Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Have you ever wanted to make a dish that appears so fancy, yet is actually quite simple? I occasionally like to try out a complicated dish just so I can improve my skills in the kitchen, but this is not that dish. This dish is easy. So incredibly easy. 

I had found this recipe last November while looking for Thanksgiving meal sides to make. I had printed the recipe out, stuck it in our horribly disorganized recipe binder, and nearly threw it out a week ago while telling Brit that I didn't think we would ever make it. I'm so glad she convinced me on the spot that not only would we make it at some point, but that we would be making it the following week.

Harvest-stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

(originally posted on The New York Times' 2010 Vegetarian Thanksgiving website)

serves 6 (we made 4)

1 onion, diced small

1 cup cashews

2 tbsp olive oil (plus more for brushing)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 can lentils, drained and rinsed (this was actually an ordeal for me... let's not talk about it)

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 tsp dried basil

1 tbsp thyme

6 portabello mushrooms, stems and gills removed (we used 4)

1 tomato, sliced thin (i'd now recommend 2 after making this dish)

salt

black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a skillet, saute the onion and cashews in the olive oil over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Once the onions are soft and brown add in the garlic and cook a few more minutes.

Combine the onion mixture with the rice, breadcrumbs, broth, basil, and thyme. Mix well and season again with salt and pepper to taste.

Brush both sides of the mushroom with a little olive oil and place top side down on a non-stick sprayed baking sheet. Use at least 1/2 cup of the stuffing to fill the mushroom cap. Layer a tomato slice on top and bake for 30 minutes until the mushroom is browned and releasing some juices.

YUM!

After making this dish, Brit suggests (and I highly agree) that at least two slices of tomato should be placed on top of the mushroom and stuffing mix. Also, place a slice of cheese on top of the tomato/stuffing/portabello goodness. DOUBLE YUM!

Roast Asparagus and Caramelized Mushroom Quesadillas with Goat Cheese

Last month we made a fantastic caramelized mushroom and asparagus quesadilla with goat cheese chevre. There are a lot of components to it, so it's not th easiest dish in the world, but it doesn't take all that long and the flavors are totally worth it. Sadly I do not have a picture, but I'm sure we'll make this one again in the near future.

I was a little zealous with the chipotle powder, which Brit's roommate Brooks definitely noticed (and appreciated!). Make sure the asparagus is really tender so you aren't biting into hard pieces in the asparagus. The best part of this dish is easily the goat cheese. I tried my best to cut the cheese into small pieces which were then randomly scattered around the quesadilla. The gooey, delicious surprise when one would bite into the goat cheese was the best part of this meal.

Greek Green Beans with Sausage in Tomato Sauce

I follow the Closet Cooking blog and frequently find recipes that look interesting and fun. This recipe photo caught my eye, the ingredients all looked delicious, and the instructions were very simple. Making the dish takes at least an hour, but it's well worth it.

Greek Green Beans with Chicken Sausage in Tomato Sauce
(adapted from Closet Cooking's Fasolakia recipe)

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped (double the original recipe)
2 large pinches red pepper flake
1/2 package TJs andouille chicken sausage, diced (our own modification)

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into bit sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Salt
Pepper
1 handful parsley, chopped
1 handful dill, chopped
1/2 cup feta, crumbled

Saute the onions in the olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute. Normally, you should add the red pepper flakes with the garlic, but I forgot to do so and added them later. Turn the heat down to medium-low and throw in the chicken sausage. Cook a few more minutes.

Mix in the diced tomatoes, green beans, oregon, the red pepper flakes previously forgotten, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the heat until the dish is simmering in the diced tomatoes juice and cook for 40 minutes or until the green beans are tender.

Remove from heat, mix in the dill and parsely, and serve garnished with feta cheese.

We served our dish over cous cous, which worked really well as the grain soaked up a lot of the liquid from the tomatoes. The dill gave a really great flavor to the dish and both the large portion of red pepper flakes and andouille sausage give it a nice heat.

Shrimp & Grits

Another gem from September's issue of Bon Appetit. Anyone who knows me knows that a) I love shrimp, b) I love grits and c) I'm from the South (I guess you could probably tell that after reading "b)"). What better way to showcase them both than by putting them together? It's magical - and it's one of the most deliciously satisfying meals in the history of food. Seriously.

