Ever since finding out that roasting portobello mushrooms with tamari sauce is basically the best thing ever, I’ve been on a huge portobello kick, roasting and mixing with all sorts of things. Of course, it was only a matter of time before I ended up adding them to one of my quinoa bowl mixtures, so…this is what came out!

For this bowl I actually mixed quinoa and some leftover rice, but you can omit the rice and just use quinoa instead. There is a lot of cooking in this recipe as you have to cook the quinoa, roast the mushrooms, caramelize the onions, boil the sweet potato and saute the kale a tiny bit, but I assure you, the outcome is totally worth it!

The protein in this dish comes from the quinoa, kale and mushrooms and of course you have your complex carbs and your vegetables for vitamins and minerals.

So without further ado…let us begin!

You will need:

• 1 to 2 large portobello mushrooms
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups or several large leaves of kale (any kind you want)
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1/3 cup or more chopped onion
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic
• 1 heirloom tomato
• 1/2 avocado
• about 4 tbsp coconut, walnut or avocado oil
• 2 to 3 tbsp tamari sauce

Step 1:

Preheat over to 400 degrees F. Wash and dry the mushrooms. Cut off the stem in the middle and cut out any extra flesh that is lining the inside of the mushroom. You want to be sure that there is as much space inside for stuffing.

Using a brush or spatula, brush the outsides of each mushroom, then place them on an oiled baking tray or baking sheet, with the gill side facing up. Next, drizzle the tamari sauce generously over the mushrooms, then put the pan in the oven to bake for about 20 minutes.

Step 2:

Sweet potato: While the mushrooms are roasting, you want to start cooking all of your other ingredients. Cut up the sweet potato, put in a small pot and boil till the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.

Quinoa: You also want to cook the quinoa, if it is not cooked already. Add the quinoa and water to a small post, and cook on high until the water boils. Then lower the heat to let it simmer the rest of the time, about 20 minutes.

Onion: Cut the onion and garlic. Heat a pan on high heat, and add 2 tbsp of coconut oil. Add the onion and the garlic to the pan, and cook on high, until the onions are a nice golden brown.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Step 3:

Now you want to cook the kale. Use the same pan as you did the onions. Most likely you will have some leftover bits of tasty caramelized onions in the pan. Lower the heat to medium, and add the 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Mix around the water until it becomes a brown liquid, then add the kale in. You are basically using the flavors and leftover bits of onion and garlic in the water as a sauce to cook your kale in.

You can cook the kale for as little or as much as you want. I personally still like it green with a little crunch, so I tend to steam the kale more rather than cook it.

In between cooking the kale, make some time to slice your tomato up to get ready for plating.

Step 4:

By this time, the mushrooms should be done roasting, the sweet potato and quinoa cooked, as is your kale and onion.

Take the mushrooms out of the oven and move to a cutting board to slice up.

Once the mushrooms are sliced, it’s time for the plating!

Use a large dish, bowl or really, whatever you want, and spoon each of the mixtures onto the plate. You can add as little or as much as you want. As a final touch, slice the avocado and add it to the middle of the dish.

And done! Look how beautiful and colorful that looks! And it tastes so good!

You can top the kale with the onion, put it on the side, or on top of the quinoa or mushrooms. Whatever you prefer, as the onions will go with everything!

This also makes a great dish to eat during the week. You can make large batches, keep them in the fridge then take it out and eat for your meals during the week.

Enjoy!