Mushroom-A-Polooza

I love a reason to make a themed dinner.  Some examples are last Super Bowl, Or more recently our unbirthday tea party.

This time I'm don't a themed themed dinner.  It is found to be a mushroom themed Super Bowl dinner.   What is a Super Bowl dinner you ask?  Is honestly just a bunch of appetizers. 

Kaylee and I have a sick addiction to mushrooms.  We could probably eat a couple pounds each in one sitting.   In order to feed this addiction every dish tonite has mushrooms in it.

When I do a themed dinner I have a tendency to overwhelm myself.   So, for this dinner I stick to fairly simple recipes and I brought in my best sous chefs.  These recipes will be great for your next party {and I'll let you have my sous chefs for a small fee} 

Smokehouse Flatbread

My favorite burger at Ruby Tuesday's was always the smokehouse burger.  There is a layer of melty cheddar cheese over caramelized barbecue sauce. Pure heaven!  I recreate this burger in vegetarian form quite often.  I decided that doing it on a flatbread would be great. 

Ingredients
1 recipe pizza dough
2-4 T barbecue sauce
8 oz mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
1 onion, sliced
2 T minced garlic
.5 cup cheddar cheese

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 450°
2.  Roll out dough and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes until almost done
3.  Spread garlic on crust then drizzle on barbecue sauce. Place the flatbread back in the oven until the barbecue sauce gets slightly caramelized (2-3 minutes)
4.  Add mushrooms and onions and sprinkle cheese on top.
5.  Place back in the oven until cheese melts

Sautéed Mushrooms

Ingredients
1 lb mushrooms, whole
.5 cup vegetable broth
1 T minced garlic

Directions
1.  Heat a skillet on med-high and spray with pan spray
2.  Add mushrooms, cover and sauté until they release their juices about 5-6 minutes
3.  Remove top,  add broth and garlic. Boil until almost dry.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

1 lb mushrooms

1 medium onion, diced

.5 c fat free ricotta

.5 c breadcrumbs made from reduced calorie bread

2 t parsley

4 oz vegan sausage

.5 c fat free mozzarella

Directions

1. Take stems off mushrooms, diced and saute with onions.
2. In food processor blend ricotta, half the breadcrumbs, half the mozzarella, the parsley and the sausage
3. Preheat oven to 425.
4. Mix mushroom stem mixture into ricotta mixture
5. Place a spoonful of ricotta mixture into mushroom caps.
6. Sprinkle mushrooms with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

I think next year my Super Bowl dinner will be at regional menu.  Either famous dishes from each of the teams cities or what the state/area is known for.  Mario Batali always does an interesting menu every year.  Check it out on his blog

Mushroom Quesadillas. No Stove Required!

Mushrooms, the meatless meat.  I love, love, love mushrooms.  I have so much love for them that I had to use the word 3 times!  I think I use mushrooms in almost all of my savory dishes.  I probably eat more than 2 pounds a week.    They have a whole bunch of nutritional benefits.  Did you know that mushrooms are the only vegetable with vitamin D?   And 3 oz of mushrooms provide 3 grams of protein!  

Enough mushroom love.  On to recipe love!!  If y'all remember, I lived with only 1 burner on my stove for about 2 years.  I didn't get a 4 burner stove until my birthday.  During those 2 years I learned how to do things a bit differently in order to get every part of dinner done in a timely fashion.  One trick I learned was to saute mushrooms and onions in the oven.  It takes longer but, it frees your stove (and you) to do other things.  

Please pardon my photo.  My quesadilla completely fell apart when I tried to take it off the baking sheet.

