Men's Group

Exotic Mushroom and Quinoa “Risotto” with Black Walnuts

12 ounces mixed exotic mushrooms, cut into slices or small pieces – I used a blend of shitake, oyster, enoki, beech mushrooms, and King oysters from a local supermarket.
½ cup raw quinoa (yields 2 cups cooked)
1 small onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T butter
2 cups chicken broth
Additional broth or water if needed
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon rosemary
2 T heavy cream or sour cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, pecans, or almonds (I used black walnuts)

Melt 1 T of the butter in a non-stick skillet or saute pan with a cover (you will need to cover the dish at the end of the process). Add the onion and garlic, and cook on medium heat until transparent and golden. Add the mushrooms and saute until fully cooked and all moisture has been reabsorbed. Add the quinoa, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes until it begins to brown slightly. Add the thyme and rosemary. Begin adding the chicken broth in ¼ cup increments, stirring in each addition and then covering with the lid until liquid is fully absorbed. Continue adding broth as needed to ensure that the quinoa cooks and expands properly (same technique as for making a risotto with arborio rice). If you require additional liquid, continue to add in small amounts as needed to allow quinoa to cook and expand, but not so much the dish ends up with excess liquid. When fully cooked ,stir in tthe cream or sour cream and the Parmesan, heat through, and serve by topping with toasted nuts.

Yields 8 side-dish servings of approximately 1/3 cup each --still not low calorie.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving

Calories: 266.4 kcal

Water 102.05 g

Carbohydrate* (49%) 32.01 g

Protein (12%) 9.04 g

Total Fat (40%) 12.22 g

Monounsaturated 3.31 g

Polyunsaturated 2.68 g

Saturated 4.97 g

Cholesterol 25.47 mg

Dietary Fibre 3.2 g

*
Note: USDA factors are used in calculating certain foods and do not necessarily follow the "4-4-9" method. Percentages may not always add up to 100.

Data source: USDA Nutrient Database, R17