Kale and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Mushrooms

What once was a kale and onion grilled cheese sandwich has been transformed into one of my favorite grain free meals.... the stuffed porotbello mushroom.

This recipe also includes two of my favorite ingredients....cheese and, I can't believe I'm about to say this, kale. Something I once turned my nose up, then managed to choke down on an as needed basis, and now genuinely enjoy. (Cue the la cliche jokes.)

Ingredients:
4 portobello mushrooms, stemmed
4 medium kale leaves, stems removed
2 tsp olive oil
2 medium red onions, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 oz finely grated parmesan cheese,
divided (about 1/4 cup)
3.5 oz raclette or gruyere cheese



Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bring a small pot of water to a boil; add kale. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until kale is bright green. Drain; rinse kale under cold water until cool. Pat leaves dry.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion, pepper and salt. Cook 10 minutes or until onion is tender and browned, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar, tossing to coat. Coarsely chop onion.
Spray each side of mushrooms and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip mushrooms and top each with 1 kale leaf, 1/4 onion mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese melts.

Vegetable Stuffed Portobellos

If I've said it once I've said it a million times. I LOVE portobello mushrooms. It's not just the taste, it's the versatility. You can put a mushroom in between two slices of bread to make a meatless sandwich, a burger patty in between two mushrooms to make a grainless hamburger or top it with cheese, veggies, seafood etc. to create a stuffed mushroom.

In honor of "meatless monday" I prepared the below vegetable stuffed portobellos. I can honestly say it's one of the tastiest meals I've ever shared on this blog. It's either the garlic, the cheese or the combination of the two and it's AMAZING.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 large portobello mushroom caps, gills removed
1 15 ounce can small white beans, rinsed
2 small bell peppers, quartered and seeded
1 small red onion, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise, in 1/4 inch slices
1 cup shredded fontina cheese

Directions:
Preheat grill to medium high (I used the stove top grill, two burners on medium.)
Combine lemon juice, oil, dill, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add mushroom caps and turn to coat. Remove the mushrooms from the bowl. Add white beans, stir to coat.
Place the mushroom caps gill side up on the grill with peppers, onion and zucchini. Grill the vegetables, turning once, until they start to char and soften, about 8 minutes for the mushrooms and 6 minutes for the rest. Turn the mushrooms gill side up again. Fill each with 1/4 cup cheese and grill until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute more.
Chop peppers, onion and zucchini and add to the bowl with the beans, toss to combine. Top each mushroom with about 1 cup of the grilled salad.

Roasted Mushroom Salad

Day 3 of the "salad cleanse." This one is the least photogenic but might be my favorite so far. Portobello mushrooms are awesome because they can be substituted for both meat and bread making gluten/grain free'ers and vegetarians rejoice! And for everyone else they're just a great source of protein and fiber (5 grams/ 3 grams respectively in one cup of chopped mushrooms.)

Ingredients:

2 portobello mushrooms
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup large bread crumbs
3 sprigs of thyme, chopped
Mixed arugula, watercress and spinach
salt and pepper

Dressing:
4 oz soft goat cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp milk


Directions:
Put the mushrooms in a roasting pan and drizzle over 1 tbsp of the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Cook in a preheated oven, 350 degrees for 20 minutes
Meanwhile spread the bread crumbs on a baking sheet with the thyme leaves. Pour over the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and cook for 6-8 minutes until golden and crispy.
Make the dressing. Put the cheese, oil and milk in a small saucepan and beat over a gentle heat until the mixture reaches a pouring consistency, adding a little more milk if its too thick. (I got impatient and used my immersion blender.)
Arrange a couple handfuls of mixed greens on each of two plates and place a mushroom on top of each. Drizzle with the warm dressing, serve immediately.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Tomatoes and Fontina

In the past couple years I have discovered that I LOVE Portobello mushrooms. They are one of the only foods I know of that can be substituted for both meat, such as in a vegetarian stew, and bread, for example as buns for a hamburger.

In this recipe they do double duty. The tomato and onion mixture could be served over either a chicken breast or bruschetta. And the fact that it’s higher protein and lower in carbs that the later makes it a much better healthier choice.

Ingredients:

4-6 medium or large Portabello mushrooms

olive oil spray

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I sautéed fresh spinach in olive oil)

1/3 cup chunky tomato sauce

½ cup sliced green onions

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped

¼ tsp crushed red pepper

3 oz (about ¾ cup) fontina cheese, shredded

Directions:

Heat oven to 375. Remove stems from mushrooms. Spray both sides of mushrooms with oil; arrange on a baking pan. Bake for 10 mins, turning once. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine spinach and tomato sauce. In another bowl combine green onions, sun-dried tomatoes, and crushed red pepper. Remove mushroom caps from the oven; place cut side up on baking pan. Spoon spinach mixture into mushrooms, dividing evenly. Top each with an equal amount of the tomato mixture and sprinkle with fontina cheese. Return to oven until heated through and cheese begins to melt, 5 to 8 minutes.