Hello my name is Sydnee and I'm a vegetarian.

Do you know what happens to vegetarians that move to the south? I do. They stamp our chest's with a scarlet V and toss us into the not normal pile. I have committed an offense and am just learning how serious it is. I have been told by church-goers, scriptures in hand, that the Lord wants us to eat meat. Oh dear, this is serious.

You want a taste of my crime? This one's pretty good.

Quinoa with Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms

Serves 6
Mushrooms roasted in a simple oil-free pear balsamic dressing are delicious tossed with quinoa, spinach, green onions and almonds. Serve this dish warm, room temperature or cold, as a side dish or the main event.

Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 small pear, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

1 garlic clove, halved

2 pounds portobello mushrooms, stemmed and gills scraped out

1 cup red or white quinoa

3 cups tightly packed spinach, chopped

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method
Preheat oven to 475°F. Put vinegar, mustard, pear and garlic in a blender with 1/3 cup water and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Cut mushrooms into chunks and combine in a large mixing bowl with 1/4 cup of the pear balsamic dressing. Spread mushrooms in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast mushrooms until tender, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

While mushrooms roast, prepare quinoa. In a medium pot, bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil. Stir in quinoa, cover pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat and set aside, covered, 10 minutes more. Uncover and fluff quinoa with a fork.

Combine mushrooms, quinoa, spinach, green onions, almonds, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup more pear balsamic dressing in a large, wide serving bowl. Stir to mix well. Serve with remaining dressing on the side.

Thanks is given to WholeFoods for this recipe.