Late Night Snack

Sometimes your timing is a little off. Sometimes it just works out that way. Did you ever eat lunch a little too late, and then feel hungry at around nine P.M.? This happened today. My wife and I went for a long drive and wound up meeting a friend at a restaurant in Boulder (Colorado), at about 3:30. The food was quite good, and we ate European style (not in a hurry). Long story short, we got home late and already hungry again. Fortunately, we had some quinoa left over from the night before, so all I had to do was figure a way to make it into a quick one-dish meal. Here's what I did:

I diced a red onion finely and sautéed it in a small gob of coconut oil. While it was sizzling, I washed and cut three Portobello mushrooms into half-inch dice. As soon as the onion was translucent and just beginning to caramelize lightly, I added the mushrooms. After stirring for a minute, the juices had begun to flow, so I added some porcini powder, a bit of Spanish smoked paprika, Celtic salt, and a little pepper (just a few twists of the mill). When the mushrooms were tender--a mere three minutes--and before the juices were all reabsorbed, I threw in the quinoa. When it was nicely incorporated and warmed through, I took it off the heat and stirred in a squeeze of lemon juice and a handful of chopped parsley.

That did it for me. I had mine with half an avocado, sliced on the side (my wife had eaten her half with a little chipotle mayonnaise while she was waiting). The combination was delightful.

One of the main attributes of quinoa that makes it an ideal food for me--and why my body loves it so much--is that it goes down beautifully. Afterward, I feel thoroughly satisfied, but not full. It also seems to go with pretty much anything you throw at it, and somehow manages to be the star while playing a supporting role at the same time. It's just one of nature's perfect foods.