Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Quinoa

This was my first time to try quinoa and I found it very easy to cook and filling too! Many people mistake quinoa as a grain but it is actually a seed. It cooks similar to rice though. Quinoa has many health benefits including it is high in protein, low in fat, and contains substantial amounts of manganese (antioxidant), fiber, etc.

Quinoa is gluten-free so hopefully this recipe will appeal to anyone who suffers from Celiac disease or adheres to a gluten-free diet.
Semi-Adapted from Gluten-Free Goddess
Ingredients
1 large portobello mushroom per person
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

For the stuffing (stuffs three mushrooms):
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup quinoa
A handful of yellow and red grape or cherry tomatoes (3/4 package)
2 green onions, diced
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Gently cleanse the mushroom caps; slice off the stems and using a spoon, lightly scrape out the gills. This will allow you to have a deeper area to stuff the mushroom.
Drizzle with a scant amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
Pre-bake the mushrooms in the oven (350 degrees) for about 15 minutes to soften the mushrooms. Drain any excess fluid that may have accumulated in the mushrooms after cooking.

Cook your quinoa according to the package directions and dice your tomatoes, green onions and basil.

 In a skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil and minced garlic over medium-high heat. Cook until fragrant for about 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the tomatoes, green onions, raisins, cooked quinoa and pine nuts. Season to taste with sea salt and ground pepper. Stir to combine. You may moisten the mixture with more olive oil if needed. After the mixture is heated through (5-10 minutes), remove from heat. Add the fresh basil.

Stuff each mushroom cap. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, till the mushroom cap is tender. Tent will foil to keep your stuffed mushroom moist (see picture).

To finish this dish, top your mushrooms with feta cheese and serve over a bed of greens drizzled with balsamic vinegar and the rest of of your diced tomatoes!

Tips:
This is also a great dish to prepare ahead of time. The only difference if you choose to do this is that you will need to cook your mushrooms for 30 minutes instead of 20 since they will have been refrigerated. Pin It