How about you and your loved ones…do you have a meatless meal in your menu plan regularly?  Some folks term it ‘Meatless Monday’ and enjoy a meal typically on Monday 😉 that has a different source of protein.  We eat at least one supper each week that does not include meat…and this past week it was these healthy but oh-so-yummy stuffed portobello caps.  These included two proteins— quinoa and a few ounces of fresh mozzarella.

This recipe is very versatile, too.  You can switch out the fresh mozz for a different cheese (goat cheese or feta would be easy and simple); a different herb could be used (mint or parsley or sage come to mind); even different veggies could be chopped small and substituted for the tomatoes.  Or perhaps you could choose a different ‘container’ for the stuffing…maybe zucchini or small peppers?  If you do choose to add this, or a variation, to your menu plan…I would love to hear about it!

Caprese-style Stuffed Mushroom Caps

ingredients:
4-5 medium portobella mushroom caps
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sea salt and ground pepper
1/8 to 1/4 cup of cooked quinoa per mushroom cap
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
big handful of yellow and red grape tomatoes, halved or quartered depending upon size
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
4 tablespoons pine nuts
4 ounces fresh mozzarella
fresh basil, sliced very thinly

directions:

• cook quinoa according to package directions; set aside to cool slightly
• preheat oven to 400
• lightly oil the bottom of a baking pan
• clean the dome of the mushroom caps with a damp paper towel
• gently break off the stems (discard) and, using a sharp teaspoon, carefully scrape out the gills
• place the mushrooms (rounded side down) in the baking dish
• drizzle with a tiny amount of olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar; and season with a little sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• pre-bake the mushrooms for about 15 minutes just to soften up a bit
• remove from oven and set aside on the pan (there may be some liquid in the caps; carefully drain it off)
• meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil over medium low heat; add red onion and tomatoes
  saute gently for 10 minutes or so ‘til the tomatoes have softened
• add in the garlic and stir constantly for just a minute; remove from heat
• add in the cooked quinoa and pine nuts; season to taste with salt and pepper
• (if necessary, moisten with a bit more olive oil)
• stir in the cut-up cheese and the basil
• stuff each mushroom cap dividing the mixture evenly between them (either use an ice cream scoop or simply scoop up into a firm ball using moistened hands
• bake in the oven for 15 minutes ‘til the mushroom cap is tender; remove from oven
• if desired, run under broiler for 2 minutes
• these can also be assembled ahead of time, refrigerated; and then baked for 30 minutes or so

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Please don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen