This is great on its own as a side dish. I have also doubled the recipe and added some chopped cooked chicken breasts to the mix for a complete meal. Feel free to try different cheeses too! I added sun dried tomato goat cheese once, and it gave it extra creaminess and flavor.

Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Quinoa

Ingredients:

16 oz sliced white mushrooms, rinsed
1/4 cup quinoa(dry)
1 tsp olive oil
3 TBSP Parmesan-Romano cheese
1/4 cup low fat milk
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder, divided
Cooking spray
1/8 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup diced onion

Other items:

Baking sheet with edges
Aluminum foil

Instructions:

1/ Preheat oven to 375.

2/ Spray mushrooms with cooking spray and toss the in 1/4 tsp garlic salt.

3/ Bake the mushrooms at 375 on foil lined pan until tender; about 15-20 minutes.

4/ The mushrooms will have a good bit of juices after cooking. Drain mushrooms and RESERVE the liquid. Set mushrooms aside.

5/ Measure the liquid from the cooked mushrooms and add water to total just over 1/2 cup. Add the liquid and 1/4 cup dry quinoa to a small pot and bring to a boil.

6/ Allow to boil 5 minutes, then remove from heat, cover, and let sit undisturbed for 15-20 minutes until it absorbs the liquid.

7/ Meanwhile, add oil to a pan on low-medium heat. Add onion, minced garlic, pepper, and remaining 1/4 tsp garlic salt and cook until tender.

8/ Mix the mushrooms, onions, milk and cheese in a bowl. Gently fold in cooked quinoa and serve.

|Kaci