Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms for the Whole Family! Meatless and Painless.

I grew up eating mushrooms. My folks enjoyed them a variety of ways including fried, fresh sliced on salads and in my Dad's famous beef stroganoff.  With their meaty flavor they were always a way to stretch our meat budget and add flavor to a dish.

Now, as a mom, I add mushrooms to even more of our favorite foods. My lip-smacking, kid-pleasing marinara sauce is full of diced mushrooms, I love adding them to my home fries, they are the center-piece of my holiday stuffed mushroom appetizers and they have even made their way regularly into our meatless Monday meals.

For me mushrooms are a healthy way to cut down on our meat consumption. With grocery bills rising and our family expanding with a new baby, I need to get creative about the healthy alternatives I feed my family. No, we aren't vegetarians, but some days we eat like them. Even my kids get into the act and I have several dishes that I make with them in mind. One I want to share today is our Stuffed Portabella Caps with Leek and White Button Mushroom Filling. I promise, these are so easy to put together and the sweet leeks go so well with the hearty mushrooms.

This recipe was created specifically for my 5-year old son who just a year ago was a picky eater. Today he loves both leeks and eggplant. I don't blame him! When sauteed with butter, a little salt and garlic, they have such a mild and sweet flavor together. Their creamy texture lends itself well to a filling. I just added in some button mushrooms, celery, stock and bread crumbs to round it out.

Saute till tender and then simmer for a minute or two in the stock. Adding the bread crumbs will create a thicker 'paste' that spoons well into the mushroom caps.

Bake this for 20 - 25 minutes until the cap is softened and the top begins to brown. This large Portabella will be enough to share between us, cut into wedges, but these would also make a nice main entree for a larger eater.

Why do I love mushrooms? Here are some surprising facts:

• Always in season
• A Natural source of vitamins D and B
• Rich in antioxidants to boost your immune system
• Texture and umami quality allows them to be a perfect substitute for meat, or as a filler
• Naturally fat-free
• Low in calories - Just 20 calories per cup!

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

You Will Need: 

• 2 large Portabella mushroom caps
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 c. eggplant diced
• 2 white button mushrooms, diced
• 1 leek, sliced thin and cleaned
• 1 celery stalk, diced thin
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. vegetable stock
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs (I used Tapioca bread crumbs, but any will do)
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil

Start by cleaning your Portabella mushrooms with a dry paper towel. Gently knock off any dirt or debris. Remove the stem, chop and reserve. With a spoon gently scrape out the gills inside the caps. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a saute pan, heat the butter and soften the eggplant, button mushrooms, reserved mushroom stems, leeks, celery and garlic over medium-low heat. When soft add the stock and simmer for a minute or two. Taste and salt and pepper as necessary.

Take off the heat and add the bread crumbs till it makes a moist paste. Put mushrooms caps into a baking dish lined with parchment paper and fill the caps with the filling mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cap is softened and the filling is golden brown.

Enjoy!

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So if that wet your appetite for mushrooms you should check out The Mushroom Council and the Mushroom Channel. The council is composed of fresh market mushroom producers and importers who want to let the secret out of how good mushrooms are for us! The Mushroom Channel is set up to get the word out about these humble mushrooms with delicious recipes, blog, nutritional info and, of course, interact with all the folks enjoying their mushrooms. There are so many ways to connect with them and you can find them on Facebook, Twitter and behind all those tantalizing pins on Pinterest.

Now you should have all the motivation you need to make some meal swaps yourself and fully enjoy the versatility mushrooms have to offer.

Come join the TWITTER PARTY! 
Wednesday, March 20^th 8-9 PM EST you will have a chance to talk about mushrooms and why you love them.  Use the #MushroomDish hashtag during the party. The RSVP link will go out as soon as it is available  It will be a great time with tasty talk and the full dish on getting the most out of mushrooms. I hope to see you there!

Question: Does your family have a favorite mushroom recipe? How do you use them most often?


*Disclaimer - This is a partnered post with The Mushroom Council and Global Influence. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Are You Saag Savvy? A Simple Recipe Big On Flavor

I come from a small community and didn't try Indian food until I was in college. My best and worst experiences actually came from living abroad in Japan.

Yeah, I know... authentic Indian cuisine in Japan??!!

Much as my small town in the US is dotted with Mexican restaurants filled with family recipes, Japan has a large Indian population scattered throughout the islands. Many foreign workers travel to Japan for construction work or technical training. When I taught English on the island of Shikoku I became very familiar with all the best Indian restaurants there and, as fellow foreigners, got to know the people cooking and running them. From watching the wood fire ovens bake fresh naan to experiencing a whole new range of spices and flavors, I was hooked. Now, back home in Oregon I haven't found a good substitute for those favorites.

One thing I really fell in love with was Saag. What is it? Well, Saag is a leaf-based dish that uses spinach or mustard greens, etc. and is often served along with naan, roti or rice. My top ways to enjoy it are with chicken, tofu or paneer cheese simmered in. Yes, it is bright green, and yes it is healthy... but it has a mild sweet flavor with wide appeal.

I usually use spinach in my recipe for simplicity, but have also thrown in kale or chard with great results. This recipe only takes 8 ingredients, under 30 minutes and you can sub in your own protein. So, let's get started, shall we?

Seems like all my favorite recipes start out like this... a little olive oil and sweating down some yellow onions.

Wilt in your leaves, or warm up frozen spinach. I have used both with great success.

Add in the coconut milk, stock and spices. The cinnamon and cumin are an amazing blend that goes so well with the onions and greens.

After a nice simmer, the mixture is ready to puree in the blender. It can be as chunky or smooth as you like, but the deep green color is so earthy.

I would brown any meat separately and then add to the sauce to simmer and let the flavors really meld. I like sliced firm tofu or paneer cheese the best.

Serve it over the starch or base of your choice. Brown Jasmine rice is my husband's favorite, but it is also pretty yummy on a simple baked potato.

Saag with Tofu

You Will Need:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed or 1 lb of fresh greens
• 1 c. chicken stock + more to achieve desired consistency
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 package extra firm tofu
• salt & pepper to taste
• Grain or base of your choice. I enjoy brown rice, brown jasmine rice, quinoa, naan baked potato, etc.

Directions:

1. Saute the onion in olive oil till translucent and soft. Add in the chicken stock and spinach over medium heat. Allow thawed spinach to warm through or fresh greens to wilt.
2. Add in the coconut milk, cumin and cinnamon and simmer for 7 minutes.
3. Transfer to a blender and puree to desired consistency.
4. Put the mixture back into a saucepan, add in cubed tofu (or chicken, paneer cheese, etc.) and bring back to a simmer for about 8 minutes. Stir gently so the tofu doesn't break. Season to taste.
5. Serve over rice or alongside naan. Enjoy!