Sunday, February 6, 2011

stuffed mushroom appetizer

my roommate from grad school made these once, using greek dressing, and oregano straight from greece :) i have modified the recipe slightly, and regardless of how many variations of this recipe i have made, it's always awesome!!

ingredients:
6 portobello mushroom caps (medium sized), cleaned, stems removed
1/4-1/2 C grape tomatoes, diced
1-2 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp fresh garlic, pressed
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 375F

2. place a small amount of olive oil in bottom of small baking dish

3. place mushroom caps in baking dish

4. fill each cap with diced tomatoes

5. sprinkle basil and garlic on top of tomatoes

6. drizzle olive oil & balsamic on top

7. bake for 30 minutes

8. serve hot!

*variations
a. sprinkle feta cheese (and/or parmesan) after removing from oven (not vegan friendly, of course)
b. use greek dressing or other vinaigrette of choice, in lieu of balsamic/oil
c. use oregano in place of, or in addition to, basil
d. easy to double, triple, etc. this recipe to serve a dinner party!

millet, mushroom risotto

using millet is a bit less work-intensive than making a traditional risotto with arborio rice.

i made an extra large batch so that i would have plenty of leftovers.

ingredients:
1 tbsp garlic (fresh, pressed)
2.5 C millet
2 qt bella mushrooms, sliced
2 qt veg stock
1 C red onion, chopped
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 C butter
1/2 C parmesan cheese

instructions:
1. heat olive oil on medium-high heat

2. add garlic, saute for a minute or two

3. add onion, saute until softened

4. add mushrooms, saute until softened

5. add millet, coat well with the liquid/oil in the pan

6. add veg stock. bring to a boil

7. reduce to a simmer

8. stir periodically until all of the liquid has been absorbed (30-45 minutes)

9. remove from heat. add butter and parmesan cheese. mix well.

10. SERVE & ENJOY!!!

*for smaller recipes, simply use 3 C veg stock and 3 C mushrooms per 1 C of millet

**vegan potential: use margarine in lieu of butter, or eliminate completely, and omit the parmesan cheese (or use a substitute, if available).