Portobello mushrooms stuffed with spinach, cheese, marinara, red bell peppers, and onions makes for a healthier "mini pizza"

Have you ever gone to the grocery store, and they have these portobello mushrooms all wrapped up and prettily stuffed with mozzarella and spinach?  I see them all the time, and I always think to myself, “I could do that.”  But I never do.

This past week, though, I did.  I could not think of anything for dinner.  I didn’t really have any instant cravings for anything, so I grabbed my own portobellos, and I brought them home because I had the cheese and baby spinach at home.  As usual, something else struck me as I was making these, and I added in the marinara sauce from Trader Joe’s, the red bell peppers, and the onions.

And you know what?  They tasted JUST LIKE a supreme pizza.

• portobello mushrooms
• marinara sauce (any kind will do, prego, bertoulli, ragu, trader joe’s, you name it)
• baby spinach
• sliced onions
• chopped red bell pepper
• minced garlic
• mozzarella cheese, shredded
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

First, I scooped out the gills of the portobello mushrooms (the black part on the underside of the mushroom) with a spoon.

Then I layered the ingredients in the hollowed out mushroom “bowl” that was made, starting with the marinara sauce and ending with the mozz cheese  and salt and pepper.

Cover and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, then uncover and let cheese get nice and toasty.

Just like-a da pizza!

Anyway, these things are super easy to make and handle.  You just follow the instructions for hydrating the wrappers.  They are easier to deal with if you just make sure all of the surface area has been covered by water and then quickly transfer to your work area while they are still hard and papery.

Then you just pile in whatever filling you like and then wrap up like you would a burrito.  Just make sure you include fresh basil and mint.  These are a must, trust me.

Our filling included:

• plain chinese noodles, cooked
• marinated and baked tofu–  I just marinate in soy, bake until slightly crispy, and let cool before I start the spring rolls.  This is also a great way to use any leftover tofu or protein you have from a previous meal.  Shrimp, tempeh, pork, anything you like.
• bean sprouts
• matchstick carrots
• fresh basil
• fresh mint
• sliced cucumber
• chopped fresh green onions

Now for the Thai-inspired Peanut Sauce.

J looked up several recipes while I was baking the tofu, and none of them really appealed to me.  So I just kinda threw together bits and pieces of things I saw.  I don’t have exact measurements because I was adding and tasting as I went.  I just knew I wanted it to be like a peanut sauce we buy in the jar, but better and less spicy.  This recipe makes a lot of sauce, but it’s great on everyday leftovers, and we ate it up in a week.

Here’s what I came up with:

• jar of natural peanut butter, creamy (the unsweetened kind)
• half can of coconut milk (you may have to use more or less depending on the consistency of your peanut butter–just get it to the creamy consistency you like, and it will be good)
• 2 or 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
• a few tablespoons of water (again, just have a cup of water near you, and add until you get the desired consistency of creamy)
• juice of 1 fresh lime
• lime zest of that lime
• approximately 1 tablespoon of fish sauce (sounds weird, but it just adds that little something)
• a couple shakes of dried ground ginger
• several dashes of Mongolian fire oil or chili oil or whatever spicy sauce you usually use to add the heat
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• approximately 1/4 cup sugar or sweetening agent like agave syrup –be careful with this, especially if you used a sweetened peanut butter.  Add a little at a time until you get your desired sweetness.  I like a perfect blend of sweet, salty, and spicy, but that may not be your forte.

I kept adding the fire oil until I got some heat.  The sugar balances it nicely.

The spring rolls will keep for a few days, so if you have leftovers, they are EXCELLENT for the next day’s lunch.

What’s been happenin’:

• had a great 4th of July with great friends
• made a White Sangria for a 4th of July party that was totally yum
• made my Aunt Judy’s potato salad for a different 4th of July party that was delicious (but not vegetarian)
• finished the yearbook
• got all the wallpaper steamed off the kitchen walls
• decided to paint the cabinets a nice dark brown, but couldn’t figure out when that will ever happen
• went to a family reunion in South Carolina
• teacher meetings
• back to school craziness complete with being at school for 13 hours straight one day (back to school night)
• went kayaking and loved it after I got a single kayak
• teach, teach, teach
• busy, busy, busy
• grade, grade, grade
• answering approximately 30 emails per day
• went mountain biking for like 10 minutes and will never do it again
• teaching British Literature and loving it!
• went to Austin, Texas to visit J’s brother and grandma and sight-see
• ate some awesome Korean and Vietnamese food in Austin
• visited an Asian grocery store
• tried Boba or Bubble tea
• ate way too much meat in Austin which made me realize why I became a vegetarian to begin with (albeit a bad one from time to time)
• had an avocado margarita–wowza yum!
• went to a Jewish/Presbyterian wedding in St. Louis, MO

