Have you ever tried roasting your mushrooms? I discovered during the making of my cookbook that roasting not-so-fancy mushrooms condenses their flavors into gourmet territory. They transform from spongy raw fungi into tender, richly flavored umami bombs along the way. I understand that mushrooms aren’t for everyone (sometimes, they’re not even for me), but I’m into these roasted mushrooms. For those of you who are on the fence when it comes to mushrooms, I hope this recipe brings you over to my side.
This recipe is a great side dish or light meal. First, I roasted up some cremini mushrooms, also known as baby bella mushrooms (they’re young portobellos—get it?). Then I served the roasted mushrooms, with all of their delicious mushroom juices, on a bed of herbed quinoa. A squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle of pepitas rounds out the flavors and textures.
For a more complete meal, I think you could stir some chickpeas or white beans into the quinoa. You can also change it up by roasting the mushrooms with a splash of balsamic vinegar (so good). Once again, I bought all of my ingredients at ALDI. They have organic quinoa and olive oil, plus a wide variety of fresh produce and rBST-free cheeses, all at impressively low prices. Their new blog called Hello, Healthy, offers recipes, cooking videos and resources on how to live a healthy life. You can check out my recipe on their blog here. Have you been to an ALDI yet?!
Watch How to Make Perfectly Fluffy Quinoa
This post was created in partnership with ALDI and I received compensation for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K! Change it up: For even more depth, roast the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar tossed in. Finish the dish with a light drizzle of balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice.
