Some of the best dishes just simply come together with no thought or planning. That’s how this zesty, light dinner came together for me recently.
My husband was on his way home from work and he called to ask “What’s for dinner?!” I was pretty sure he had already eaten that day. I mean, doesn’t he eat lunch at work and have snacks in the break room to tide him over until the next day? I just spent two hours in the kitchen making dinner for our kids AND THEN cleaning up the food-bomb that exploded complete with overturned plates and food stuck to the wall and kitchen blinds at the hands of our unappreciative little eaters. NOW he wants me to have a hot meal on the table for him too? Should I be in heels and have perfect hair as well?! The nerve…
Those were all of my internal thoughts, of course. I quickly told him I had an amazing, Michelin star meal awaiting him and then… frantically went to work.
I had cooked up some quinoa pasta for the kids and had a nice portion left over. (Quinoa pasta is a gluten free pasta with no additives or preservatives. I love it for it’s flavor and how easily it digests.) I immediately thought I could make him a little stir fry with a few veggies and… I’d figure out what else!
I relied on my go-to seasoning; lemon and olive oil, to drive the flavor, then scoured the fridge and pantry for a few more ingredients to bring it home.
I had just bought some leeks, so I thought they would be good to use. I also had some shiitake mushrooms I thought would be great to bake and give it some crunch. I also had some new olives which gave me the idea to go for a more Mediterranean-style meal, and some pine nuts that could give it some texture.
I absolutely love cooking with leeks. You just cut off the green stalks and then slice up the bulbs for a nice, mild onion flavor. Not only are leeks great tasting but in health!
- Vitamin A, K, C, iron and magnesium
(I used them in ONE recipe, then created three different dishes out of it. Check them out! Raw Carrot & Leek Salad, Marinated Veggie Burrito, Avocado & Leek Toast)
For this dish I heated up some olive oil in a pan. I sautéed the leeks for a few minutes, then threw in the pine nuts. I tossed in the cooked pasta along with the olives and sautéed everything together for a few minutes.
Lastly, I drizzled some fresh lemon juice on top and a little olive oil over the top and THAT was it.
For the mushroom topping, aka “mushroom bacon,” I just sliced up some shiitake mushrooms, coated them with a little seasoning and popped them into the oven.
It’s amazing how mushrooms can turn into a crispy and flavorful food like vegan bacon. A lot of people who don’t eat meat will use mushrooms as the “meat” of their meal. This method is a fantastic way to cook mushrooms. You can dress them up in so many ways too and change up the flavor: cayenne pepper for a kick, maple syrup for maple bacon, sea salt and pepper, the possibilities are endless.
Once the mushroom bacon cooled, all I had to do was top the stir fry and dinner… was… served!
My husband thought it was so good, he was convinced it had butter in it. The flavors were so rich together, it was hard to believe that this dish didn’t take more time.
The lemon gives it a freshness, while the toasted pine nuts give off a buttery flavor. Then when you tack on the salt of the olives and the hint of paprika in the mushrooms… it is one incredibly rich and flavorful meal.
Here’s what you’ll need for this Mediterranean Pasta dish:
Ingredients:
1 pkg quinoa pasta (this brand is 16 oz.)
1 to 2 leeks (sliced, 2 cups)
1/2 c. sliced olives
1/2 c. pine nuts
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (2 Tbsp for pan, or coconut oil, 2 Tbsp for dressing)
the juice of 1 whole lemon
1/8th tsp pink himalayan salt (or to taste)
1 & 1/2 c. mushrooms
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1/8th tsp pink himalayan sea salt (season to taste)
Directions:
- Cook quinoa pasta according to instructions and set aside.
- Wipe the tops of the mushrooms with a paper towel or cloth and clean, slice mushrooms (thin or thick), place mushrooms in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, add paprika and sea salt until mushrooms are evenly coated. Place onto baking sheet, bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until desired crispness. Set aside and let cool. (You can cook for 10 minutes, flip mushrooms and cook another 10 minutes.)
- Cut the green stalk off of the leek, up to the white part, leave bulb attached and wash leek under cold water. Wash each leaf individually by pulling the leaf away from the bulb until you have cleaned all the leaves. Slice leek in half, vertically, then slice horizontally into small pieces.
- Slice olives into thin slices, set aside.
- In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil OR coconut oil. Once melted add in leeks, sauté for a few minutes (until they soften), add in pine nuts sauté another two minutes, then add in pasta and sliced olives and sauté for a few more minutes.
- Remove pan from heat, drizzle a little olive oil over the top and juice one lemon over the top.
- Place pasta into a bowl, add cooked mushroom bacon and serve warm.
Yields 2-4 servings
*NOTES*
*May need to use TWO leeks instead of one, depending on size. You want up to 2 cups of leeks.
*You can use portobello mushrooms, any size, the larger the mushroom, the larger the mushroom bacon. Mushrooms will shrink up in the oven and since these were small the cooking time was less. Larger mushrooms will need to cook a little longer, 15-20 on one side, 15-20 on the other side.
*Season finished product to taste. May want more lemon or sea salt.
