Stuffed Portobellos

This is another stuffed mushrooms post from me. Again, those who know me well know how much I am in love with Portobello mushrooms!  This time around, I’ve stuffed them with ground chicken with taco seasonings and topped them with panko bread crumbs and Provolene cheese.

The 3 mushrooms had made a very good and satisfying dinner for us. Leftover mushrooms, I switched them up and made sandwiches for lunch. Just stuffed them between burger buns with little bit of marinara sauce on both sides of the buns.

Stuffed Portbello Mushrooms

Ingredients

6 Portobello mushrooms

1 lb. ground chicken

2 tbsp. packaged taco seasonings

1 onion,chopped

1 head of garlic, chopped(I know, I went overboard with garlic!)

1 cup panko bread crumbs

6 slices of Provolene cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp oil

6 cups loosley packed greens of your choice

Dressing of your choice

 

How to:

Heat the oil in a pan.

Brown the onion, garlic and chicken.

Add taco seasonings and set aside.

Now comes the easy part.

 Pre heat the oven to 400° F.

Oil the mushrooms and place them on a baking sheet.

Stuff them with ground chicken mixture, panko crumbs and cheese slices.

Bake for about 10 minutes or so or until tender.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper once you pull them out of the oven.

Top with cheese, stick them back in the oven until the cheese is nice and melty and golden, for about another 5 minutes.

Serve with your choice of greens, dressing and bread sticks.

Or if you want a heavy meal, serve it with your favourite pasta.

Enjoy!

Cherry Pistachio Scones

I love scones. This is such a great quick bread or cake that you can make it either sweet or savory. Scones are traditionally an English/Scottish delight that is normally served with their after noon tea.  This time, I tried to make it with some kind of nuts and fruits. I’ve used almonds and walnuts a lot in my baking. This was the first time I used pistachio nuts. And yes, the sweet Maraschino cherries. Absolutely fell in love with it. The taste was divine. It did take me back to London, England where 10 years ago I had my first taste of scones and biscuits. I am so happy that now I can make it at home and it is so effortless, I can make it as many times as I want right in my kitchen.

Here’s how I made it.

Cherry Pistachio Scones

Ingredients

3 cups AP flour

1/3 cup melted butter

1-1/4 cups butter milk

2 tbsp baking powder

¼ cup salt

1 tbsp vanilla

¾ cup each chopped pistachio nuts and cherries(drained)

1 tbsp milk

2-3 tbsp sugar

How to:

Pre heat the oven to 425° F.

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.

Add butter, butter milk, cherries and pistachios.

Mix until soft dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a lighthly floured surface and knead 10 times.

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Place the dough on the paper and roll into a circle, about ½ inch thick.

Brush with mik and sprinkle sugar.

Cut into 8 wedges.

Bake in the hot oven for about 15  minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Serve with tea or coffee, brushed with more melted butter of jam of your choice.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

I believe almost everyone loves choco chip muffins. The more chocolate chips, the better. I personally prefer fruit filled muffins but hubby and baby love chocolate chips so this time around, I decided to make chocolate chip muffins for breakfast. I found this amazing muffins recipe and made Blueberry Muffins. I used the same recipe, twisted it a bit and made these muffins. Give it a try especially if you have little ones or grown ups who are little at heart! And be prepared to get all the accolades in the world for making them these babies!

Here’s how I made it.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients
1 cup plain yogurt (regular or low fat)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup canola or corn oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts(optional)

1 tbsp orange zest

How To:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Position rack in center of oven.

Butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large measuring cup or bowl whisk together the yogurt, lightly beaten egg, oil, and vanilla extract.
In another large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, orange zest, walnuts and salt.

Remove 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients and toss it with the chocolate chips.

With a rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined.

Gently stir in the chocolate chips.

Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.
Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop.

Place in the oven and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Portobellini Salad

Those who know me well know how much I am in love with Portobello mushrooms! I just love this fungi! It is so meaty and filling and versatile and forgiving, one can never go wrong working with it. These days I have realized that these mushrooms can be served as a base instead of pizza and tortillas or pretty much anything that needs breads, aka carbs! So this is the best way to eat good and healthy if you are eating gluten free or low carb foods. Stuffing and topping of these mushrooms just drives me crazy because the possibilities are endless. My brain overflows with ideas once I start thinking about stuffing these babies. I’ve got a few other recipes in mind as I am writing this so stay tuned!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Portbellini Mushrooms with Spring Greens

Ingredients

6 Portobellini(baby Portobello) mushrooms

1 cup goat cheese

Salt and pepper

¼ cup EVOO

6 cups loosley packed greens of your choice

Dressing of your choice

How to:

Easy. Pre heat the oven to 400° F.

Oil the mushrooms and place them on a baking sheet.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until tender.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper once you pull them out of the oven.

Top with goat cheese, stick them back in the oven until the cheese is nice and melty, for about another 5 minutes.

Serve with your choice of greens, dressing and bread sticks.

Enjoy!

Chicken Parmigiana Meatloaf

I must say when I first saw this recipe in some random magazine at the doctor’s office, I was confused and intrigued by the name. I thought wow, it would be a real deal if our favourite chicken parmigiana can be turned into a meatloaf! Meatloaf is such a great comfort food. What’s not to like in it? It’s moist, juicy and loaded with flavour. So I decided to give that recipe a try(of course after sneaking in my own twists!) and served it with balsamic glazed tossed vegetables and roasted potato wedges. That was one heck of a tasty meal!  This meatloaf is a bit different that the regular meatloaf as there is a good healthy dose of marinara sauce mixed into the meat, then spread on the top with ooey gooey mozzarella cheese! It’s a good thing. Another good thing is that you can turn the leftover meatloaf into equally delish sandwiches the next day, or the day after or…oh you get it!

Chicken Parmigiana Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chicken

2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup marinara sauce

½ cup each grated Parmesan and Asiago cheeses

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Fresh parsley, a handful, chopped for garnish

Salt and pepper

How to:

Mix everything together with ½ cup sauce and ¼ cup Parmesan and Asiago cheeses and ½ cup mozzarella cheese.

The rest of the sauce and cheeses will be required to top the meatloaf of with.

Bake at 375°F hot oven for about 40 minutes.

Pull ot the loaf, spread with the leftover sauce and cheeses and bake for 20 minutes more.

Garnish with fresh parsley.

Enjoy!