We really like the meaty texture of roasted mushrooms, and this salad is a great way to enjoy them. Here, mushrooms are roasted in a pear-balsamic dressing, and then served over spinach with quinoa, almonds, and green onions with additional dressing. You could easily add other vegetables that you have on hand as well.
The dressing is made from a pear, balsamic vinegar, spicy mustard, and garlic. It is quick to make in a blender and very tasty. It would be a great dressing to have with any salad.
If you like roasted mushrooms, definitely give this salad a try. We served the mushrooms and quinoa while they were still warm over the spinach, but you could definitely serve this salad cold if you prefer. The originally recipe called for less spinach that was chopped so it was more of a quinoa salad. I think that would be delicious as well.
Roasted Mushroom and Quinoa Spinach Salad
serves: 4 as a main dish
INGREDIENTS:
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
- 1 pear, cored and cut into chunks (I didn't peel it)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup water
For the salad:
- 30 ounces cremini mushrooms (or mushrooms of choice), stemmed and chopped into chunks
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup slivered/chopped/whole almonds (spiced if you have them)
- 12 ounces baby spinach
- salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a baking mat.
2) Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. In a large bowl, combine chopped mushrooms and 1/4 cup of dressing. Stir to coat mushrooms with dressing. Spread mushrooms onto the baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until tender.
3) Meanwhile, combine 2 cups water and quinoa in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes (don't stir while cooking). After 15 minutes, remove from heat and check that all water has been absorbed (if it hasn't, cook a few more minutes). Turn onto a plate or baking sheet and let cool for a few minutes.
4) Stir green onions into quinoa and season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
5) Divide spinach evenly among 4 plates. Top with roasted mushrooms, quinoa mixture, and almonds. Drizzle with dressing and/or serve additional dressing on the side.
(recipe adapted from Whole Foods)
