Portobello 3 Ways

Who doesn't love a Portobello mushroom? They are such a versatile food with a meaty full flavored mouth feel. They truly taste like beef when prepared the right way.

Stuffed Italian Portobellos 
4 portobellos scrubbed with stems removed
1 1/4 cups marinara sauce ( I use Barilla when I don't have homemade)
4 cups baby kale (or spinach)
1/2 small red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
1 tbsp soy sauce or gluten free tamari/coconut aminos
1 tbsp olive oil + extra for sautéing
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Arrange mushrooms, gills side up on a baking sheet. Mix together soy sauce, olive oil and vinegar thoroughly and drizzle evenly over mushrooms.
To a hot pan, add a dash of olive oil and garlic, sauté one minute, add kale/spinach and a dash of salt and stir until greens are wilted. Set aside.
Add to the caps place 1/4 of the kale/garlic mixture on each mushroom. Layer on onions, marinara sauce, goat cheese, Parmesan, salt, pepper and oregano evenly.
Put on a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes uncovered, or until the cheese is bubbly and brown.
Serve with a big green salad.
For additional stuffing that goes great with the marinara sauce and kale/spinach combinations: try any of the following in any combination: red or yellow peppers, olives, zucchini, yellow squash, leeks, fennel, carrots, parsnips, sun dried tomatoes, capers or cauliflower.



Portobello Burger with Romesco Sauce
1 large portobello mushroom
2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 garlic clove smashed (I ususally use jarred garlic for this)
Sprinkle each of celery salt, onion salt
Salt and pepper, to taste

Season portobello mushroom and drizzle with olive oil. Grill directly on the grate or on top of tinfoil for about 4-5 minutes on each side. 
 

Spoonful of Romesco
Lettuce
Pickled Onion
1 ounce crumbled blue cheese, gorgonzola, or Roquefort

Romesco Sauce
1/2 cup roasted red pepper
      Char your peppers on the outside, place them in a paper sack to steam, remove skins
1/4 cup whole peeled blanched almonds
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Add everything to a food processor and puree until it's smooth or the consistency you like. Add salt and more pepper flakes to your taste. 

½ pound roasted red peppers
¼ cup blanched whole almonds
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar
¼ – ½ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1. In a small food processor, pulse the peppers, nuts, and garlic until finely chopped. Add the vinegar and puree.
2. Stream in the olive oil and puree until smooth. Season with the salt and red pepper. Give it one more pulse.
- See more at: http://feedmephoebe.com/2012/10/the-simplest-romesco-sauce/#sthash.ZjiyRUNQ.dpuf

Easy Pickled Onions
2 medium red onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Add sliced onions to a medium bowl. Pour enough boiling water over onions so that they are covered. Count to 10 then drain. Add onions to glass jars or a bowl.
Toast cinnamon, cloves and the red pepper flakes in a small saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.
Whisk in vinegar, lime juice, a 1/4 cup of the sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until sugar and salt have dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste for sweetness then add more sugar as needed. Pour brine over onions.

Onion Recipe comes from Inspiredtaste.com 

 
This next recipe comes from allrecipes.com. It's really tasty. 

Portobello Orzo with Walnuts

1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

3 tbsp olive oil/coconut oil

1 small yellow onion chopped

1 clove garlic

1lb portobello or baby crimini mushrooms, sliced

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups uncooked orzo pasta (If gluten free, use a quinoa or brown rice pasta)

Parmesan cheese

Parsley chopped

salt and pepper to taste

In a dry pan, toast your walnuts until they smell nutty. Remove and set aside. Warm 1 tbsp of oil in the pan and saute mushrooms seasoned with salt and pepper. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside with the accumulated juices.  Add onion to pan with remaining oil and saute, add garlic and let it cook until it smells aromatic. Add orzo pasta, coat with oil and onion. Add stock, seasoning with salt and pepper and put a lid on to continue simmering for about 15 minutes. When the broth looks mostly cooked, add in walnuts, mushrooms and sprinkle in fresh shaved Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of parsley. 

½ pound roasted red peppers
¼ cup blanched whole almonds
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar
¼ – ½ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1. In a small food processor, pulse the peppers, nuts, and garlic until finely chopped. Add the vinegar and puree.
2. Stream in the olive oil and puree until smooth. Season with the salt and red pepper. Give it one more pulse.
- See more at: http://feedmephoebe.com/2012/10/the-simplest-romesco-sauce/#sthash.ZjiyRUNQ.dpuf

Something Warm & Tasty

I  made these turnovers a couple of years ago and they were delicious. They are pretty easy to make, but they do have several steps. They are worth the work.

