Cannelli Bean Stuffed Mushrooms

I just love to stuff vegetables. They come in so many cute sizes and shapes and they make for a perfect individual serving. Usually there is some grain in stuffing - commonly breadcrumbs or rice but I have used a few quinoa alternatives as well as grain free stuffing. This dinner uses a white beans as the base of the stuffing which is a protein packed way to get all your nutrients in. I love mixing the beans with fresh herbs and citrus to give it a bigger punch of flavor. This recipe is very simple and easy and can be adapted for other vegetables. I served the mushrooms on a simple salad- they can be made in advance and packed up for a quick meal. 

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Cap 
4 large mushroom caps - gills and stem removed 
1 zucchini - diced
1 yellow pepper - diced 
1/2 onion - diced 
1 c parsley - freshly chopped
1 can canellini beans - strained and rinsed 
1 c feta cheese 
juice of 1 lemon 
2 garlic cloves - diced
salt & pepper
olive oil


1) Coat the mushroom caps with olive oil and season with salt & pepper - place in a hot pan
2) When liquid starts to seep out of the cap remove from the heat 
3) Add oil to pan, heat oil 
4) Saute garlic then add onions and peppers.
5) Once softened add beans and the zucchini 
6) After a few minutes remove from heat and stir in parsley, feta, lemon juice and season with salt & pepper
7) Place mushrooms back into pan and add a spoon full of topping, cover and heat on medium for 5-7 min until cheese is melted and herbs softened
8) Carefully remove from pan with spatula - can be served hot or cold

Valentine's Day Dinner

It was around noon on Monday that I decided that it just wasn't right to have leftover soup on Valentines Day. Even though we weren't planning on going out and instead had plans to go and work out, I didn't want to make dinner so 'normal'. So when I ran to the store and saw the last package of baby lamb chops sitting right in front of me - Perfect! I had been talking to a friend who was making lamb for the first time that night for her fiance and it was right in the front of my mind.

This time I took the extra step of removing the small piece of fatty meat under the chop to make them "Frenched". This step makes it much easier to eat the lamb chop and turns it into just a few choice bites.... A luxurious dinner if there ever was! For this dinner, I applied a rub of sea salt, fresh crushed pepper and rosemary and seared the chops on my grill pan. Only about 15 min from fridge to dinner plate - good food doesn't have to take a long time to make!

5/20/10 - Pork Pizzaiola with a Portabello mushroom cap

While supermarket produce has really improved, the time and transportation needed to get it from the farms to our stores prevents truly ripe products from being picked in most cases (because they are too easily bruised/ rot). When we buy from the farmers market, you are usually guaranteed a very fresh and ripe product that is just bursting with flavor. I never really considered mushrooms something that was very flavorful but once I tried these giant portobello caps from Bulich Mushrooms at the Greenmarket I was surprised! Mushrooms can have a taste! This dinner was quick and made good use of some left over pasta sauce that I had defrosted for some raviolis earlier in the week.

Pork Pizzaiola topped with mushroom cap
2 boneless pork tenderloins - sliced
1/2 onion- diced
1/2 green bell pepper - diced
2 cloves of garlic - smashed and diced
1 tbsp oil
2 c pasta sauce
2 tbsp fresh basil - chopped
4 tbsp grated cheese

4 portobello mushroom caps
1 tsp olive oil

1)  In a large pan, heat the oil and add the crushed garlic
2) Add the sliced pork, and saute until browned
3) Add the peppers and onions, combine and let soften
4) Stir in the pasta sauce to coat - cover and allow to simmer for 5 min
5) On a heated grill pan, place mushrooms coated in olive oil (cap side up)
6) Once they are softened removed and plate one mushroom with each serving
7) Top with basil and cheese

4/12/10 - Marsala Mushroom topped Risotto with Scallops

Lately, I have been a little lazy. While there are many grocery stores nearby, I have put off visiting them and instead decided to live only on take out. Its funny because I am never really satisfied with takeout and usually end up feeling ripped off when I take the food quality vs the price into consideration. Yet, every so often I find myself flipping through the usual menus and asking "Do you want Chinese, Sushi, Mexican....?"  Its times like these where something like FreshDirect probably would make a lot of sense for me since its not that I don't want to cook, its just that I don't feel like dealing with the store.  I have gone as far as checking out the circular and even making a list but that last step....oh well, maybe tomorrow! 

This dinner was made from the last of my fresh veggies (mushrooms) and some scallops I had frozen from a sale a few weeks back. The risotto is a pantry staple dressed up with cheese (Parmesan) and herbs which are also ever present in my fridge. (And hopefully soon my window sill garden - this time there are actual leaves!)

4/7/10 - Mediterranean Stir-Fry

This isn't your traditional Asian stir-fry but its just as easy....and the assembly is very similar - just make sure to cut veggies the same size! I served the stir-fry on a bed of cooked broccoli rabe instead of a more traditional rice or pasta because I had a big chicken club sub today and felt the need to be a bit healthy! This meal was made with chicken however you can easily substitute the chicken for some beans (I would say canellini beans would be best) to make a vegetarian version.

3/12/10 - Flexetarian stuffed portabello mushroom caps.....with or without chicken sausage

Last week when I was in the store I saw some beautiful portobello mushroom caps. They were HUGE! and I just couldn't resist especially since my vegetarian friend's boyfriend hates mushrooms... I figured we could have a secret girls only mushroom feast!  In the end the boyfriends joined us and I made three variations of a meal with similar ingredients but customized for each of us. She got a vegetarian version - her stuffing was just peppers, shallots, breadcrumbs, pine-nuts and butter. Jeremy and I added some chicken sausage crumbles to the mix and Stephen skipped the mushroom all together and went with whole sausages for the base. (this picture is of mine....so its sausage stuffing...though it looked the same as a veggie version)

This recipe included some new Bertolli Arrabbiata sauce that I received as part of the Food Buzz Feature Publisher Tastemaker program. While I love to make my own sauce I really like the Bertolli products and try to keep some on hand since I usually make a meat sauce and my vegetarian friends don't like that!  (Though a few have debated it though after smelling it simmering for a whole Sunday afternoon)

3/1/10 - Chicken, Spinach and Mushroom melt

I was really lucky growing up my mom always made all of our dinners every night and we sat down to a big meal at 5pm on the dot. When I was young and over friend's houses for dinner I would always be a little confused by the kids getting chicken fingers or a sandwich for "dinner". I had no idea that not everyone had a big multi-course meal each night!

Somehow in my little head I would be jealous of the friends who ended up with what I consider American food. Why can't we have green beans with the onion ring stuff? This recipe is my sort of twist on the classic Campbell's cream of mushroom soup with chicken casserole.