Every time I cook quinoa I wonder why I don’t make it more often. It is easy to cook and I enjoy the flavor. Most recipes I see quinoa used in it is simply replacing the rice or pasta and I have to admit I have never had it like that. I always seem to use it in some obnoxious recipe and wonder how I came up with it, much like today’s recipe!

While reading up on quinoa I found out that it is not really a grain but in fact more similar to a beet, spinach or tumbleweed of all things. Does that mean we should call it a vegetable? If you are interested in the nutritional facts click here.

So this recipe…well uh, I hadn’t been grocery shopping and it was my Friday night and I had no intention of getting out of my PJ’s but my family was hungry and I had no time to waste. I needed a MOFO recipe. Fortunately, I cook well under pressure and some of my best recipes come together when my hubby says, “there is nothing to cook.” This was no exception and fortunately a good friend of ours stopped by and I forced him to try it and he gave it two thumbs up as well. Trust me, he has told me before when I have failed. Point of this is, as weird as it sounds it was really frickin’ good!

Something to note: I had never used dried mushrooms but someone had given me a package of dried enoki mushrooms so I used them. They were really good but you could easily use any mushroom of choice.

Quinoa Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie

Ingredients:
Top
1 cup quinoa cooked
2 cups sweet potatoes mashed
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp vegan butter

Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

Bottom
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion
1 carrot diced
1.76 oz dried enoki mushrooms chopped (soaked according to package reserve 1 cup water after soaking)
1 cup chopped broccoli
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp  ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 cup tamari
1/2 cup mushroom water
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Fried onion pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet saute onions and carrots in oil. When onions are translucent add mushrooms. Cook for five more minutes. Add remaining ingredients up to mushroom water. Cook until broth begins to boil. Mix cornstarch and water in separate cup. Once broth begins to boil stir in cornstarch mixture, lower heat and cook for five more minutes.  In a casserole dish pour mushroom mixture.  Top with quinoa mixture. Sprinkle fried onion pieces on top if desired. Bake for 30 minutes until slightly crispy on top. Cool for five minutes and serve.