This salad rocks my world. After I first made it last Thursday, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and had to make a special trip back to the store for some more shiitakes so that I could have it again ASAP. First of all, I don’t think this salad could be more healthy if it tried. It’s like a nutritionist’s dream. Secondly, I’d never had quinoa before. It’s my new favorite grain! It reminds me of couscous, but with a more complex and interesting texture. Lastly, the combination of all these ingredients, warmed to perfection, made this a new staple in my diet.

The second time I made this salad, I didn’t have any more red-wine vinegar left so I used balsamic. Once you get the basic concept for this dish, it’s easy to vary it by type of mushroom, marinade, etc. The instructions ask you to put the mushrooms very close to the top of the boiler, but when I did that it caused the mixture to smoke. So the second time I made it, I moved the pan down a bit and it worked out fine.

Warm Quinoa, Spinach, and Shiitake Salad
from Everyday Food Magazine
Serves 4

1/2 cup red-wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 lbs. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps halved
1 1/2 cups quinoa
1 lb. baby spinach
8 oz. feta cheese

1. Heat broiler. Set rack 4 inches from heat. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, 1 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper.
2. On a large rimmed broiler-proof baking sheet, toss mushrooms with half the dressing (reserve the rest); broil, tossing occassionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are tender.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine quinoa, 3 cups water, and 1 1/2 t 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.

Notes:

• I coarsely chopped the spinach leaves because that’s how I like my salads.
• I added minced garlic to the dressing.
• I didn’t use the full amount of olive oil and I didn’t miss it.