Future blog topics:

• Aunt Judy’s potato salad
• White Sangria with a green apple twist
• Vietnamese spring rolls
• avocado margaritas
• almost fat-free blueberry chocolate carob cake
• marinated tofu and Outback-style sauteed mushrooms (veg style, of course)
• galub jamun–those delicious fried dough balls in the rose and cardamom syrup.
• my favorite restaurant in Hendersonville: Chef Rakka on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (“Sauced and Spiced” rerun on Food Network this Friday 10/15 at 8 p.m and 11 p.m.)
• You should definitely DVR this show because Chef Rakka is the bad-assest dude ever.
• my favorite Indian Vegetarian restaurant and their Chai tea that I have dreams about

After being sick, dealing with ants in the kitchen, having our German friends in town, dealing with mice in the kitchen and in our walls, finishing out the school year, taking the kitchen wallpaper down, and generally being attached to the computer screen all summer to finish the yearbook, I really lost my gusto with the cooking.  I got into the frozen vegetarian protein, and I really only had cravings for pizza, tacos, and veggie burgers.  That’s how I’ve always determined the meals at our house: what are we craving at the moment?

I’ll be honest: I knew these frozen delights were not the best for us.  Last week, though, I was newly inspired to get back into the unprocessed way of life after seeing that processed soy products have isoflavones or some sort of fake hormone that can possibly lead to cancer.  Plus, we had just gotten back from Austin, TX where we ate at the best restaurants ever.  I had my fill of meat because it WAS Texas after all, and I felt miserable the entire time.

So I’m back!  And I’ve got some great new ideas, food interests, and exciting things to try.

This tropical fusion salad is just what you need to put an end to cooking monotony.

My version of this recipe is based on the April/May Taste of Home magazine.  After being sick and out of the kitchen for so long, I needed some inspiration.  Something new and tasty and fabulous.  I wandered around for awhile and just when I thought I was getting my swagger back, our kitchen was overtaken by ants.   Hoards of them.  Every. Where.  Even in my spice cabinet!  All of my spices have been on the dining room table for weeks while we tried to get rid of these varmints.  We finally resorted to calling a professional after using way more chemicals than I would like to admit.  I also slammed my finger in the car door,  so that definitely took some time to get over.  But that is a different story for a different time, my friends.
In the midst of all this, I found this Taste of Home magazine, and it didn’t require that I use too many spices and I could use the  tiny portion of my counter space that wasn’t an ant playground.  There is nothing worse than trying to chop cilantro and a feisty little ant trying to get in your space.  It makes me shudder just to think about it.  I am kind of a germ nazi, and the thought of a stray ant in my food makes me gag a little.

So I saw this salad on the cover on Taste of Home, and I gave it a whirl.  Well, in a Gabby Gourmand-style kinda way.

Here’s their recipe (which I give a 10 out of 10 for flavor and ease of preparation):

• 2 cups cubed peeled papaya
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp ground ancho chili pepper, divided
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 corn tortillas (6 in) cut into 1/4 inch strips

Now here’s where my substitutions come in:

• Instead of papaya, I used mango.  I couldn’t find any papaya at our grocery store.
• The corn does not have to be thawed.  It will thaw out in the salad as you are chopping/prepping other stuff.
• Instead of serrano peppers, I used jalapenos and I roasted them first (deseeded of course).  It takes a little of the spice out, and adds that great roasty jalapeno pepper flavor.
• Instead of the ancho chili powder, I used chipotle chili powder that I found for 99 cents at World Market.  I could not find ancho anywhere.  Chipotle powder is spicy as all heck, so I mixed 1 tsp of it with regular chili powder.
• Instead of corn tortillas, I used flour tortillas because that is all we had in the pantry.
• To make this salad a meal, we added Morning Star “meat” crumbles.  I sauteed this easy protein in some EVOO with the leftover chipotle/regular chili powder mixture and the jalapeno peppers.  When the fake meat crumbles are all cooked up, you can dish them up and throw the cold salad on top.  Delish!
• One thing you should not subsitute is the raisins.  Definitely invest in the golden ones because you will be making this salad more than once.

