Quinoa, Spinach, and Mushroom Salad

On Sundays we plan our meals for the week and build our grocery list. Generally, we make the trek to the grocery store (with the rest of Anchorage) sometime in the afternoon. It was late morning and I was feeling rather uninspired by meal planning...  Then, as fate had it, I talked to the Mom and she had just made this Warm Quinoa, Spinach, and Shitake Salad and said it was really good. Done.

We modified the recipe because it calls for 2 pounds of Shitake mushrooms and quite frankly, I'm not sure who can afford that besides maybe Martha Stewart. Anyway, we used a mix of shitake, cremini, and portabello mushrooms and it was delicious! The salad doesn't have a whole lot of dressing on it, so it isn't going to knock you over with intense flavor, but it will get you with earthy freshness. I added shrimp to the mix also.

3 kinds of mushrooms before heading under the broiler

Added some shrimp for more protein!

Quinoa.

Toss warm with cold and mix it up with the dressing...

 Top with feta and viola!

Warm Quinoa, Spinach, and Shitake Salad
Adapted from Martha Stewart .com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup red-wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 pounds fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps halved
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa
• 1 pound baby spinach
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Heat broiler; set rack 4 inches from heat. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. On a large rimmed broiler-proof baking sheet, toss mushrooms with half the dressing (reserve the rest); broil, tossing occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine quinoa, 3 cups water, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cover, and simmer until liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Place spinach in a large bowl; add hot mushrooms, quinoa, and reserved dressing. Toss to combine (spinach will wilt slightly). Top with crumbled feta, and serve immediately.