Italian Stuffed Portabella Caps

So, let's talk comfort zones. 

It's the start of the new year and getting out of your comfort zone 

seems to be all of the rage for 2015. 

Make a change, make a difference, etc. 

Well, for me…

that involved making Italian Stuffed Portabellas.

Jerry has been talking about Portabella mushrooms for months now

and I have been politely, half-heartedly listening. 

Finally, we were grocery shopping together and I couldn't put it off any longer. 

He was pushing for two packages of mushrooms but 

I convinced him that we were good starting with just one.  

I decided to make them for dinner last week and

you would think that there was some life changing decision at hand

the way that I hemmed and hawed around the kitchen,

procrastination at it's finest.

That is when I know I am out of my comfort zone…

I procrastinate!

What characteristics do you demonstrate when you are out of  your comfort zone?

Eventually, the count down to dinner was dwindling and I had to get a move on. 

So, I opened the package of Portabella mushrooms and 

turned them over to see what awaited me on the flip side. 

A stem and lots of dark gills. 

Doesn't leave much room for stuffing. 

I probably should have mentioned that I've never been much of a mushroom fan…

which was a big part of why it was out of my comfort zone. 

I removed the stem and attempted to scrape out the gills with a spoon. 

Probably would have been better if I hadn't broken off part of the mushroom cap…

but thankfully we live and learn

and it didn't seem to interfere with the tastiness of the dish. 

In order for me to branch into stuffed mushrooms, 

I wanted to stick with something familiarly delicious as the stuffing. 

Spinach and Tomatoes.

Started with a tablespoon of olive oil, 2 cups of spinach and some coarse Kosher salt

to cook the spinach. 

Once the spinach was wilted, 1 can of diced tomatoes was added. 

And simmered to remove some of the moisture

and concentrate the flavors! 

Since the stuffing was pre-cooked, 

the mushrooms needed to be as well. 

They were put in under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, 

until they were showing signs of warming. 

The tomatoes and spinach were scooped into the caps

and baked at 375 F for about 10 minutes. 

Then, generously topped with shredded mozzarella

and baked for another 3 minutes. 

Until the cheese was just starting to brown. 

Much to my surprise,

these Italian Stuffed Portabella Caps

were fabulous…

and thankfully, 

not too mushroom-y.  

They were enjoyed by all and I am thankful for being pushed out of my comfort zone,

I now have a new avenue of flavors and dishes to explore. 

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 Portabella Mushrooms

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 cups of spinach

Coarse Kosher salt

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 cup of shredded mozzarella

Directions:

• To prep the mushroom, remove the stem and gills, brush off excess dirt with a damp paper towel. 
• Cook spinach in a pan with olive oil and salt over medium heat. 
• Add tomatoes and simmer until thickened. 
• Broil mushrooms for 3-5 minutes. 
• Remove mushrooms, reduce oven temp to 375 F. 
• Fill caps with stuffing. 
• Bake at 375 F for 10 minutes, top with cheese and bake another 3-5 minutes until cheese is browned.  

Turkey Meatloaf Florentine

Hey there, 

How is your week going?

Lots of good stuff getting done around here, 

which equals a good week!  

I have a question for you...

Do you love

One-Dish Wonders 

as much as I do? 

There is something so relieving for me 

about combining all of the components of a healthy meal into one dish. 

Pop it into the oven and sit back because all of the goodies are in one place. 

Plenty of protein in the turkey,

a nice balance of carbs in the oatmeal (or breadcrumbs, if you prefer)

then spinach and tomatoes 

to cover your veggies and fruit!

I made a big batch of this and the leftovers were just as fabulous! 

How does your family feel about leftovers?

Do you cook a double batch for the purpose of having leftovers?

As you have probably gathered, 

I spend a lot of time trying to ensure that my family eats relatively healthy

and

having leftovers in the fridge

helps to fend off the consumption of overly processed foods, 

of which there is a limited supply in our freezer too.  

Ok, enough about leftovers and on to the main dish…

Start by preheating the oven to 375 F 

and then sautee 

one medium, chopped onion in 1-2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. 

Once the onion starts to soften, 

add 3 heaping handfuls of spinach

and cover for a few minutes to help wilt the spinach.

Spinach cooks down SO much,

even if you think it looks like a ton of spinach

after wilting, 

it is only about a quarter of it's original volume. 

I was going for the double batch of meatloaf, 

so please feel free to adjust the recipe accordingly. 

Three pounds of ground turkey, 

3 cups of quick oats,

1 tbsp seasoning salt,

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce,

1 tsp ground black pepper

are added to the mixing bowl. 

Along with 3 eggs

and the spinach and onion mixture. 

Combine all of the ingredients well. 

I may have started with a spoon,

in sheer optimism, 

but ultimately had to dive right in with my hands to ensure that all ingredients were evenly dispersed.

Traditional loaf in a pan

Since there were two loaves

being made…

one was made traditionally 

in a loaf pan,

lined with parchment paper. 

Rustic loaf on a baking sheet

The second was made in a more
rustic fashion,
just shaped into a loaf
on a baking sheet.

Zucchini Lasagna - Gluten Free

So, if you are a zucchini lover like I am, love that this squash is so versatile but not that it gets to mushy, right?

I knew I wanted to replace my typical lasagna noodles with zucchini but I didn't want my lasagna mushy and lacking texture.

This is where sweating out vegetables comes in, or more formally known as the 'disgorging' vegetables.  Disgorge is defined as 'to cause to pour out'.  So, adding salt to sliced zucchini causes some of the excess moisture to be released.

