is a Vanilla Glazed Cream Cheese Danish (recipe to follow BTW). But mainly I make every effort to keep to the healthy side of the scale. But for a person who loves savory, creamy, and tasty side dishes, it’s not easy. But then, I find a recipe like this one. And it contains all three of the components I love in a good side dish.

But I must confess. This recipe is not true to the original recipe I found on the damndelicious.net site, mainly because I didn’t have any fresh mushrooms on hand. But please note: If you have fresh mushrooms at your disposal, you can always substitute them for the rehydrated dried mushrooms called for in this recipe. Just slice them and fry along with the shallot.

Speaking of the shallot, I thought adding shallot (or some kind of onion) to the mix would result in another layer of flavor. (And it did.) Along with cooking the quinoa in veggie stock instead of plain water. And then, why not throw in a couple cups of cut spinach to completely up the healthy quotient? (It’s what I do folks. I change recipes to fit my needs. And no, I can’t help myself!)

But I still want to give kudos to Chungah for the bones of this recipe and the inspiration to make it in the first place!

So, having said mostly what I wanted to say on the subject, all that’s left is to tell you that we really enjoyed this dish. It was easy to prepare, and terribly healthy. I served it with Grilled Marinated Lamb Chops (recipe to follow) and sliced tomatoes, topped with fresh basil chiffonade, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Made for a lovely meal out on our deck even though we couldn’t see across the bay because of the heavy wildfire smoke drifting down from Canada. But we were outside, the temperature was pleasant, and my dinner companion (Mr. C.) was his usual appreciative, loving, and charming self. (I am one lucky lady!)

So, as always, make every effort to eat better. Try new dishes that focus on healthy ingredients. And use substitutions that reduce fat and carbs. And of course, the dish won’t taste exactly the same. But it will undoubtedly be a healthier option. And isn’t that what you’re after in the first place.

So, give spiralized veggies a try. Cook quinoa or brown rice instead of white rice. And don’t be above sneaking veggies and healthy ingredients into dishes you know your family loves.

When my kids were young, I always had a jar of wheat germ in the refrigerator. I would sneak a small amount into everything from cookie dough to meatloaf in my quest to get this nutrient rich product into their growing bodies. And even if it made no real difference health wise, I felt good about at least trying to help them grow to be healthy adults. And to this day, I have no idea whether they knew about the wheat germ or not. But even if they didn’t know at the time, they do now!   

Peace and love to all.

¼ c. small pieces of dried mushroom

¼ c. boiling water

2 c. vegetable broth

1 c. quinoa, rinsed several times under cold water* (I used Bob’s Red mill Tri-Color Quinoa for this recipe)

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

½ tsp. dried thyme

freshly ground black pepper

2 c. loosely packed sliced spinach

2 T. grated Parmesan, opt.

In a small bowl, stir the dried mushroom pieces and boiling water together. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Stir in the rinsed quinoa and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer gently until all the water is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Fluff, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile prep the other ingredients.   

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook for about 4 minutes. Then add the garlic, thyme, and black pepper. Drain the mushrooms, then stir into the shallot mixture. Stir in the spinach.

After the quinoa has rested its prescribed 15 minutes, stir the veggie mixture into the cooked quinoa. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan.

*Quinoa Caution: Quinoa is coated with a naturally occurring toxic substance called saponin.  So always rinse quinoa before cooking. Place the quinoa in a strainer and run cold water over it until the entire soapy residue has been washed away. You can taste test a few seeds; if they still have a bitter taste, run more cold water over them.