Asparagus Mushroom Quinoa with Garlic & Soy
I believe my words were “I’m writing three posts this week if I have to blog about my lunch tomorrow.†Well, lucky for everyone I’m not posting a recipe for a toasted ham & cheese sandwich. It was delicious but not especially noteworthy.
Fortunately, for me, and hopefully you, I re-created this asparagus mushroom quinoa dish for dinner and it was really good and super simple and worthy of a share. I say recreated because a friend made something similar recently and I couldn’t remember exactly what was in it except asparagus, mushroom, quinoa and soy sauce.
So here is my version and it got a “can I bring this to school for lunch tomorrow?†so it’s pretty kid-friendly, too.
I’ve mentioned it before but it bears repeating: I’m not an “exact†cook, meaning I cook the quinoa according to the directions but pretty much everything else I play around with. I would suggest you do the same – if you don’t like asparagus try something different (broccoli, fresh green beans, cauliflower, carrots or all of them) and if it’s too dry add more olive oil or either sauce. In the recipe I put what my minimum measurement would be and this dish won’t be horrible if you add more of something than I’ve listed here. It’s going to be your meal, enjoy it!
Asparagus Mushroom Quinoa with Garlic & Soy
- 2T olive oil
- 2T butter
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3c sliced mushrooms (I used Baby Bella and would have added shitake and oyster if the grocery store had had any)
- 1 “fistfulâ€/bunch of asparagus, cleaned, bottoms snapped off and then chopped into 1†pieces
- 2c quinoa, cooked
- ¼ c soy sauce (or to taste)
- ½ c teriyaki sauce (or to taste)
- 1T Simply Asia seasoning (this can be optional or you can sub something similar)
- scallions and cilantro for garnish, optional
Asparagus, Mushrooms & Garlic
Quinoa:
Make the quinoa while you are prepping the veggies and this dish will come together quickly.
- Set 4c water to boil
- Rinse 2c quinoa in cold water in a sieve
- When water is fully boiling add quinoa and reduce to medium boil for 10 minutes stirring occasionally, do not cover
- Pour quinoa back into sieve to drain, leave it there
- Put enough water back into the pot to boil for 10 minutes without “boiling dry†approx. 2â€
- Place sieve w/quinoa in the pot over the water (but not touching the water) and cover with a folded lint-free towel
- Place lid over the towel
- Lightly boil the water for 10 minutes
- Remove pan from heat and let steam for another 5 minutes
Sauce & Seasonings
Veggies & Everything Else
- Heat olive oil and butter until melted
- Add garlic, sauté until fragrant (~2min)
- Add mushrooms, sauté until moisture has evaporated (you only have the oil mixture in the pan)
- Add asparagus, sauté until al dente (~4min)
- Add soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and dry seasoning, stir until mixed
- Reduce heat to low
- Add quinoa and stir until mixed
- At this point if you need to add more sauce, seasoning or olive oil you can, just stir well
- Remove from heat and serve or cover until ready to serve
Asparagus Mushroom Quinoa
I did forget the scallions and it wasn’t a big deal. I added chopped cilantro to my serving and it was great.
I’ll admit the quinoa sounds like a process – it’s the description of what I do that makes it seem that way. You can cook the quinoa any way you want but this way makes it light, crunchy and it’s not at all sticky so try it, it’s worth it. And it’s way easier than it sounds.
I’d love to have your feedback. Do you love quinoa? What’s your favorite recipe? If you try this asparagus mushroom quinoa please come back and let me know what you think!
Thanks for taking time out of your day and stopping by “So, I’ve Been Thinking…†I appreciate it!
Stephanie
Looks delicious, Stephanie and totally pinned to try for my family now. Thanks for sharing this here and hope you will stop by my blog today and link this up with the PINcentive Blog Hop!! 🙂
Thanks Janine! I did link it up…I get an email about it but I’m way, way down the list, I didn’t finish until this AM.
I love that it was a hit with kids, too!! That’s not an easy task!! I don’t think I’ve ever served the kids quinoa. I’m not a particularly good cook, so I tend to stick with the basics for the benefit of all…BUT…we are in a rut! I need a few things up my sleeve to get us out. Even though I usually shun recipes with more than 4 ingredients (or steps), I feel like I could maybe do this. Maybe. I’m going to try it this weekend and substitute broccoli for the asparagus because everyone in the family loves broccoli. I’ll report back!! –Lisa
Oh, you should definitely try it. It tastes like hibachi rice which is probably why my kids liked it, Greg makes that rice all the time but this is way better for you. Quinoa has a crazy texture, if you can get past it you should love it! Let me know how it turns out.
I’m happy to read about what people are eating for lunch. Often, it leads to me actually finding recipes I can use!
Big quinoa fans here. The only thing I’d have to change is the mushrooms because it’s the one food my husband doesn’t eat. Which is unfair, because it’s surprisingly something I do eat! (I’m the picky one)
My kids don’t like mushrooms either, I just told them to pick them out. I’m nice like that! You could add pretty much anything you’d add to a stir fry and it would be great.
I love finding easy things that I may actually take the time to make! Thanks so much for sharing (and nothing wrong with ham and cheese!).
I’ll admit, the ham & cheese only took minutes but the veggies were done about the same time as the quinoa so 30 min for the dish isn’t bad.
Yum! This looks super good. I love quinoa but I’ve never cooked it. I might get my husband on it. He’s the cook in the house. 🙂
I’ve cooked quinoa by just boiling and wasn’t crazy about how mushy it got. These directions I got from another recipe and I’ve never looked back, never mushy and the texture is great, I do always rinse it first though, I think that can be important. I hope you like it!
I’ve tried to make quinoa three times now and I just can’t get it right. It’s a great substitute for rice and I hope to master it soon.
I’ve never been a huge quinoa fan but I’m willing to give it another try. I love asparagus and mushrooms…it looks really good!! Plus you have never steered me wrong on a recipe!
Can you believe that I have never made quinoa. This recipe looks good! I’m going to give it a try!
I can. So many people have never tried it or had it overcooked, I’m trying to spread the word about how good it can be when it’s cooked properly.
I like the idea of putting the towel over the pot. I have to try that next time I make quinoa. It probably keeps it from getting dry. Quinoa is so good for you. I love it!
I always love quinoa when other people make it….. I hope this could be my first quinoa success! I will let you know…….