Here are my slices of zucchini, with a thin layer of salt on them.  

Here you can see the thin layer of water on top. 

Being the dork, uh, food scientist that I am, 

I was really excited to see the moisture coming out of the pores on the side of the vegetable.  

Just thought I'd share.  

Next step was to rinse most of the excess salt off.  

Finally, they were grilled, for good measure, to ensure the most texture in the baked dish.  

While the zucchini was roasting, the 1# ground turkey and 1 tsp Italian seasoning were browned up over medium heat. 

Next, 3 cups or two handfuls of spinach were added. 

The pan was covered to aid in the wilting process. 

I always add more spinach than I think necessary, because it cooks down so much. 

Final touch for the pan, was 24 oz of Roasted Garlic Classico Pasta Sauce, reserve 1/4 cup. 

I prefer adding the meat, sauce and veggies together for just one layer of the lasagna.  

For started, one quarter cup of pasta sauce was added to the 9x13 pan.

Then, the first layer of zucchini. 

Topped by half of the mixture of 15 oz of ricotta cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 

1/2 cup Parmesan and 1 egg. 

The next layer was half of the meat and veggie sauce. 

Another layer of zucchini. 

The second half of the cheese blend. 

Final layer of zucchini. 

The rest of the meat sauce. 

Sprinkled with shredded mozzarella. 

Bake, covered, at 375 F for 45 minutes. 

Longer if frozen. 

Remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes 

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

Zucchini - how many will depend on size.  This was 1 very large zucchini. 

1# ground turkey

1 tsp Italian seasoning

3 cups or two handfuls of spinach

24 oz of Roasted Garlic Classico Pasta Sauce

15 oz of ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella - divided

1/2 cup Parmesan

1 egg

Directions:

To prepare the zucchini, slice 1/4-1/2 inch thick pieces. 

Lay out on pan and sprinkle with salt for disgorging, leave for minimum of 15 minutes. 

Rinse off excess salt. 

Grill sliced zucchini to preserve texture. 

Brown ground turkey, add Italian seasoning. 

Add 3 cups of fresh spinach and wilt. 

Add pasta sauce, reserving 1/4 cup for bottom of pan. 

Mix up ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and egg. 

Layer into pan…

1. 1/4 cup pasta sauce

2. zucchini

3. 1/2 of the cheese blend

4. 1/2 of the meat and veggie sauce

5. zucchini

6. remaining cheese blend

7. zucchini

8. remaining meat sauce. 

9. Sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. 

Bake, covered, at 375F for 45 minutes. 

Uncover for additional 10 minutes. 

Perfect for a filling, gluten free meal and leftovers!

Spinach Artichoke Turkey Burgers

Hip hip hurray for longer days!

Earlier sunrise!!!  Yes, I'm a crazy early bird so the sun coming up at 5:20 when heading out makes me happy!

Later sunsets!!! So that we can sit on the deck and catch up in the glory of the outdoors before heading in for the night.  Oh, and see our neighbors again...that will be nice too!

All of this long awaited warmer weather has me so excited for burgers...because nothing says summer like burgers do!

Today I have one of my favorites for you...Spinach Artichoke Turkey Burgers.  Soooo yummy!  I'm an especially huge fan of artichokes.  Love, love, love their texture.  Love their salty, tangy flavor and everything to they bring to any dish.

Of course, one of my signature things is to incorporate at least one veggie into every dish.  This time it is spinach...they just go together!  Like salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly...spinach and artichoke are a culinary pair.

Finally, these burgers wouldn't be complete without some creamy, cheesiness of their own, in the form of shredded Monterey Jack.

As far as the process, let's start with the spinach.  I am not a fan of frozen spinach...I don't like how stringy it is, nor do I like how much water is in the package that somehow has to be removed before using it for cooking.  Most importantly, I hate how my hands freeze when attempting to squeeze the excess moisture out of it.

I'd much, much rather sauté my own fresh spinach down to a perfect wilt.  So, tossed about 3 cups, or 2 handfuls of fresh spinach into a pan over medium heat with 1 cup of quartered artichokes, for a little moisture.  Also, a tablespoon of Italian seasoning was added to the pan to bring the flavors to life a bit faster.

And, since the spinach wilts to quickly, I think you'll find yourself ahead by sautéing instead of trying to wring out every last drop of moisture from the frozen stuff.  

The spinach artichoke mixture was combined with 1.25 lbs ground turkey.  

1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack was added and all of the amazing ingredients were mixed together well.

The final mixture was divided into patties and tossed into a preheated grill pan.

Equal sized patties would be ideal, but that is also so…boring and conventional.  

These would have been marvelous on a real, outdoor grill, but the winds we've had this spring have been crazy and I'm not sure the grill would have won the battle against the near gale force winds.  

Over medium heat, they were grilled for about 6 minutes on each side, and then longer, as necessary, as the thermometer indicated.  Seems like my home made patties are never as thin as the store bought ones (hence, mine are juicier and more delicious!), so sometimes they may take a few extra minutes.

The tasty turkey burgers were served on whole wheat sandwich flats with tater tots as a side as well as fresh fruit.  And, what can I say…I'm a closet ketchup lover.  

These home made with love burgers have summer lovin' written alllll over them!

RECIPE

Ingredients:
3 cups or 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1 cup of quartered artichokes
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
1.25 lbs ground turkey
1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack

Directions:
Sautee the fresh spinach in a pan with the artichokes, over medium heat, add 1 tbsp of Italian seasoning for good measure.  

Add the spinach and artichokes to the ground turkey, once mixed add the cheese. 

Divide into patties and grill to well done.