Tasty Goodness:Meatless Monday: Roasted Mushroom & Quinoa Risotto

Why Meatless

Roasted Mushroom & Quinoa Risotto

Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel. But keep in mind that just going meatless is not enough. That’s why we give you the information you need to add healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives
to your diet each week. Read about these benefits.

Roasted Mushroom & Quinoa Risotto

Ingredients

2 cups assorted chopped mushrooms (such as shiitake, crimini, oyster)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp chopped shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place mushrooms on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat. Roast in the oven until the mushrooms have turned dark and are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.

Place the vegetable broth in a saucepan and bring to a mild simmer, keeping to warm, but not boiling.
In a separate pot, toast the dry quinoa, stirring constantly, until you can smell a nutty aroma, about 3 minutes.
Remove quinoa from the pot, then add the butter and allow to melt over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until opaque, but don’t allow to brown. Add the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 20 seconds. Stir in the quinoa, cooking until it is completely coated with butter. Don’t allow to brown. About 2 minutes.
Add the wine and cook until the pan begins to dry, stirring frequently. About 4 minutes.
Add a ladle full (about 2/3 cups) of broth into the quinoa. Stir frequently until the broth is almost dry, and then add another ladle full and repeat. This process should take about 15-20 minutes. Don’t leave the risotto while it’s cooking, the quinoa on the bottom of the pan burns easily. If you run out of broth, just use hot water the same way you would broth. If you have made risotto before, just know that the quinoa version will require less broth and cook a bit quicker.
Once your risotto is cooked through (taste it to verify that the quinoa is cooked), turn heat to low and add the cheese, cream and salt and pepper to taste. Risotto should be soft and wet, not dry like typical quinoa. It should be firm enough to be served as a side on a plate, but soft enough to giggle hen the plate is shaken. Stir in the mushrooms just before serving.

Servings: 4