About:

These Stuffed Mushrooms make a wonderful light meal or an Appetizer.  I just loved all of the fresh vegetables that were stuffed into the mushrooms!  These mushrooms were so delicious, they were gone instantly.

A shower of fresh basil adds a whisper of summer to a dish that’s already bursting with flavor.  I also added goat cheese to the mixture for lots of flavor and topped off the mushrooms with some mozzarella cheese. To me this dish was like a carb free vegetarian pizza.

Health benefits:

Portobello mushrooms provide a number of essential nutrients but don’t contain many calories, making them a nutritious addition to any diet. Portobello mushrooms have a moderately high amount of fiber. The macronutrients consist of fat, carbohydrates and protein. Portobellos have a balance of protein and carbs, and they are low in fat

Quinoa is high in protein and low in fat. It adds lots of fiber, which helps lower cholesterol. It has a mild nutty flavor and, to me, it’s like a blank canvas, since it can take on a variety of different flavors depending on the other ingredients it’s combined with. It’s super easy to prepare, similar to rice

Serves- 3-4
Preparation time-20 minutes
Cooking time-15 minutes
Baking time-15 minutes

Ingredients:

• Portabella mushrooms-4 large
• Olive oil -2tsp+ for baking
• Uncooked Quinoa- 3/4cup (rinsed thoroughly)
• Vegetable broth/water-11/2 cup
• Chopped red onion-1medium
• Chopped tomatoes-4 (seeded and diced) +for garnish
• Chopped bell peppers-1medium
• Roughly chopped Fresh basil-1/2cup
• Fresh Sage – a handful + for garnish
• Salt- to taste
• Ground black pepper-to taste
• Cayenne pepper-1/2tsp
• Low-fat cheese- for topping (optional)

Procedure:

• Clean Portobello mushroom by removing the stem and clean the gills wiping mushroom tops.
• Meanwhile bring quinoa and vegetable broth/water to a boil in a saucepan. Cover and simmer for 15-20minutes or until all the broth is absorbed. Take off from the flame and cool to room temperature.
• While the quinoa is cooking, heat olive oil in a pan- add red onion sauté until translucent.
• Add bell peppers, tomatoes and sauté until peppers are cooked and heated through.
• Season with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper/ chilli powder, basil, sage and saute for 1-2minutes
• Gently stir in the quinoa and turn off the flame-let it cool to room temperature.

For mushroom stuffing and baking:

• Take the cleaned mushroom brush some olive oil, season with salt and divide the filling equally into each mushroom cap.
• Sprinkle some cheese and bake for 10-12minutes or until warmed through and cheese is melted.
• Remove from oven place it on a serving plate, sprinkle with fresh sage, tomato and serve immediately.

Note:

• Stuffing can be personalised as per the taste.
• Brown rice/cous cous/white rice can also be used alternatively to quinoa.
• You could also stuff this mix into smaller mushrooms

I am bringing this to Angie’s FF#52 an healthy appetizer for Anniversary Part1.