Mediterranean Stuffed Mushrooms

Whenever I go to a party that I’m not hosting, I make sure to bring something on the healthier side with me. This doubles as a 1) a nice gesture, and 2) a backup option for when there aren’t a lot of foods being served that I want to eat. Successful moderation and healthy eating is all about being prepared, and I find that being ready with a healthy dish in social situations helps me balance out the not so great for me snacks and indulgences that I know I’ll have too.

So while everyone else is posting recipes for nachos and chicken wings this week, I want to post a different kind of recipe for you. These Mediterranean stuffed mushrooms are the perfect healthier appetizer to make for whatever Super Bowl party you are going to this weekend. I think stuffed mushrooms are a crowd pleaser too. Don’t people always seem to get weirdly excited about them? Just make sure to call them Mediterranean stuffed mushrooms instead of quinoa stuffed mushrooms, and you’ll be all set. Nobody will judge you for not bringing along a ranch dip or 4 bags of Doritos.

Mediterranean Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes a dozen stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients

• 12 large cremini mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp paper towel and with stems removed
• 1/2 cup quinoa, cooked per package directions
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup walnuts, cut or crushed into small pieces
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tbsp dill
• 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 extra virgin olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• Cooking spray of choice

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, then arrange the mushrooms with the holes facing down. Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the mushrooms, and season with salt and paper. Bake for 15 minutes.
• While the mushrooms are baking, mix the cooked quinoa, the diced red onion, walnuts, white wine, parsley, dill, sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled feta, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• When the mushrooms finish cooking and have cooled, stuff them by scooping a spoonful of the quinoa mixture into each cap. Top with extra feta if desired.
• Bake again in an oven preheated to 350 for 10-12 minutes or until heated through.

Although stuffed mushrooms are made with a veggie base, a lot of the time they use a creamy filling to bind the stuffing ingredients together. I like that this recipe is light and doesn’t need that. The lemon zest brings out a nice flavor among all the other Mediterranean based ingredients, and the quinoa is a healthier protein-packed substitution for bread crumbs. Plus, you can never go wrong with feta! I made these for Friendsgiving at Slesh and Will’s apartment last year, and everyone gobbled them right up.

This recipe yields 12 stuffed mushrooms, but just a warning, it definitely makes more stuffing than necessary. I ate the leftover stuffing up for lunch the next day as a Mediterranean quinoa salad, and it was delicious! You could also double the amount of mushroom caps if you want to use up the rest of the stuffing and bring a larger quantity of stuffed shrooms along.

Enjoy!

Readers, let’s chat! What are you doing for the Super Bowl this weekend? What’s a must have Super Bowl food or snack in your home?

If you’re looking for more Super Bowl food ideas, check out our Super Bowl party menu from when we hosted two years ago.

Sweet Potato Quinoa with Thai Chili Dressing

Hello! I have a new recipe to share with you guys today.

Sweet Potato Quinoa with Thai Chili Dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch discs
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 2 ears of corn
• Half a red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Cooking spray

For the dressing:

• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp thai chili paste
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, and turn the grill on to medium heat.
2. Add the quinoa to 2 cups of water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until done.
3. In bowl, toss the cut up sweet potatoes in the tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and then spread on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking oil. Cook for 20 minutes or until fork tender.
4. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, grill the ears of corn until fork tender, turning the corn to char on each side. In total, this should take around 8 minutes. You can cook the corn however you want (stove top or in the oven), but we chose to grill.
5. In a small bowl, mix all the salad dressing ingredients together. You could also do this step in a mason jar and shake well.
6. Once the quinoa, sweet potatoes, and corn are all done, combine in a large bowl with the pepper, red onion, and parsley, then season with salt and pepper.
7. Toss with the dressing, and enjoy!

For a cold salad, the warmth of the thai chili paste in this meal comes through pretty prominently without being too spicy. This is definitely a fresh salad thanks to the parsley and pepper, but you still get a nice hearty feel through the sweet potatoes as well.

It’s perfect for a packed lunch during the rainy week we’re having here in Boston. Plus, FIVE of these ingredients are from our CSA. Go us!

–Let’s chat–
Do you ever cook with thai chili paste? What have you been eating for lunch this week? Is it raining where you are?

P.S. Wondering how to have a healthier Halloween? Head on over to the Fitfluential site to read some tips written by yours truly. It’s a fun one. 🙂

Autumn Quinoa Salad with Kale, Beets, and Pears

New recipe post!

This week we got so many fun fall ingredients in our CSA delivery. Have I mentioned how much I love the fall? On Tuesday night, Tim and I spent a lot of time together in the kitchen, and I put together a salad to have for lunch the rest of the week. I wanted to use multiple ingredients in one meal, and I chose to use the kale, beets, and pears.

Autumn Quinoa Salad with Kale, Beets, and Pears

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 bunch kale, rinsed, chopped, and massaged with juice from half a lemon
• 3 small to medium-sized beets, peeled, and chopped into quarter to half-inch cubes
• 1 pear, peeled, and sliced into match sticks
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• Half a red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• A few squirts of agave
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Crumbled goat cheese, optional

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Put the beets in a tinfoil pouch with a half to full tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Close up the pouch and cook for about 10 minutes or until fork tender.
3. Meanwhile, put the 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups of water in a pot on the stove. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes until cooked.
4. Mix all the other ingredients with the quinoa and cooked beets in a large bowl. Sprinkle with goat cheese if desired, and enjoy!

One thing I think people often overlook when they make a dish is not the flavor of their ingredient selection, but the variety of textures used. Since the quinoa, kale, and cooked beets all share a similar consistency, the pears added a unique mouth-feel to this salad. They weren’t overly ripe yet, so the crispy and juicy combination worked to our advantage.

Even though I’m calling this my autumn quinoa salad, I think it would make a festive addition to any holiday table in a couple of months! Isn’t it pretty?

–Let’s chat–
Do you ever think about the consistency or texture of the ingredients you cook with? What ingredients (besides pumpkin and apples!) come to mind when you think of fall?

One last thing today… congratulations to two of our dearest friends, Cate and Joe, who welcomed their new baby girl, Brynn, into the world yesterday. We cannot wait to meet her!