Sunday, March 30, 2014

Super Mushrooms

Guest Blogger, Jon Harris, Administrative and IT Specialist at Hunger Free Vermont



Someone once told me they don’t like mushrooms because they “grow in the dirt”. Doesn’t everything? As a kid, I had a positive introduction to mushrooms, in Super Mario Bros. Without super mushrooms, I couldn’t have saved the princess; I would have remained un-super and been taken out by the first Koopa Troopa I bumped into.  Mario was such a fun guy.

As it turns out, mushrooms are more than just super – they are delicious and nutritious. I like almost every mushroom I’ve tried (and the ones I didn’t like probably should have been cooked!). Grilled portabellas are my favorite, and I add baby bellas (crimini) to all my salads as well as many soups, sauces, and stews. 
There are many yummy types of mushrooms. The white and brown button mushrooms (the kind that are easy to find in the supermarket) are good sources of potassium and selenium.  We need to get both from the foods we eat, and I’m happy to have more reasons to eat mushrooms. It doesn’t hurt that they are pretty inexpensive, either!

My fiancé makes delicious stuffed mushrooms that we bring to parties with family and friends. I can’t divulge her secret recipe, but here’s an easy one to try. If you like some heat, try replacing all or some of the garlic with jalapeno!

  • 8 oz package of button mushrooms
  • 3 large cloves of garlic minced
  • 4 cups of baby spinach leaves chopped
  • 2 tbsp (10g) parmesan, shredded
  • Kosher Salt & Pepper
  • Olive Oil cooking spray
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees
Clean the mushrooms and remove stems. Mince the stems and set aside as they will be part of your stuffing.
Mince the garlic.
Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat, spray with cooking spray. Add the minced garlic and mushroom stems. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. While cooking, chop the spinach into small pieces and remove stems.
Add the spinach to the skillet a little at a time and cook down sprinkling a bit more salt and pepper.
Remove filling from heat. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Stuff the mushrooms with the spinach mixture. Really jam it in there you just have more then enough.
Top with parmesan cheese and bake for about 20 minutes!

Picture and recipe from GreenLiteBites.com     

http://greenlitebites.com/2008/10/10/simply-spinach-stuffed-mushrooms/

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