Lavishly Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

This tasty wonder can be an excellent meal when stuffed inside a giant portabella cap, or an intriguing and delicious hors d'oeuvres when stuffed in baby bellas.  It is also very versatile -- you can substitute different types of cheeses, nuts, and vegetables, and either serve it as is, or over quinoa, pasta, or rice.

Giant Portabella caps or Baby Bellas

Chopped Spinach

Minced onion

Minced garlic

Chopped walnuts (or pinenuts)

Crumbled feta cheese (or goat cheese)

Grated pecorino Romano Cheese (or Parmesan cheese)

Chopped Basil and/or other herbs

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt

Ground Black Pepper

(optional additions:

Chopped Red Peppers

Chopped Kalamata Olives

Whatever else inspires you...)

Simply saute the onions, garlic, veggies, and herbs over low-medium heat.  Add the chopped spinach in additions until it has all cooked down (use a lot, Spinach shrinks!). Then, pour the hot mixture into a bowl, and mix in a little olive oil and the feta or goat cheese.  Use enough of it to create a creamy texture.  If you're using feta, a splash of heavy cream will help, goat cheese is creamy enough.  Add the salt, black pepper, and chopped nuts.  

Remove the stems and clean the mushrooms.  Then arrange them facing upward on a baking pan.  Pour a tiny bit of Balsamic vinegar into each Baby Bella cap, or a healthy drizzle into the giant caps.  Spoon the spinach cheesy mixture into the caps, sprinkle with grated Pecorino Romano, and bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until slightly browned on top. 

Bon Appetit!

Midnight Snack =)

Cheesy goodness, yum. This was a simple improvisation that ended up a delicious snack for my roommates and me.  Simply dice up a few cloves of garlic with a couple thin slices of onion and a few large basil leaves, but super dice it really fine!  If you have a food processor, you could even use that to make a garlic-basil-onion paste.   Slice some bread, I picked up a loaf of seven grain bread from Trader Joe's that had a slight sourdough taste to it, but whatever you have will work.  Then, arrange the bread slices on a baking pan, drizzle a little olive oil over each slice, and spread the onion paste on each slice.  Grate some cheddar cheese, or whatever cheese, and sprinkle it on top.  Broil at about 450 degrees for about 5-10 minutes, depending on your oven and how crunchy or soft you want the cheesy bread.  Bon Appetit! Happy snacking ;)

Mega Mushroom Salad with Balsamic Glaze

Sauteed Portabella mushrooms, onions, and Kalamata olives cooked in a sweet basalmic glaze atop a bed of warm spinach, sprinkled with feta cheese and oregano.  I created this today for lunch, combining ingredients that I had on hand so I wouldn't have to go shopping.  Some of the best meals happen this way!  

Serves two, or one with leftovers

Ingredients:

Olive oil
One red onion
Two cloves of fresh garlic
Two large Portabella mushroom caps
1/4 cup of pitted Kalamata olives.
Enough baby spinach for two big bowl-fulls
Red Balsamic Vinegar (a good quality one makes all the difference, aka, sweet, not sour)
Salt
Pepper
Feta cheese
Dried Oregano

Start by heating 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-low in a pan.

Mince two garlic cloves and chop a medium sized red onion into large-ish (approximately one-inch) pieces.  Add the onions and garlic to the heated pan, and simmer until beginning to brown and/or turn translucent, stirring occasionally (about ten minutes).

Slice the portabella caps into long pieces about 1/3 inch thick, and add them to the pan.  Turn the heat down to low.  Add a sprinkle freshly ground sea salt, and let the mushrooms and the onions hang out for a little while, stirring gently so as not to break the mushroom slices.

When the mushrooms start to release their retained water (in about ten minutes) add some balsamic vinegar.  Give it a healthy pour (about 1/4 cup).  Keeping the heat low, continue to let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally, for about ten more minutes.

The liquid should start to turn into a sticky, sweet glaze.  Add about 1/3 cup of chopped Kalamata olives and some freshly ground black pepper, then let it cook a few more minutes.   Ta dahh!

Now, take this mushroom glaze mixture and put it in a container to put aside for a moment.  Keeping the same balsamic-y pan, still on low, add a teaspoon of olive oil, and a salad-bowl-full of baby spinach.  Stir the spinach around, trying to coat it in olive oil and warm it just a bit (don't let it start to cook and get wilty).   Put the lettuce in your salad-bowl, drizzle a little extra balsamic if desired, and then top with half the mushroom mixture. Sprinkle some feta cheese and oregano, and enjoy!  Make some more spinach for a friend to enjoy with you, or save that mushroom stuff for another salad or experimental concoction later.  =)