Instructions:

1. Mix OJ, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, sugar, and 1/4 tsp of chili powder mix in the bottom of a big glass bowl.
2. Throw in the beans, mango, corn, raisins, and cilantro.  You can add the avocado like the original recipe says, but it will get all guacamole on you with all the stirring.  Adding it at the end keeps it as pretty as the cover picture.
3. Cut tortilla strips coated with cooking spray and sprinkle 1 tsp of the chili powder mixture on them.  You can use more of your mixture if you prefer, especially if you aren’t cooking the crumbles.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until crisp.  Flour tortillas will burn real quick, y’all, so be careful.  We cooked up twice as much as the recipe called for because they are good to eat by themselves or on top of other stuff.  Yum!
4. Serve the salad with the spicy strips on top.

The OJ, lime juice, vinegar, and garlic would make a great dressing on other salads as well.

I found a great picture of the salad on another blog, and the author also includes ways to cut a papaya and an avocado.

In my attempts to make this look yummy, I went overboard with the asparagus. I can see that now. But know those cheesy and ever-so-creamy scallion grits under there were to die for.

I haven’t quite gotten my multi-tasking swagger back, so Joe had to stir the grits while I blanched the asparagus.  Let me tell you the secret to some delicious and ever-so-creamy grits.  If you have never had good grits, or you swear you hate them, pay attention.

Cook the grits on the stove with some milk.  I used 2% because we’re out of half and half.  But they were still creamy as ever.  I used to work at little restaurant semi-chain in college that served a great brunch.  I always envied the Sunday brunchers because I never got a Sunday off, and the eggs benedict and jalapeno cheese grits were amazing.  One Sunday, after complaining that I would never be able to really order some of those grits, one of the head cooks told me something I will never forget.  He was a seriously cool dude who had run on some hard times in his life.  But he wouldn’t hurt a fly, and he was super nice to me.  And boy did he have some great stories.  One involved a video tape he found on the side of the road…but that is another story for another time.

This is about grits.  So he tells me, “Look, you could totally make those at home.  It’s not the jalapeno cheese that makes those grits so good, it’s the half and half we use instead of water.”  I don’t know whatever happened to that dude…but he was one of the most genuinely nice guys I had ever met at the tender age of 19.  Heck, I sure do hope he’s doing well somewhere.

So this is what you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup of 5 minute grits
• 2 cups 2% (or whole) milk
• 3-4  chopped green onions/scallions
• 1/4 cup shredded mexican or cheddar/jack cheese blend
• salt and pepper
• one bunch of asparagus
• a lemon

This is what you do:

1. Start out with 1.5 cups of milk.  Boil your milk in a small pot.  Don’t let it burn on the bottom–be pretty careful with this.
2. Throw in your grits and stir continuously.  Don’t walk away or they will burn. (This is a good job for a boy.)
3. Reduce heat as soon as the grits start to thicken up…maybe 1 minute.
4. Throw in your scallions and salt.  Add a little pepper at this point, too, if you like it.  Not too much, though, because you want this to stay more of a delicately creamy flavor.
5. While your boy is stirring, boil some water on another eye in a medium pot.  Add some salt to the water.
6. Get your washed asparagus and break them in half.  Now, they don’t have to be super perfectly broken in half.  Each piece of asparagus will be different.  This breaking them is easier than trying to find where the asparagus gets tough.  The breaking point on each piece will do that for you.  So grasp one end with one hand, and the other end with your other hand.  Bend very quickly, and each piece will break at the perfect point.  Does that make sense?
7. Your grits may need that extra 1/2 cup of milk right about this time, so go ahead and do that.
8. Throw the asparagus in the boiling water for maybe 60 seconds.  You want them to get super duper bright green and then take them out immediately.  IMMEDIATELY.
9. Dust with salt, and squeeze some lemon on them.  Toss.
10. Add the cheese to your grits until it’s all melted in.  They should be done at this point.  They will be super thick.
11. Plate up the grits and top with your asparagus.  Zest some of that lemon you used on top.

Voila!  Now tell me if you still hate grits.  =)

I just cannot stand the thought of anything BUT Japanese food since having the worst stomach ache of my life.  (Thank God for the ginger salad dressing at my new favorite Japanese restaurant out here.  It seriously saved me yesterday. ) And you know when you try to fall asleep in a feverish state, and all you can think about is what might have done this awful thing to you?  Yeah.  Needless to say I will not be having any more fried pickles for the rest of my life.  It was a lame attempt at having appetizers Friday night at a local chain restaurant…as a vegetarian.  Even though I most likely caught this from one of my students, I will never want another fried dill again.  EVER.

