Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms

Hope everyone is enjoying Pesach, lets face it- it's all about the food!

I made this last night as a side dish to some (rather delicious) leftovers of duck sauce-glazed corned beef (post for another time!). We had a Costco size box of mushrooms, and I figured why not just do stuffed mushrooms. Stuffed mushrooms are such an easy side dish or even an appetizer as they are perfect one-bite finger foods. Normally I'd use Panko or cornflake crumbs as the binding agent (I know they have Pesach versions, we just didn't have), but being that it is Pesach, and we are Non-Gebrokts, I opted to add in some quinoa, which we had made already as another side, so it was easy too. I'm not quinoa's biggest fan, but when it's there, I'll eat it. I personally prefer white quinoa far more than the red version. I sauteed extra vegetables and added them to the quinoa, seasoned well with salt and pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh dill- just to put it simply. Now back to the stuffed mushrooms... It ended up being the perfect thing to add in to the stuffing, and I can imagine that some whole wheat couscous would do the job perfectly for a non-Pesach dish if you are looking for something heartier than Panko.

Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms

-1 onion, finely chopped 

-3 cloves of garlic, minced

-2 carrots, peeled, and finely chopped

-3 stalks of celery, finely chopped 

-2-3 pounds stem-in baby bella mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp paper towel, stems removed (save and wash those)

-1/2 cup cooked white quinoa

-1 tbsp. light mayonnaise (or a beaten egg white)

-Some chopped flat-leaf parsley, chopped

-salt & pepper

-Preheat the oven to 375 and spray a tin cookie sheet with cooking spray.

-Finely chop the mushroom stems. Keep all the chopped vegis separate because you will be sauteeing them in stages. All the vegis should be cut relatively finely, and uniformly, so that there aren't some chunky pieces. Remember, you will be filling small mushroom caps.

-In a saute pan over medium high heat, add the chopped onion with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Let the onions saute a few minutes until slightly browned and translucent.

-Add the carrots and saute another minute, followed by the celery. When all three are sauteeing together for a minute or 2, add in the garlic, and mushroom stems. Saute another few minutes, adding some more oil if necessary. Season again to taste.

-Transfer to a bowl and let cool a few minutes. Add the quinoa, mayo, and parsley and mix until all incorporated.

-Arrange the mushroom caps on the cookie sheet, and place a small amount of the mixture into each mushroom using a small spoon. Fill each one with a little bit, and then after all are filled you can go back and add more. It's okay if they seem "overstuffed"- they will set in the oven.

-Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the mushrooms themselves soften and cook through. 

Thank you, Instagram, for yet another beautiful food picture :-)

Have an enjoyable rest of the week, and a Chag Sameach!

E