Turkey and Brie Turnovers
1/2 Stick of Butter
3 Shallots, sliced thin
4-6 sprigs of Fresh Thyme
1/4 Cup White Wine OR 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 Cup Chicken Stock
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Pound of Roasted Turkey
        *I got a breast and roasted it with spices, lemons,carrots, onion and celery and then shredded it.
Salt and Pepper
8 Slices of Brie Cheese
1 Package of Puff Pastry – 2 sheets
1 Egg – for the pastry egg wash

Glaze
1 Large Orange  – zested and juice 
Powdered sugar-enough to make a glaze consistency
Salt-just a pinch 

Preheat oven to 350. In a saute pan, add shallot, butter, and thyme. Saute until shallots are softened. Add turkey, chicken stock, cream and lemon juice/white wine. Let it meld together on low while you're preparing your puff pastry. 

Pull out two sheets of puff pastry. You should be able to get 4 squares. You can roll the puff pastry a little thinner if you'd like. I think it works a bit better to do that. In the middle of each square add a heaping scoop of your turkey mixture. Top with a slice of brie cheese and fold over like a triangle. Crimp the triangle and seal it. Brush the tops of the pastry with egg and bake in oven for 25 minutes. 

While the pastry is baking, mix your orange juice, powdered sugar, salt and zest together to make an orange glaze and then set aside. Once the pastry is done let it sit for a few minutes and then add the glaze when you're serving. 



With this next recipe you can use any combination of vegetable you like. I typically look in my crisper drawer and use what's in there. Some great combinations are carrot, zucchini, crook neck, onion and spinach. Carrot, broccoli, cauliflower and peas. Parsnip, celery, kale, onion and broccoli rabe.

Creamy Au Gratin Vegetables

1 large carrot

1/2 large onion
1 parsnip
2 stalks celery
2/3 cup spinach or dino kale
1/2 celery root 
                             Chop all veggies to the similar size. I cut celery stalks in long strips and onions in skinny slices. 

For the basic sauce:
1 can campbells cream of celery soup

1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp paprika  
salt and pepper

Combine sauce mixture over vegetables and pour into your baking dish. Preheat oven to 375o. 

Topping:
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 heaping tablespoon parmesan cheese
12-15 ritz crackers, crushed
1-2 tablespoons melted butter

Combine topping and distribute it across the veggies, cover and bake for 45minutes, then check for tenderness. Place back in uncovered until browned and bubbly on top.

Sweet Easter Favorites

I love the Easter holiday. The food experience has always been much more satisfying than just any other holiday. I don't know why, but it seems more meaningful and much more laid back. It's also a time when you can update your meal or swap out and make some new traditions. 



Strawberry Crumble
1 quart strawberries, halved
1/4 cup honey
For the topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup butter

Heat the oven to 350° F.
Prepare filling: Mix the halved strawberries and the honey in an 8×8 un-greased pan, (or a 9 inch deep pie plate), and set aside.
Prepare topping: Mix all the ingredients with your fingers until crumbly, sprinkle over fruit mixture and bake at 350° for about 35 to 40  minutes, until golden brown and the fruit is bubbling out everywhere.
Serve warm, with a dollop of ice cream, or a little bit of cream.
This recipe can also be swapped out for apples, cherries, blueberries, peaches, pears or any combination of berries. It's such a great blank slate.  

Spring Lamb
2-4 bone racks of lamb, Frenched (which means the bones are cleaned)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dijon or grainy mustard
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush lamb with olive oil. In an oven safe frying pan, brown racks for 3-4 minutes, turning often. Combine all spices and rub on lamb. Place in oven and cook for 7 minutes. Rest 5-10 minutes and slice into individual chops.


 

This next recipe comes from betterrecipesdotcom. It is a really great alternative that brightens up the average side dish.


Asparagus in Lemon Caper Sauce
2 lbs medium asparagus, tough ends trimmed

   The best way to trim your asparagus is to take 1 spear and hold it on each end lightly, slightly bend it and when the asparagus snaps is the place the whole bunch should be trimmed. 

2 tbsp garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup mayonnaise/ you can use yogurt
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp grated fresh lemon zest
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill weed
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 tbsp country-style Dijon mustard
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup capers, drained and patted dry


Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss asparagus spears with garlic oil and arrange, in a single layer, on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast in the center of the oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring once, until lightly browned and tender-crisp. Meanwhile, in a blender, or mini food processor, combine the mayonnaise, shallot, lemon juice, lemon zest, dill, garlic and mustard, then puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a small nonstick skillet, heat 1 TBSP olive oil over medium high heat. Add capers and saute for 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer asparagus to a serving platter, drizzle with aioli, and sprinkle with toasted capers.

Yummy Lemon Bites
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 large egg yolk
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 Tablespoons)
Zest of 1 lemon (about 1-1/2 Tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Topping:
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
In a mixer bowl, blend butter and confectioner’s sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Mix in egg yolk until blended.  Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.  Gradually mix in flour.
In a small bowl, stir together the topping mixture.  Roll dough into1-inch balls and dip tops into topping mixture; place on prepared baking sheet and press down lightly.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.  Makes about 2 dozen cookies.