And you know the only thing I could think about after being so sick?  A big ole steak.  I’m not going to give in.  But I thought about that steak.  I’ll forgive myself, though.  It was the only time I’ve craved actual meat since my month of vegetarianism started, and it was after being virtually starved for a whole day and half with nothing being palatable.  (I have got to find some fake chicken noodle soup next time I head to Whole Foods!)

On a similar note, my month is almost up, and besides this fluke of a virus, I have felt amazing.   I’ve decided to be a vegetarian for a good long time now with the exception of my birthday and Christmas.  I wonder how I am going to break the news to my grandmother, whose favorite thing to cook is pork chops and country fried steak?  How is she going to feel when I bust out the veggie burgers?  Maybe I should just eat the vegetables and hope she won’t notice?  But she always notices what everyone is eating and what they are not.  Oi!  And I can just hear my mother whispering to me to “just eat the meat.”  What to do?

About the title of this blog:

It was only a 24 hour bug, but I’m still barred from cooking since I could still be contagious when it comes to handling food.  So what to post about?  Joe made me some fabulous miso soup (a very good thing) while I was down for the count (with a very bad thing).  And last night he made a stir fry that was pretty darn good, too.  I’m going to pick his brain about proportions tonight and post (hopefully) tomorrow.  It is  the end of the grading period here in Teacherland, so the whole not cooking is really buying me some time with the grading.  I’ll hopefully be back up and running next week with my recipes.

What kind of recipes do you want to see next week?

I saved one for my lunch today, thinking I would get some marinara from the spaghetti line and be done with it.  But low and behold-It was Chicken Marinara day!  I asked the ladies to give me the goods minus the chicken patty.  They didn’t think I was nuts because they know about my current vegetarian status.  I microwaved my little pizza burger and voila!  It was seriously better–mainly because it also tasted like pizza AND chicken marinara.  I do believe I have a new favorite thing.

I give these sweet Morning Star Farms Tomato & Basil Pizza Burger babies a 5 out of 5 because they taste like pizza, they are vegetarian, and they make a mean "chicken marinara!"

If you were curious about my “french fries” that I mentioned above, this is how I make them:

In a small bowl, mix the following:

• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 1 (or 2) tsp of paprika, I really just eyeball it until the color is nice and red
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• salt
• pepper

1. Wash, peel, and cut up your potatoes into the size of “fry” you want.  I usually use white, but I only had red last nighy.  They worked fine.
2. Spray large baking pan (I use it for cookies) with Pam, spread your fries out, and drizzle the above oil mixture on them.
3. Move them around with your spatula until all coated.  You could do this in a separate bowl, but I try to conserve the dishes.
4. Cook on 375 until crispy on both sides, turning with a spatula when you start to smell the flavors wafting around.

Easy Cafe Style “Chicken” Marinara at Home

Layer the following:

• Spaghetti Noodles
• Pizza burger
• Slice of cheese
• Hot marinara sauce
• Grated Parmesan

On a separate note, you can instantly play “Food, Inc.” on Netflix.  We watched the whole thing yesterday, and it is really astounding and informative.  I highly recommend that you watch it.

Many of these measurements of vegetables are approximate. As with all soups, just throw whatcha got in there.

• one large onion, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp EVOO
• 2 “Non Chicken” bouillon cubes
• 4-6 cups water
• 1.5 tbsp mild white miso
• 1.5 tbsp tomato paste
• half can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can navy beans
• 3/4 cup wild rice/brown rice blend (or whatever left over cooked rice you have around)
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup frozen white corn
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach

1. Saute onion in EVOO until  translucent
2. Add a little of the water to dissolve the bouillon cubes
3. Add the miso and the tomato paste and stir to dissolve those, too
4. Pour in the rest of the water and the rest of the ingredients except the spinach.
5. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes.
6. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes.
7. Add spinach right before serving to let it wilt just so.

I didn’t have any croutons, but they would have been super good with this.

This version of Vegan Mac n Cheese makes a creamy and healthy sauce that could really be used for anything.

