Choose Your Own Kale and Quinoa Adventure

April 12th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Dinner Time

This is quinoa and sauteed kale in a sauce made from red peppers, onions and tahini.  I initially made this to stuff into portobello mushroom caps, but this stuff was so stuffin’ good that we’re going to focus more on the stuffing instead of what was stuffed.

Quinoa Kale Stuffing

Stuff this into mushrooms if you like, but you could just as easily choose to eat this as-is and call it lunch.  Or use it as a side at dinner. Or as dinner itself.  Or even for breakfast.  Watch me eat this for breakfast tomorrow.  WATCH ME!

(ok, maybe don’t watch me.  that’s a little creepy.)

To cook quinoa, combine 1 cup rinsed quinoa with 2 cups of water .  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 10 – 15 minutes until all water is absorbed and quinoa is soft and fluffy. Makes about 3 cups.

While we’re talking about quinoa, let’s take a quick detour to talk about the best quinoa strainer in the world.

Best. Quinoa. Strainer. Ever.

I initially bought this strainer for making bone broth, but I’ve used for straining my own yogurt and now I’ve come to discover that it’s the perfect quinoa strainer too.   When quinoa first arrived on the scene years ago, it was recommended to rinse your quinoa before cooking it to help get rid of the bitter saponins (but I wonder if this is really necessary with the quinoa sold on store shelves nowadays?)

Whatever the case, I still rinse.  I use to cringe a little whenever it was time to make quinoa because I was always losing some quinoa down the drain during rinsing.  The holes in my smallest strainer were still too big for quinoa.  But now with this strainer I feel joy in my heart when it’s time to make quinoa.  I snag my stainless steel strainer, grab my quinoa and then waltz from the pantry to the sink while singing LA LA LA NO LOST QUINOA SUCKAS!

(You get dinner AND a show here, folks.)

Detour over.  Let’s get back on road to Stuffingville.

Kale and Quinoa Stuffing

(with Red Pepper, Onion and Tahini Sauce)

print this recipe!

2 1/2 c cooked quinoa

2 – 3 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced (feel free to use less if that’s too much for you!)
1/2 white onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced

2 Tbsp tahini
juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp maple syrup
salt to taste

1 bunch of kale, rinsed and chopped

With your quinoa prepped (either at the same time or ahead of time, remember this is your own adventure) get to sauteing your onion, red pepper and garlic in olive oil.

Kitchen Mess

Once all vegetables are soft, transfer to the food processor or blender with tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup and salt.

Red Pepper Onion and Garlic Sauce with Tahini and Lemon

Holy (this is not) guacamole – this.is.scary.good.

Chop kale into bite sized pieces and add to your now-vacant veggie pot, sauteing in olive oil until soft.

Bite Sized Kale Saute Chopped Kale

When your kale is ready, gently combine cooked quinoa, vegetable sauce and sample.  And sample again.  And sample again.  Sample as many times as Your Own Adventure requires.

Fold Together Quinoa Kale and Sauce

If you choose to stuff this into mushrooms – remove the stem and scrape out the gills with a spoon.  Lightly oil the tops of the mushrooms and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Roasted Portabella Mushrooms

Drain and pat dry with a paper towel before stuffing.

Stuffed Portabellas

At this point, this recipe is vegan.  If you are on a Vegetarian Adventure, you could choose to de-veganize these and add a little shredded cheese – I went with shredded parm.

Stuffed Portabella's Topped with Shredded Parm

If you’ve got stuffing left over (there was probably enough to stuff 3 more portobello mushrooms) put the rest away for a Kale and Quinoa Breakfast Adventure tomorrow.

Kale and Quinoa in Red Pepper, Garlic, Onion and Tahini Sauce

Put stuffed mushrooms back into your 350 degree oven for 6 – 8 minutes, or until heated through and cheese has melted.

Quinoa and Kale Stuffed Portabella Mushroom

You could easily use this for stuffed peppers too. Or just stuff it into a bowl. Whichever path your adventure takes you down, I promise you’ll be stuffing this into your face.


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