Vegan Paella with Mushrooms, Artichokes, and Quinoa
This vegan paella, brimming with mushrooms, artichokes, and quinoa, is a vegan version of the popular Spanish Mediterranean seafood dish. Made plant-based by replacing rice and fish with mushrooms, artichokes, and super healthy quinoa infused with saffron, providing a powerful protein punch! Serve hot or cold!
Heat the oil, saute the scallions and garlic until fragrant and soft.Add in the artichokes, mushrooms, and other veggies and stir for a few minutes to heat the veggies and allow for slight browning on edges. Don’t over cook.
Make Quinoa
Turn pan off, let the veggies rest uncovered, and prepare quinoa. Set 2 cups of vegetable broth and saffron threads to boil. Rinse 1 cup of quinoa in a sieve for a minute to clear away bitter coating, add to the pot, turn down to simmer and simmer about 5 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and you see curly tails on the quinoa kernels.Be careful not to burn.
Combine and Brown
Transfer the cook quinoa to a serving pan or a paella pan, and fold in veggies carefully. Stir in a bit more vegetable broth if it seems dry. It should be sticky, so if you were to grab a handful and squeeze, it would stick together. (but don't do that, haha)Transfer quinoa to a serving pan, and fold in veggies carefully, and then toss in parsley, peas and paprika for color. Put the pan back on the stove, on simmer to the bottom a bit to create a flavorful crust on the bottom but don't burn it. I used a plain nonstick skillet but you can use a paella pan made for this - I linked to in above.Scoop and serve warm!