Pickled Chard Quinoa Bowls

Jeanine
Donofrio

Phoebe
Moore

Updated: Nov 28, 2022

Lately, our weekends have been filled with some pretty extravagant eats. After a few weeks in a row of food & wine fests, gelato fests (oh, yes), and dinners out with friends, I’ve been feeling a little over-indulged, to say the least. Quinoa to the rescue!

Nothing helps me feel more grounded than a bowl of quinoa piled with veggies. This bowl is pretty simple if you’ve prepped a few of these items in advance. I like to make a big batch of quinoa and keep it in the fridge all week. Same with pesto… and this week I happened to have these pickled chard stems on hand.

I cooked up some mushrooms with my new favorite combo – balsamic & soy sauce – then piled the veggies into bowls. I you haven’t pickled chard yet, you could sub in some dried fruit for a pop of sweetness.

Here’s to a happy healthy weekend! (With maybe just a small scoop of gelato).

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spring quinoa bowls

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Ingredients

• ▢ a few cups chopped cremini mushrooms
• ▢ salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
• ▢ splash of balsamic vinegar
• ▢ splash of soy sauce, or tamari
• ▢ 1.5 cups cooked quinoa
• ▢ a few handfuls spinach, chopped (or sauteed chard)
• ▢ a few slabs of tofu, cubed
• ▢ 1-2 radishes, sliced thin
• ▢ 1/2 cup edamame, frozen is ok, thaw it
• ▢ a few spoonfuls of pickled chard stems
• ▢ a few dollops of walnut pesto
• ▢ more salt & pepper, to taste

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Instructions

• Cook your quinoa and make your pesto (both can be done ahead).
• Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil (or coconut oil), to the pan, then add the mushrooms and a few pinches of salt. Toss to coat and then let the mushrooms cook (without touching them) for a couple of minutes. Stir, and let them continue browning on all sides. (This happens when you stir them only occasionally so they can caramelize).
• Once your mushrooms are starting to really brown, add a splash of balsamic vinegar and stir. Add a smaller splash of soy sauce, stir again. Let cook for (about) 30 seconds more and remove them from the pan. Taste and adjust seasonings. (Note - if you've over-salted them, just salt your quinoa less).
• Assemble bowls with quinoa, mushrooms, spinach, tofu, radishes, edamame, chard stems, and a dollop of pesto. (or whatever assortment of veggies you like).

Notes

Bake or pan-sear your tofu if you're not a fan of plain raw tofu. (salt it, chop it, bake it for about 20 minutes, or sear slabs in a pan for about 1 minute per side).