Mushroom Quesadillas

Ingredients
12-16 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 (14 oz) package lite tofu, sliced 
1 cup fat free shredded cheddar

4 (or 8) tortillas (I used Ole spinach and herb fat free tortillas)


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Spray a baking sheet with pan spray, place the mushrooms and onions evenly on it an spray them with more spray
3. On a separate sprayed pan lay the tofu
4. Bake the tofu for 15 minutes, turn and bake for another 15, until it's brown on both sides
5. Bake the mushrooms for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes
6. When the tofu is done cut it into large pieces
7. If you are only using 4 tortillas on one half of each of the tortillas layer 2 tablespoons of cheese, 1/4 of the mushroom mixture and 1/4 of the tofu and another 2 tablespoons of cheese. Fold in half and microwave 30-60 seconds until the cheese melts
8. If  you are using 8 tortillas: Lay down 4, evenly spread 2 tablespoons of cheese on the top of the tortilla, then 1/4 of the mushrooms, 1/4 of the tofu and another 2 tablespoons of the cheese.  Top with another tortilla and microwave for 60 seconds until cheese melts

For more information on the benefits of mushrooms and a bunch of recipes check out
MushroomInfo.com.

What's your favorite mushroom recipe?

Friday Randomness

While looking through some old posts the other day I found I had a bunch of half written posts that I {obviously} never finished.  There were a few with some good recipes I really wanted to share with you but, for whatever reason, they never got done.  So, I've put together a post with all of them.

But first, my review on the Chisel & TRX Abs class with Christine at Thriv yesterday.  This class is no joke!  It's a mixture of light weights, kettlebells, bands and TRX.  It starts with a simple warmup, skipping, side shuffles, arm circles, etc.  Then the hard stuff started.  We used a step and all the equipment (besides the TRX to do combination upper and lower body moves.  Bicep curls while stepping, lunges while doing raises, and kettlebell swings to name a few.  As I've talked about before I'm not a sweater, I don't really sweat.  But, about 10 minutes in, at the end of the first exercise, I was drenched.  
Then came the abs portion of the class.  Planks, leg raises and pikes.  My legs and abs were burning.  Christine kept coming by and correcting my form when my hips would drop on planks, or when I was turning out my feet during squats (old dancer habits die hard.)  
I am so sore today it's not funny.  And I will be there next week to do it all over again.  I highly suggest taking this class. 

squash baked ravioli purses
1 medium Butternut Squash
2 T minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
1 package of wonton wrappers

Directions

1. Cook squash until soft. (I peel and cub it then roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30-60 minutes) and sautee onions and garlic until golden and soft.
2. Heat oven to 375.
3. Mash squash and mix in onions
4. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment and spray with pan spray
5. Lay out wonton wrappers and add 1-2 tablespoons of squash mixture in center
6. Pick a way you want to fold them (Nasoya has a list of directions.  Click here to be check it out)
7. Use a bit of water to moisten the sides so they'll stick together when you close them
8. Spray the tops with pan spray and bake for 13-17 minutes until golden brown

I served them with a roasted vegetable gravy (not pictured)

roasted vegetable gravy
2 packet Lipton Mushroom Onion soup mix
1/4 flour
4 cup water
16 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced thin
a few cloves of garlic, optional

1. Heat oven to 425
2. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with pan spray
3. Place mushrooms, onions and garlic on sheet and spray with pan spray.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and soft
4. Make soup mix according to gravy directions on box.  When the gravy is boiling add in your vegetables and heat through.

Don't you love when you come across a DIY project online that is something you actually need?  My MP3 holder arm band is too small for my new phone so, I was stuck listening to gym music.  (which is okay but, listening to the sounds of the gym, in my opinion, is distracting)  I was really excited when I came across this DIY project online.  It's a cell phone/MP3 player holder made out of an old tube sock.  Is it glamorous?  No.  Is it pretty?  Nope.  (Especially since I made it out of an old army sock.  I need to find a prettier sock to use)  Does it do it's job?  Most definitely.  It works better than the one I paid money for actually.  It's comfortable and I only readjust it if I've touch my phone. It doesn't slip at all. 

DIY MP3/Cell Phone Holder 
What you need:

• Old Tube Sock
• Scissors

Directions

1. Cut the foot part of the sock off.  Make sure you are left with only the tube.
2. Turn the sock inside out and fold the bottom of the tube up so it meets the top of the tube and so it's right-side-out again.
3. Insert your phone into the pocket you just made.
4. Put your arm into the hole and pull it up to the middle of your arm.

