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Posts Tagged ‘Mushrooms’

Quinoa and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers

Posted in Dinner, tagged , , , , , on August 30, 2010 | 1 Comment »

A few weekends ago we went to the lake for my mom’s birthday and the weather was crappy!  It rained all day Saturday, and it was very windy and rough on Sunday.  Not ideal lake conditions.  Next best option, hang out in the kitchen cooking all day.  Earlier that week, we were chatting and she mentioned she had a HUGE zucchini from her garden to use up.  She wasn’t kidding.

It could have been in the running for a contest somewhere.   And here’s one with my brother holding it up.  He can’t even wrap his hand around the bottom of it….and he has big hands!

We decided to stuff it…..I mean what else do you do with something that big.  So long story short, we combined about 4 different recipes, threw in some of our own ideas, and 2 hours later we were putting it in the oven.  We were both being very indecisive which led to a much longer process than intended.  But I had so much fun just hanging out with her in the kitchen!!! We don’t get to do that enough.  Because it took another hour to cook, I was starving by the time it was done and forgot to take pictures.  oops!  So I re-created the mixture for some peppers that we needed to use up.

The quinoa mixture is sooo good!!  It has a bit of spiciness, heartiness, and lots of flavor.  This might have to become one of my go-to recipes.

 

(Printable Recipe)

Quinoa and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers

Servings: 4 peppers

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 – 8 oz pkg button mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 cup tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • 3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  • 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes (optional)
  • Salt, to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water and 1/2 cup quinoa and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed (10-15 minutes).

2.  In a large skilled, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté until they start to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic and mushrooms.  Cook for 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low.  Add tomato sauce, basil, parsley, and fold in quinoa. ((if using Crushed Red Pepper flakes, add in with tomato sauce.)  Add breadcrumbs, stir all ingredients together.  If mixture seems to runny add more breadcrumbs.  Stir in Parmesan cheese, reserving some for the top of peppers.

3.  Cut tops off of peppers and place in a baking dish.  Fill peppers with quinoa mixture.

4.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Turn on broiler and top peppers with remaining Parmesan cheese.  **Make sure to watch the oven, it might brown quickly.**

Notes:

*I prefer my peppers to have some crunch so I only baked for 15 minutes and then broiled for an additional 2-3 minutes.

*Next time I would add more Red Pepper Flakes for a bit more spiciness.

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Quinoa-Avocado Verrines

Posted in Appetizers, Dinner, tagged , , on August 12, 2010 | 3 Comments »

I tore this recipe out of my May/June issue of  ”Vegetarian Times” and have thought about making it on several occasions since then.  I never seemed to have all the ingredients at the same time.  I didn’t have avocado, or I forgot to pick up red quinoa (regular quinoa would have worked just fine but it wasn’t the fun red color  :)  ).  I was walking out to my car from work and thinking about what I wanted to make for dinner, which I do most days, and realized the ingredients had aligned.  I finally had everything with no extra running around.  I mean it only calls for 7 ingredients (4 of which I always have readily available), it shouldn’t have been that difficult.

This light dinner hit the spot tonight.  It was just enough to fill me up without the “I’m full feeling”. You get a little bit of crunch from the sprouts, buttery smoothness from the avocado and a slightly spicy grain at the end.  And I know it sounds silly, but the presentation itself made it taste that much better.  I added some cremini mushrooms to my quinoa mixture to make it a bit more sustainable.  I also realized while typing out the recipe that I used 3 tbsp of lime juice instead of 3 tsp.  Brent commented on the zest from the lime but I didn’t really think much of it.  I actually enjoyed the extra lime taste.  So tsp or tbsp, whatever your pleasure, it’s still delish!  You could easily make this an appetizer by placing in smaller glasses…how cute would that be.  ;)

 

(Printable Recipe)

Quinoa-Avocado Verrines

Recipe from vegetariantimes.com

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup red quinoa
  • 6-7 baby cremini mushrooms
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder, divided
  • 3 tsp lime juice, divided
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 2-3 drops Tabasco sauce (or Sirracha)
  • 1/3 cup alfalfa sprouts

1.  Bring quinoa, 1/4 tsp chili powder, and 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan.  Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 12-15 minutes, or until most liquid is absorbed.

2.  In a medium skillet, sautee mushrooms over medium heat for 7-10 minutes.

3.  Whisk together 2 tsp lime juice, oil, and remaining 1/4 tsp chili powder in a bowl.  Add quinoa and mushrooms, toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then place in refrigerator for another 5-10 minutes.

4.  Divide quinoa among glasses.  (Recipe can be prepared ahead up to this point; cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours.)

