Saturday, February 8, 2014

Mushrooms with grains

As you may have read in an earlier post here, we are attempting to eat more vegetarian these days, due to a drought in the western states.  It's a known fact that harvesting food in the form of animals uses a lot more of the wet stuff than just dining on the grains and veggies the animals would otherwise be eating, so to that end I've ramped up the amount of vegetarian meals we'll be eating in the coming months.

The other night I made a delicious mushroom/grains casserole, using this:




You could probably use any grains combination, or just quinoa if you wish, but this recipe came from a vegan friend and this is how she made it.

To the grains I added a generous portion of sliced portabello and shitake mushrooms -- enough to give it a meaty texture and flavor, as only mushrooms can do (in the vegetable world, anyway).  Plus a half a red onion, a couple of cloves of garlic and about a half-cup of balsamic vinegar. And salted to taste.

I first sauteed the garlic, onions and mushrooms in some olive oil.  Then added it to the cooked grains.  Then stuck it in a 350 degree oven for about a half-hour or so.

The result was heavenly, healthy, and will definitely go into rotation as part of our regular meal choices.

5 comments:

  1. This is my kind of food! (although I'm not a vegetarian or vegan, yet.) What kind of grains are mixed in this particular blend?

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    1. Yuko, this mix had couscous, orzo pasta,dried red bell pepper, dried spinach, baby garbanzo beans and quinoa. It was really a delicious mix!

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    2. Thank you! I'll see if I can find the same or similar grain mix at our local grocery store :)

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  2. Oh this sounds delicious! I'll bet by baking it at the end it really adds a fabulous nutty flavor. Does it set like a casserole in the oven? If it doesn't, and can be easily mixed afterward, I think fresh finely-chopped sage would be great in this at the end.

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    1. It does set like a casserole, and, I think, allows the grains to soften up a bit more...if you like your grains al dente though, then don't bake them, just serve it all up as it comes off the stove top. And sage would be a wonderful addition, you are right! It grows wild around here, so maybe I'll go foraging for some once spring comes.

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