Five-Layer Healthy Dinner

What a silly statement! As if I would knowingly, deliberately feed you something unhealthy? No, Beautiful People, these statements are screaming at you from almost every packaged product nowadays. Before I get to my – hopefully! – healthy recipe, I’d like to introduce you to a great blogger. Please meet Anna and read her very well researched article for a look behind the labels. Then come back for another funky, yet delicious recipe. Here is Anna: https://comeinsitdown.wordpress.com/2016/10/13/enticing-food-labels-part-1/.

Are you back and ready? Is the weather getting cooler where you are? Have you started wearing layers of clothing yet? Well, since there is no reason to layer clothing in tropics, I decided to layer food. But seriously, I looked at the pros and cons: on the plus side, I had a sizable amount of cooked quinoa, almost two cups of pre-cooked black beans, and two huge meaty portobello mushrooms. On the minus side was total lack of time – time was already running in the minus. This is what I did.

Layer 1. I started by making a quinoa base .

Layer 2. I spread black beans on top of quinoa. Remember, all this stuff is already pre-cooked!

Seasoning time: I spread roughly torn cilantro sprigs and sprinkled it with cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.

Meanwhile, it took only a couple of minutes to slice the mushrooms and throw them on the grill. By the time I finished seasoning, mushrooms were ready.

Layer 3. Mushrooms. Now, this is something you can really sink your teeth in – meaty and juicy. While you are arranging mushrooms on top of the seasoning, it takes another couple of minutes to get the next layer ready.

Cut grape tomatoes and garlic cloves lengthwise and sear them on a lightly sprayed with oil frying pan. By the time you finished arranging mushrooms, these little guys should be ready.

Layer 4. Arrange seared tomato and garlic halves on top of mushrooms. Cover and put in the oven for a few minutes. Wait a minute, where is Layer 5? Listen, don’t you put on your coat at the door, when you are ready to leave the house? Layer 5 is waiting until you are ready to serve.

Layer 5. Just a bunch of fluffy fresh sprouts topping this delicious, nutritious, multi-textured, flavorful, and HEALTHY meal as it comes out of the oven. I looked at it, and I liked what I saw. I tasted it, and I liked it even more. This is definitely one to be served in a Sukkah on a moment’s notice!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups cooked quinoa (2 cups uncooked)
• 2 cups cooked black beans (1 cup uncooked)
• 2 large portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
• 4 – 5 large garlic cloves
• Large handful of roughly torn fresh cilantro
• A pinch of cumin
• A pinch of cinnamon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh sprouts to top

PROCEDURE

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Spread quinoa evenly on the bottom of baking dish. Spread black beans on top of quinoa.
• Spread cilantro sprigs on top of black beans. Sprinkle with cumin and cinnamon, season with salt and pepper.
• Slice portobello mushrooms 1/2 inch (about 1 cm) thick, grill or sear until barely softened. Arrange mushrooms on top of seasoning.
• Slice tomatoes and garlic cloves lengthwise, sear on a lightly sprayed with oil pan. Arrange on top of mushrooms. Cover, bake for a few minutes until ready to serve.
• Arrange sprouts on top before serving.

Enjoy!