January's the time of year that we crave comfort foods. It's no coincidence; this is a natural, instinctual desire, as our bodies were designed to store and retain energy in the form of body fat to prepare for cold winters.
And what better time to hunker down in front of a nice warm bowl of yummy quinoa, right? Well, maybe you might be the sort who needs some convincing, but once you sink your teeth into this baby--you'll be sold! I mean, you got oodles of garlic, shallots, sundried tomatoes and basil...uh: yum!
Jam packed with nutrients, it's an awesome alternative to meat and soy-based foods for vegetarians and vegans because it contains complete proteins--those that can only be found in animal proteins.
Many people choose this time of year post Christmas season to do a Daniel Fast. This recipe is totally suited to Daniel Fast guidelines; I actually made this a couple of times during my fast, as well as for my Pastor's family too (they raved about it!).
And what better time to hunker down in front of a nice warm bowl of yummy quinoa, right? Well, maybe you might be the sort who needs some convincing, but once you sink your teeth into this baby--you'll be sold! I mean, you got oodles of garlic, shallots, sundried tomatoes and basil...uh: yum!
Jam packed with nutrients, it's an awesome alternative to meat and soy-based foods for vegetarians and vegans because it contains complete proteins--those that can only be found in animal proteins.
Many people choose this time of year post Christmas season to do a Daniel Fast. This recipe is totally suited to Daniel Fast guidelines; I actually made this a couple of times during my fast, as well as for my Pastor's family too (they raved about it!).
Quinoa with Sundried Tomatoes, Basil & Shitake Mushrooms
Here’s What You Need:
1 cup quinoa (I like to mix red, black and traditional all together)
1-1/4 cups water
A couple shakes of onion powder
1 Tbsp. butter (sub extra virgin cold pressed olive oil for vegan)
1/4 cube of no salt vegetable bouillon (I use Rapunzel)
salt for the water
3/4 cup soft sundried tomatoes, chopped (Potassium powerhouse, btw!)
2 Tbsp. butter (sub coconut oil for vegan)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
6 shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (baby bellas can be subbed)
2 Tbsp. butter (sub coconut oil for vegan)
6 - 8 large fresh basil leaves, julienned
Sea Salt (preferably Himalayan) and fresh ground pepper
Instructions:
In a medium sized pot, add the quinoa, water, onion powder, butter, bouillon and salt. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat all the way down to low; simmer until all the water is gone (approximately 20 minutes). If the water is gone but the quinoa looks too wet, remove the lid, fluff with a fork and continue to simmer with the lid off for another 10 minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking, melt the 2 Tbsp. butter in a saute pan on medium-high heat; add the mushrooms and saute for approx. 2 minutes. The butter will quickly disappear (mushrooms can suck up some liquid, can't they?!), and when it does, splash a bit (just a few tablespoons) of water into the pan and swish around. Put the mushrooms into a small bowl and set aside.
In that same pan that you just used for the mushrooms, heat the 2 remaining Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat; add the shallots and saute approx 2-3 minutes until slightly soft, then add the garlic and sundried tomatoes and saute 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
Into a large serving bowl, scrape the sundried tomato mixture and add the reserved mushrooms. Then add the quinoa and fold until really well blended. Add the julienned basil last, season with salt and pepper.
Serve drizzled with a good quality olive oil drizzle.
Makes 4 servings.
1 cup quinoa (I like to mix red, black and traditional all together)
1-1/4 cups water
A couple shakes of onion powder
1 Tbsp. butter (sub extra virgin cold pressed olive oil for vegan)
1/4 cube of no salt vegetable bouillon (I use Rapunzel)
salt for the water
3/4 cup soft sundried tomatoes, chopped (Potassium powerhouse, btw!)
2 Tbsp. butter (sub coconut oil for vegan)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
6 shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (baby bellas can be subbed)
2 Tbsp. butter (sub coconut oil for vegan)
6 - 8 large fresh basil leaves, julienned
Sea Salt (preferably Himalayan) and fresh ground pepper
Instructions:
In a medium sized pot, add the quinoa, water, onion powder, butter, bouillon and salt. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat all the way down to low; simmer until all the water is gone (approximately 20 minutes). If the water is gone but the quinoa looks too wet, remove the lid, fluff with a fork and continue to simmer with the lid off for another 10 minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking, melt the 2 Tbsp. butter in a saute pan on medium-high heat; add the mushrooms and saute for approx. 2 minutes. The butter will quickly disappear (mushrooms can suck up some liquid, can't they?!), and when it does, splash a bit (just a few tablespoons) of water into the pan and swish around. Put the mushrooms into a small bowl and set aside.
In that same pan that you just used for the mushrooms, heat the 2 remaining Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat; add the shallots and saute approx 2-3 minutes until slightly soft, then add the garlic and sundried tomatoes and saute 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
Into a large serving bowl, scrape the sundried tomato mixture and add the reserved mushrooms. Then add the quinoa and fold until really well blended. Add the julienned basil last, season with salt and pepper.
Serve drizzled with a good quality olive oil drizzle.
Makes 4 servings.
