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.