Mushroom Quinoa

In my neverending quest to pack lots of nutrition into the small amount/variety of food Samantha eats, I came across quinoa (pronounced "keenwah").  Perfect!  It's extremely nutritious and looks like couscous, which she loves.  The first time I made it, I just prepped it in my rice cooker and added about 1/2 c. of TJ's bruschetta, some sweet bell peppers sauteed in olive oil and minced garlic, salt, and pepper (a recipe adaped from my "I Love Trader Joe's" cookbook).  It was good and Samantha ate it (although she picked out the veggies).

I then came across a quinoa recipe with mushrooms while browsing the Food Network site.  I love mushrooms, so I decided to make it last night. 

Mushroom Quinoa (adapted from here):

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 1/2 c. quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1./2 tsp. sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 c. low sodium chicken broth

To make:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan (I used my 10" cast iron skillet)
• Saute onion until translucent
• Add mushrooms and cook until brown
• Stir in quinoa, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper and let cook for a couple of minutes
• Add chicken broth and bring to a boil
• Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes
• Turn off heat, remove lid to stir, replace lid and let sit for about 10 minutes
• Adjust seasoning if necessary

I thought this was very tasty.  I think Samantha even ate a bit of it, though I'm sure she picked out any stray mushrooms or onions that made it on her plate.