Shrimp & Grits
(Loosely adapted from September 2011's Bon Appetit)

1 cup yellow grits (not instant)
1 cup grated sharp white cheddar 
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 jalapeno, seeded & diced
1/4 cup fat free half & half (yes, it does exist and it's yummy)

2 links TJ's andouille chicken sausage, cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
4 or 5 garlic cloves ('cause who's counting?), diced
1 tbsp butter
16 large shrimp (about 1 lb), peeled and deveined
1/4 cup(ish) of beer
1/4 cup low-salt chicken stock


Bring 4 cups water to a simmer in a large sauce pan. Gradually whisk in grits. Turn heat to low; gently simmer until grits begin to thicken, whisking occasionally to loosen the grits on the bottom of the pot. Continue cooking until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in cheese, butter and jalapeno, then half & half. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add oil, then add sausage when oil starts to shimmer. Saute until browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and 1 tbsp butter; stir until butter melts. Saute garlic for 2 minutes, then add shrimp and continue to saute for 30 seconds to a minute. Add beer, then chicken stock. Simmer until shrimp is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Heap 2 (or 3 or 4) generous ladles full of grits into each bowl, then top with lots of shrimp and sauce. I can't really call the sauce "gravy" since it is so runny, but the flavor is excellent. Next time we make this recipe, I'm going to turn up the heat and add flour to the butter/garlic/sausage mixture to thicken it into a roux before I add the shrimp, beer and chicken stock. We'll see how that turns out.

Roast Chicken with Tunisian Potato Turnovers and Curried Lentil Soup

We had some friends over for dinner last night. One of my go-to dinner party entrees (okay, who am I kidding, it's one of my most frequently prepared entrees) is roast chicken. Unless you're a vegetarian, it's bound to be satisfying in the most innocuous way, and it's a great complement to almost any type of cuisine - Italian, Mexican, Indian, or in this case, Tunisian(ish). I prepared some potato turnovers and Mike made one of our other favorites - curried lentil soup - as sides.

Tunisian Potato Turnovers
(from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites)

2 cups of potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups of sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 garlic cloves (or 5, or 6)
3 tbsp of plain nonfat yogurt
2 tsp ground caraway seed
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne
salt to taste
3 tbsp scallions, chopped
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 package Fillo dough
3-5 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the potatoes, sweet potatoes and garlic in water to cover until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and thoroughly mash them by hand with the yogurt, scallions, caraway, coriander, cumin, cayenne, lemon juice and salt until very smooth. Add more salt to taste.

Prepare a baking sheet with a light coating of cooking spray. Set aside near your work area.

Place the filling, filo, oil, a pastry brush and a clean damp towel on the counter top within easy reach. Unfold the stack of filo and in one smooth motion, remove a sheet and place it flat on the counter top with one of the short sides nearest you. Brush it lightly with olive oil. Working quickly, add a second and then a third sheet, oiling each lightly. Cover the remaining stack of filo with the damp towel as you work to prevent it from drying out and becoming brittle.

Cut lengthwise through the three oiled sheets to make three strips. Place two rounded tablespoons of filling on each strip, one near the bottom and one about a third of the way up. With a table knife or the back of a spoon, spread the filling to thinly cover the bottom half of each strip. Fold the lower left corner up and over diagonally so that the bottom edge is aligned with the right side. Fold straight up and then to the left. Continue to fold as you would a flag to make a small triangular pastry. Place each triangle on the baking sheet.

Repeat three more times until all of the filo and filling has been used and you have 16 turnovers. Brush the tops with any remaining oil.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and golden. Serve immediately.

Jeremy and Kendra both seemed to enjoy the meal and did mildly rave about the lentil soup. After dinner we started watching Gone With the Wind, but only made it through the first act. We'll be heading over to their place later this week to let them cater us a meal and to finish the epic movie.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

My last attempt at making meatballs went so well, I just had to do it again. I did not try using any sriracha this time as it wasn't distinguishable in the last attempt and I added half of our chopped mushrooms to the meat mixture and sauteed the other half with the onions, garlic and carrots.

Brit sauteed some zucchini and squash until they were soft and we added them on top of the entire dish with the Parmesan cheese garnish. As usual, it was delicious and we kept eating it for several leftover lunches.

Baked Tilapia with Roasted Tomatoes and Basil

The last two issues of Bon Appetit have been chock full of celebrity cameos and largely devoid of appealing recipes. A harsh statement, I know, but for some reason it just felt like I was reading Marie Claire with chefs. So, needless to say, we were very excited when this month's Bon Appetit had not one, but several great recipes for us to try. The first is this delicious baked fish dish - boy is it a hit.

Baked Tilapia with Tomatoes & Basil
(adapted from the September 2011 issue of Bon Appetit)

1 lb. ripe tomatoes, quartered
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
handful of basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
4 6 to 8 oz boneless tilapia fillets (the original recipe calls for flounder, but TJ's has a limited frozen fish section)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss first 5 ingredients in a large baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Spread out in an even layer.

Bake tomato mixture for 8 to 10 minutes. Season fish with salt and pepper. Arrange fish in a single layer over tomato mixture. Roast fish with tomato mixture until a knife is easily inserted in the center, about 10 minutes.

We served this dish with rice and a veggie side. The tomato mixture and the drippings were delectable, and this was such a quick and easy dish to make!