Stuffed Mushrooms

I love making stuffed mushrooms either as an appetizer or a main dish.  The beauty is that they are so darn versatile, which makes it easy as a weeknight option.  The three things I always put in mine are the chopped up stems, bread crumbs and garlic (and right there you have a simple and satisfying stuffed mushroom) but think it is even more amazing if you add a cheese (Parmesan, Asiago, goat cheese, mozzarella, etc), fresh herbs (Italian parsley, basil, or thyme…), maybe a bell pepper, and I am not opposed to adding ham, Italian sausage or prosciutto.  It makes quick work on the stove before you pop them in a hot oven for about 20 minutes.  Great for a party or for dinner served with a salad.

These particular stuffed mushrooms are goat cheese and ham; I usually just eyeball the amounts.  If you have leftover stuffing, it goes great tossed with pasta and a little extra olive oil.

Ingredients

• 1 lb cremini or white button mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Olive oil
• 2 slices good quality deli ham, chopped
• handful of breadcrumbs
• handful chopped Italian parsley
• Grated Parmesan
• Goat cheese
• Salt and Pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove stems from the mushrooms; set caps aside and coarsely chop the stems.  Heat a skillet over medium high heat, add a little olive oil then the chopped stems and minced garlic.  Cook until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates.
2. Add the diced ham and cook until browned.  Turn off the heat and add the breadcrumbs, Italian parsley and Parmesan.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Fill each mushroom cap with the filling and place in a roasting dish or on a rimmed baking sheet.  Top each mushroom with goat cheese.
4. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until goat cheese starts to brown and mushrooms are heated through.

Green Enchilada Sauce

I had always been a red enchilada sauce kinda person until I actually tasted green enchilada sauce.  Now I love them equally, although when I want a brighter, fresher flavor, I opt for the green.  The sauce is easy to make and is wonderful with any kind of enchilada filling; I have tried chicken, black bean, and veggie varieties all with great success.  (The sauce is vegetarian or vegan if you use vegetable broth or water in place of the chicken broth.)  A little broiling, a little food processing, and you’ve got a head start toward a great dinner. Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.

Ingredients

• 3 poblano chiles (or 5 jalapeños), stemmed and seeded
• 1 lb tomatillos, husked, washed and dried (or two 1-oz cans of tomatillos, rinsed)
• Vegetable oil spray
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Position the oven rack 6 inches below the broiler and heat the broiler.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Arrange the poblanos, skin-side up, and tomatillos on the prepared baking sheet and spray with vegetable oil spray.  Broil until the vegetables blacken and begin to soften, 5 to 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through broiling.
2. Remove the vegetables from the oven, let cool slightly, then remove the skins from the poblanos (leave tomatillo skins intact).  Process the broiled vegetables, broth, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and sugar together in a food processor until the sauce is almost smooth, about 30-60 seconds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Use when assembling your choice of enchiladas.

Broiled poblanos and tomatillos

Ready for the food processor

All ready to go!

 

 

 

Birthday Cake

 

For my daughter’s birthday (a few months back, but summer got in the way of posting!) I combined two of her favorite things: chocolate cake and M&M’s.  Feel free to use this on any shaped cake, any flavor cake, and any flavor frosting.  The three different sizes of M&M’s (minis, regular and peanut butter in this case) add a nice visual texture difference.  Enjoy!

Step one: separate the colors

Step two: frost the cake

Step three: decorate the cake with M&Ms

Baked Breakfast Cups

I love breakfast and I especially love when ham and eggs are involved.  I stumbled across this recipe on another blog and thought it was a brilliant idea.  I generally have all the ingredients on hand and it can be in the oven by the time it preheats, both of which are big wins in my book.  My kids also both ate this with no complaints which is an even bigger win!  I planned on two cups for each adult and one each for kids.  This would be an easy and delicious addition to a brunch menu.  Some sautéed mushrooms and spinach would be good in there, too…

 

Ingredients

• 6 slices of ham
• 2-3 slices of bread (depending on the size of your bread, you need enough to cover the bottom of your muffin tin cup)
• Butter
• Shredded cheese of your choice (I used a combo of cheddar and monterey jack that was delicious)
• 6 eggs
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line your muffin pan cups with a slice of ham.
3. Put about half a slice of bread in the bottom of each cup, place a pat of butter on top of each, then sprinkle with a generous pinch or two of cheese.
4. Crack an egg into each cup, season with salt and freshly cracked pepper.
5. Sprinkle a little more cheese on top, then fold the ham over the top (most likely won’t cover completely).
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until eggs are set to desired firmness.

Chocolate Quick Fix

Sometimes in the evening my sweet tooth beckons and I must heed the call.  When I want something quick and chocolaty, this is what I tend to make.  The method is simple: a little melted chocolate and then you stir in one or two of whatever suits your fancy and is in your cupboard – shredded coconut, toasted slivered almonds, chopped macadamia nuts, marshmallows, dried cherries, etc., and refrigerate.  After about 30 minutes, you are rewarded with something along the lines of this and your sweet tooth is satiated:

Dark chocolate, shredded coconut and chopped toasted macadamia nuts

Ingredients

• Handful of good quality chocolate chips
• Handful of one or two mix-ins: coconut, nuts, dried fruit, marshmallows, etc.

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler on the stove or in the microwave.
2. Remove from heat and stir in your mix-ins until coated.
3. Spoon on to wax paper into stacks.
4. Refrigerate until set, about 20-30 minutes.

Impromptu Fried Rice

I had some leftover brown rice to use up and stumbled upon Mark Bittman’s Impromptu Fried Rice.  It was easy and quick to make and was a superb way to use up some veggies in the fridge.  I also like the recipe because you can adapt it to use just about any vegetables you’ve got, as well as most grains (quinoa or  barley, per chance) making it a great weeknight option.  Cooked shrimp, chicken or pork would also make good additions if you’ve got some on hand.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 bunch scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 lb asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 to 4 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup water, white wine, or stock
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark sesame oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

 

 

Directions

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering.  Add the scallions and bell pepper, stirring occasionally, until they soften and begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Lower the heat if they start to brown too quickly.  Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.
2. Add the asparagus to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally until browned and tender, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to the vegetable bowl.
3. Put the remaining oil in the pan, followed by the garlic and ginger.  A few seconds later, start adding the rice to the pan, a little at a time, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spatula, and toss it with the oil.  When all the rice is added, make a well in the center and add the eggs; incorporate into the rice with the spatula.
4. Return the vegetables to the pan and use the spatula to fold into the rice until combined.  Add the water and cook, still folding, for about a minute.  Add the soy sauce and sesame oil, taste and then season with salt and pepper if needed.  Turn off the heat, stir in the cilantro and serve.

Goat Cheese & Honey

Goat cheese, honey & walnuts on toasted pumpernickel bagel

I had this goat cheese/honey/walnuts on a bagel for the first time while traveling through Amsterdam. I was strolling alongside one of the canals with my friend and we stopped for breakfast at this small coffee shop on our way to an art museum. The combination was so simple and so divine and I still make it years later for breakfast quite often. My 6 year old son loves it almost as much as I do. The tanginess of the goat cheese + sweetness of the honey + crunch of the walnuts is amazing.

Favorite New Sandwich

Goat Cheese & Pickled Peppers Sandwich

Right now in our house we have a new sandwich we can’t seem to get enough of.  It is simple and so delicious and just three ingredients.  Start by toasting dark rye bread.  Spread a little goat cheese on there, then toast just a smidge more to warm it through.  The piece de resistance is to put Mama Lil’s pickled peppers on top, with a little of the marinade.  Man is it good.