Some people prefer to put on the sock before folding it over their phone.  I was no talented enough to do that so I put my phone in THEN put it on.  But, do it whichever way works best for you. 

Look Everybody! I Made Gumbo...

and cheese-steak fries.
{Sorry for the shameless Princess and the Frog quote.  It's a favorite of the girls.  Okay, I can't lie, it's one of my faves too.} 

Gumbo!  Loaded with tomatoes, beans, onions and okra.  I served it over quinoa.  This dish was a protein and nutrient bomb (in a good way.)  This was another great recipe from Happy Herbivore.  It's on page 108 in the 30 minute cookbook.  (I'm not certain about copyright laws and all that so I'm not going to post the recipe).

I came up with this next recipe because I couldn't decide if I wanted cheese fries or cheese steaks for dinner.  Because I didn't want to decide and the kids were being no help, I combined the two.  Crispy, crunchy oven baked fries layered with mushrooms, onions roasted garlic and collard greens with some melted fat free cheese on top.  Sounds decadent right?  It only weighs in at about 320 calories and 1 gram of fat.  I also snuck in a couple carrots since cheese fries aren't exactly a "healthy" dinner.

Before Cheese

After Cheese

Super Veggie Cheese Steak Fries
1 large potato or sweet potato per person (I used a couple small ones instead of a large one)
2 carrots per person
1/2 lb of mushrooms per person, cut in half or quarters
1-2 onions sliced thin
1/4 - 1/2 cup of shredded fat free cheddar per person
1/2 - 1 cup of prepared collard greens or spinach per person (optional) {or any other veggie you want}

Directions

1. Boil potatoes/sweet potatoes in a large pot of water for about 5 minutes
2. Drain and cool
3. Peel carrots
4. Slice potatoes and carrots into fries (make sure they are all the same size)
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with pan spray
6. Lay the fries in a single layer and spray with more pan spray
7. Bake for 45 - 60 minutes, flipping every 10-15 minutes until crispy and brown.  During the last 20 minutes put the mushrooms on a separate baking sheet and put them in the oven
8. Divide the fries evenly between the plates and layer with mushrooms, onions and other vegetables
9. Sprinkle cheese on the top and put in the microwave on high for 30-60 seconds until the cheese melts.

How do you like to jazz up your cheese fries?

Triple F...Fat Free Frittata

Tonite's dinner was quick and simple.  I looked in the fridge and couldn't find anything to make a full "meal".  [I've never been good at that.  Mr. Amazing can look into the fridge and find 40 different meals, I see nothing...]  I did see 4 containers of egg substitute and the new oven-safe skillet that Baye gave Mr. Amazing for Christmas (so he could "cook good food" for her) 

I have been wanting to try making a frittata for forever and I finally had to tool to make it.  But, I had 6 people to feed.  A 12 inch skillet wouldn't be big enough.  I searched online and found out how to make a frittata in a casserole dish.  (Why couldn't I have found it MONTHS ago??)

It was perfect.  I served it with baked potatoes and Green Goddess muffins from Happy Herbivore.  I added a grated zucchini and substituted the applesauce for mashed carrots.  They were awesome.  Next time I'll remember to get a photo before they all disappear. 

Fat Free Frittata

Ingredients
3 cup egg substitute (I used a combination of egg whites and egg substitute)
24 oz mushrooms, sliced and sauteed with 1 T minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced and sauteed with 1 T minced garlic
Splash of skim milk
1/2 cup of shredded fat free cheddar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Line a 9x13 casserole dish with parchement and spray it with non-stick spray
3. Put the mushrooms in the bottom, completely covering the bottom of the pan
4. Scatter the onions around on top, and then sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheddar on top of that
5. Pour the egg into the casserole dish 
6. Top with remaining cheese
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the egg is set

Next time I make it  I'll try to remember to get a good picture of it.  So next time you look in your fridge and only find a bunch of eggs and some veggies, make it into a frittata!