Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free YIELDS: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 small pear, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 2 lb portobello mushrooms, stemmed with gills scraped out
• 1 cup red or white quinoa
• 3 cup tightly packed spinach, chopped
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

Put balsamic vinegar, mustard, pear and garlic in a blender with 1/3 cup water and blend until smooth, about 1 minute.

Cut mushrooms into chunks and combine in a large mixing bowl with ¼ cup of the pear balsamic mixture.

Spread mushrooms in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast in oven at 475 degrees until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

While mushrooms roast, bring 1 ¾ cups water to a boil in medium pot. Stir in quinoa, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat and set aside, covered, 10 minutes more. Uncover and fluff quinoa with a fork.

Combine mushrooms, quinoa, spinach, green onions, almonds, salt, pepper and ½ cup more pear balsamic dressing in a large serving bowl. Stir to mix well.

Serve with remaining dressing on the side.

Submitted by Sondra Weidman of The Cooking Club. April 2014.

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