5.  Dice avocado, season with salt and pepper (if desired), and toss with Tabasco sauce and remaining 1 tsp lime juice.

6.  Divide avocado among glasses, and top each with sprouts.  Serve immediately with small forks or spoons.

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Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Posted in Dinner, tagged , , on June 13, 2010 | 2 Comments »

I apologize for the not-so-pretty, over ripe avocado.  I used the other 1/2 for lunch and it was starting to turn by dinner time.

The past few years black bean burgers have been a staple in my freezer.  Quick, easy and can be used as more than just a “burger”.   They also make a tasty addition to taco salads (incase you are looking for a way to switch things up).  Being that summertime is grilling season, these burgers often accompany me to many get togethers as well.  Brent and I grilled out on Saturday…..good thing these burgers were a winner because  my cornhole skills that night were awful.  Instead of throwing one of the frozen burgers on the grill, I decided to try to make my own.

Why have I waited soo long??!?!  These BY FAR surpassed my expectations.  They were thick, spicy, and full of flavor.  I loved the big pieces of mushrooms and corn. Unlike some of the reviews, I had no problem with them staying together on the grill.  If you are a black bean burger lover like me, make sure you print out this recipe and add it to your next grill menu.  DELICIOUS!

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients

  • 1 – 16 oz  can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup frozen corn
  • 4-5 mushrooms, cut into slices
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp Thai chili sauce or hot sauce (I used Sriracha)
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs

1.  In a saucepan, heat olive oil on medium heat.  Add onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add mushrooms and sauté for an additional 4-5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low and add in frozen corn.

2.  In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.  Add minced garlic and onion mixture.  Stir into mashed black beans.

3.  In a small bowl, whisk together egg, chili powder, cumin and chili sauce.  Stir egg mixture into black beans.  Mix in bread crumbs and cilantro until the mixture is sticky and holds together.   Divide into 4 patties.

4.  Place patties on foil and grill for about 6 minutes on each side.

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Arugula, Mushroom, Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese Pizza

Posted in Dinner, tagged , , on March 30, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

It’s going to be a beautiful week in Ohio!!  Sunny and 70′s all week!  Wooooo!!  Bring on the sunshine!  Brent is wrapping up tax season so our house has been quite busy these last few days, which has kept me out of the kitchen.  I’m not going to lie….it’s probably a good thing because the pants are fitting a bit tight right now. Ooops!  So instead of baking, I decided to whip up a quick dinner.  I’ve had goat cheese in my fridge for awhile with good intentions of making some sort of frittata, but we haven’t been home on the weekends lately.  I still have plenty left even after this recipe, so there is still time.

I love my cheese but I just recently discovered how much I LOVE goat cheese.  If you happen to go to Cap City and are looking for a meat free meal, check out their Vegetable Plate!  It’s wonderful!  I’ve gotten it a few times and the vegetables are cooked just right so they still have a bit of crunch and the pasta cake is yummy!  At any rate….this is where I first discovered how much I adore goat cheese.  I hopped on Google to find a pizza using goat cheese and concocted my own after looking at few recipes.

I didn’t have time to make my own dough but Boboli never disappoints.   :)   The pizza was soo good!!  The caramelized onion added a bit of sweetness which was offset perfectly with the arugula.  And the goat cheese….well I think it speaks for itself.  It paired very nicely with some Amber Bock.  After the first piece, Brent and I both added some balsamic which was also a nice addition to change up the flavor a bit.  This recipe would also be perfect served on some french baguette slices as an appetizer.  Next time I might try it with some BBQ sauce as the base??!?

Arugula, Mushroom, Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese Pizza

Ingredients

  • 1 12in Boboli Thin Crust
  • 1 8oz package mushrooms
  • 1 red onion, sliced into thin strips
  • 3 large handful arugula
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, divided (I might have used a bit less – I didn’t measure)
  • 3 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a saucepan on medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil and red onion.  Season with kosher salt and pepper.  When onions start to sweat, turn heat down to low.  Stir every 5 minutes or so.  You don’t want to stir too much otherwise they won’t brown.  Cook for about 25-30 minutes or until onions are caramelized.

In a separate pan on low-medium heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil and sliced mushrooms.  Season with kosher salt and pepper.  Stir frequently and cook for about 20 minutes or until mushrooms are sautéed.  Add in arugula and cook for 1-2 minutes; until arugula starts to wilt.

Place pizza crust on a baking sheet.  Top with mushroom/arugula mixture and onions.  Crumble goat cheese on top.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Top with balsamic vinegar, if desired.

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