55 minutes + overnight
DURATION
40 minutes
COOK TIME
15 minutes
PREP TIME
4
SERVINGS
Ingredients
- 1 cup white quinoa
- 1 tablespoon yogurt, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt, or more to taste
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 small zucchini or yellow crookneck squash, diced
- 1/2 bunch kale or collard greens, destemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 pound chicken of the woods mushrooms, sliced into thin 1/2-inch-long strips
- 2 cups chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste, or a Cajun seasoning blend (optional)
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
Directions
- The night before cooking, rinse quinoa well and soak overnight in water with yogurt, vinegar, or lemon juice. The following morning, drain and rinse quinoa and set aside.
- Over medium heat in a 8-to-10-inch skillet with lid, heat olive oil. Place half of onion in oil and wait for it to sizzle. Add remaining onion and continue to sauté until lightly golden. Add minced garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. Sprinkle lightly with table salt.
- Add carrot and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add squash and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add kale or collard greens, toss to coat with oil, and mix with other vegetables. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add butter and stir until melted, then add mushrooms and sauté until they begin to soften.
- Stir in quinoa. Add chicken stock, making sure quinoa is submerged. Salt and pepper to taste, or add Cajun seasoning, and stir well.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover skillet with its lid and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid and is tender but still a little chewy. Don’t stir after you’ve added the broth.
- To serve, top with sprinkle of green onions and parsley.
Laura Pole developed this recipe to pair with her nephew’s version of Grilled Venison Tenderloin Cutlets. Don’t use the base of the foraged mushrooms if it’s hard and woody.
Chicken of the Woods Recipes and Foraging
Bruce Ingram is a freelance writer and photographer and the author of 10 books, including Living the Locavore Lifestyle, a book on living off the land. Get in touch with him at BruceIngramOutdoors@Gmail.com.
Originally published as part of “Chasing Chicken of the Woods” in the July/August 2023 issue of Grit magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