My review is a 4 out of 5.  It doesn’t really taste like cheese, but it is a tasty little sauce.  It has a nice consistency, and I will be using it again.  I guess it is losing the point because when I first tasted it, I made a little face.  I started “dashing” more of certain spices, so I think I could make this without all the measuring devices next time. *My changes are in italics beside the ingredient*

Le Vegan Mac n Cheese by Susan V over at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

“Easy Macaroni and Cheeze”

You can make this dish creamier by adding Earth Balance margarine. Try it the low-fat way first, and if you need it to be richer, add a little margarine to taste. This recipe is also low in sodium, so salt-lovers may need to add salt.

1 pound pasta (regular or gluten-free)

Blend together:
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup plain, fat-free soymilk (may use other non-dairy milk)
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch (I used cornstarch and it was a perfect consistency)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste) (Um, yeah, I don’t know how much more I added to this, but it was definitely more)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (a good dash or two more)
1 teaspoon onion powder (a good dash or two more)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (a good dash or two more)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (I have not been able to find this for the life of me.  I used regular paprika, and I used about 1 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (a good dash or two more)
pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon mellow white miso (or additional salt) (I got this at Whole Foods, but if you can’t find it, it probably won’t hurt the flavor one bit.)
black pepper to taste

Put the pasta on to boil, according to package directions. While it’s cooking, blend all remaining ingredients together in a blender. When the pasta is al dente, drain it, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and return the pasta to pan. Add the sauce mixture and cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Add a little of the pasta water if more moistness is needed.

If the sauce is not as flavorful as you’d like, add a little more mustard and onion powder.

Note: My daughter likes her macaroni a florescent yellow, so I usually add more turmeric.

Makes 8 servings. Per serving: 303 Calories (kcal); 4g Total Fat; (10% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 54g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 316mg Sodium; 5g Fiber. Also, if you use nutritional yeast fortified with B-12, one serving provides 100% of the daily requirement of that vitamin.

Additional Uses: Heat the sauce alone until it thickens and use it to pour over baked potatoes or top pizzas. Or stir in some salsa and it makes a yummy dip for tortilla chips.

Don't mind me and the sloshed look of this yummy stew in the bowl. I guess I was really excited to taste its spice-happy goodness.

The spices really make this, so try not to leave too many out. Red lentils have become my new favorite protein source, but you could use regular ones and this would be just as tasty. My official review of this is a 5 out of 5 because it was a one pot meal, it was full of flavor, and it was low in fat. I added carrots because I had some from the organic produce store, and I thought they would be good. They were. If you don’t like any of the vegetables, you could probably substitute ones you like and it wouldn’t matter much. The spices and the lentils are really where it’s at. If you do use regular lentils, I might use less than this recipe calls for. This recipe comes from The Fat Free Vegan blog. She is from Mississippi (a definite plus, although I sometimes don’t know where she finds all of her ingredients down there!), and most of the stuff I have tried has turned out pretty good…with a few additions on my part, mostly in salt, oil, or other flavor additions. Also, she calls it soup. It was pretty thick, and I like it that way, so I’m going with “stew.”

(I’ve italicized my changes to the side of the ingredient)

Ethiopian-Inspired Red Lentil Soup

1 large onion, chopped
1 pound potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 + 1/4 cup red lentils (picked over and rinsed)
3 cups water
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2-3 tablespoons berberé spice mixture, below
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (I keep forgetting to get these at the store, so I just used about 1/2 of a a big thing of tomato paste)
1 pound green beans, fresh or frozen, cut into bite-sized pieces (I only had canned so I drained them and added to the mix)
1-2 cups water
salt to taste
3-4 cups fresh spinach (I didn’t have this, so I chopped 3 carrots. I suspect the fresh spinach is really good, though)

Berberé Spice Mixture (mix all together and store in jar):
*I just added a pinch or two of each of these since I wasn’t sure if I would like the mixture.
1 Tbs. ground cardamom
1 Tbs. ground coriander
1 Tbs. fenugreek
1 Tbs. ground nutmeg
1 Tbs. ground cloves
1 Tbs. ground allspice
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1 Tbs. paprika
1 Tbs. turmeric
1 tsp. cayenne (use more to taste)
1 Tbs. ground black pepper
1 Tbs. ground sea salt (optional) (I probably added more, but I never really measure salt. I just eyeball it)

Sauté the onion in a non-stick pan until it starts to brown. Add the potatoes, lentils, 3 cups water, garlic, and spice mixture. Simmer, covered, over low heat until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the tomatoes, green beans, and enough additional water to create a thick soup. Check the seasoning, adding salt and more of the spice mixture if needed, and cook for about 15 more minutes. Just before serving, stir in the spinach. Serve immediately. Makes 6-8 servings.