Kale Mushroom Quinoa

This year was the first year that we planted a garden. Although it didn't do as well as I had hoped, we still got a good amount of produce out of it. Two of our veggies thrived big time though, our one cucumber plant and two kale plants. This was awesome since Steven is apparently obsessed with cukes (we literally were picking up to 7 or 8 a week for a couple weeks!) and I love kale. However, I discovered that I had no idea what to do with all the kale besides make salads.

This recipe came about from my kale dilemma. I love the nutritional benefits it boasts and how much flavor it has. If you don't like the slightly bitter taste it has, make sure you massage it a bit to sweeten it up. More info on how to do this and why it works can be found here. I know it sounds strange, but I promise it works. 

Kale Mushroom Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1-1/2 cups water
2-3 cups kale, massaged
8 oz cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon thyme
Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese, for topping

Directions:
1) Cook quinoa and set aside.
2) Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add kale, mushrooms and spices and sautee until kale is wilted and mushrooms are cooked through.
3) Add prepared quinoa and stir to combine. Top with cheese.