Garlic Mushroom Quinoa

I love quinoa and I love mushrooms.  I can honestly say I don't know another person who joins me in loving both of these foods.  My sisters hate mushrooms.  My mom likes them, but isn't a fan of quinoa.  This is one of those meals that I get to make in peace now that I live alone.  No one complains.  No one begs me to leave out a main ingredient.  I can happily eat mushrooms and quinoa for dinner, and bring all the leftovers for lunch all week long.  Yes, folks, I am living the dream.  I mean, not the dream I always dreamed of, but it's got its perks.

Back to this meal.  It's super garlicky.  If you join me in loving quinoa and mushrooms, just make sure you also love garlic.  There are a whopping 5 cloves in there.  There's also some parmesan and dried thyme for flavor.  For such a simple dish, there's a lot of flavor.  You can call it a main dish like I did, but it would also be a great side.

I ended up using red quinoa this time.  I think it's a but nuttier than regular quinoa, but it's what I found at the store.  By the way, have you noticed quinoa going up in price?  What's up with that?  Cut a poor vegetarian girl some slack!

In other news, it's the last full week of school before vacation.  I'm pumped.  We just have to get through 7 more school days, including a full moon.  Yeeeesh.  Let's just say I was ready for bed two hours ago before I looked at the clock and noticed it wasn't even 7:00.

Recipe:

garlic mushroom quinoa
from Damn Delicious
serves 6

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons grated parmesan

Instructions:

1) In a large saucepan with 2 cups of water, cook quinoa according to package instructions.  Set aside.

2) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add mushrooms, garlic, and thyme.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3- 4 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in quinoa until well combined.

3) Serve immediately, garnished with parmesan.