Quinoa Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I love mushrooms in every shape or form and Portobello mushrooms rank pretty high on my favorite foods list. I love how versatile they are and how you can turn them into a filling, delicious, vegetarian meal with very little effort.  This recipe came about simply by checking the pantry and refrigerator. What started as a meal to get rid of a few extra vegetables, turned into an unforgettable dinner and inspired me to get back on this computer to write a short post.

While trying to come up with the finished recipe I decided to forgo the usual breadcrumbs as a binder and instead turned to Quinoa, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite grains to incorporate into recipes. By doing so, I was actually able to create a recipe which is not just vegetarian, but also gluten free. Served with a big salad on the side and bowl of watermelon this turned into a great meal that none of us will soon forget.

 

Quinoa Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms 

~Serves 4~

(Print this recipe)

Ingredients:

4 Large Portobello Mushrooms

1/2 cup Quinoa

1 cup Vegetable Broth

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/2 Red Onion, diced

4 cups Baby Spinach, rough chopped

4 Tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 cup Fresh Basil, chiffonade

1/2 tsp. dried Oregano

Salt and Pepper

4 oz. Fresh Mozzarella, cubed

1/4 cup Parmesan, grated

Directions:

Clean Portobello mushrooms by removing the stem and cleaning out the gills and gently wiping the mushroom tops. Chop the stems and reserve. 

Meanwhile bring 1/2 cup quinoa and 1 cup of vegetable broth to a boil in a small pot. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all the broth is absorbed. Take off the stove and cool to room temperature.

While the quinoa is cooking, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a pan. Add the red onions, and cook until the onions begin to soften. Add the reserved chopped mushroom stems, spinach and tomatoes and saute until the spinach is wilted and the mixture is heated through. Season with oregano and salt and pepper to taste.  Add the basil and remove from the stove. Gently stir in the quinoa and let everything cool to room temperature. Once the mixture has cooled, fold in the cubed mozzarella.

Take the cleaned mushroom caps and brush them lightly all over with olive oil. Season the inside with salt and pepper. Divide the filling equally into each mushroom cap. 

Sprinkle each with Parmesan.

Grill for 15 minutes over medium heat or until the mozzarella starts melting and the mushrooms are heated through.

Serve immediately.

A Susi's Kochen und Backen Original Recipe

Sausage and Mushroom Manicotti

One of the benefits of having a well stocked, fridge, freezer, and pantry is that creating a meal even when time is of the essence is fairly easy. I know, I do feature quite a lot of recipes from cookbooks, magazines and other blogs and find extreme satisfaction if they turn out just like the pictures that accompanies them. However, I also take great pleasure that comes along with the freedom of just "winging" it in the kitchen. Sometimes, these kind of meals make the best dinners. My husband (who is a fantastic cook) loves to cook this way. Unfortunately, many times he cooks something so delicious that he is never able to recreate it a second time, since he never takes notes.

So in order to avoid this, many times I enlist one of my kids to keep me company in the kitchen and take notes of what I'm adding to a recipe. This is how this dish came about. I was tired after our visitors left, fast food was out of the question, but no one wanted to run to the store. After inspecting what my storage had to offer, this is the recipe I created and it happened to produce a wonderful Sunday dinner.

I started the recipe by browning the sweet Italian sausage along with onion, chopped mushrooms and a small amount of salt. After the sausage is cooked and the vegetables are soft, I set the mixture aside to cool. During the cooling time I went ahead and made my basic all-purpose tomato sauce and cooked the pasta. The sauce comes together quickly and I use this recipe as my base for pretty much anything that calls for an Italian inspired marinara sauce. After the meat mixture had cooled, I combined it with some ricotta cheese, eggs, Italian seasonings, parsley and Parmesan. I piped*  the cheese/meat mixture into my cooked Manicotti and placed them in a 9 x 13 pan that had a bit of the tomato sauce spread across the bottom of the dish. When all the pasta is filled and layered into the pan, the rest of the marinara sauce gets poured over the top and finally a generous sprinkling of mozzarella and more Parmesan finish off the dish before baking it for about 1 hour.

I served the Manicotti along side a Caprese Salad and everyone loved it. The kids asked for seconds, and between the five of us the dish pretty much got depleted. I will definitely make this again, there are so many great options of how to make the filling unique by using different vegetables or meats. Certainly a keeper and I hope if you try my version you will enjoy it as well!

* To pipe the filling into the cooked pasta, add the filling to a large gallon size Ziploc bag. Snip off one corner and pipe away. The Manicotti will be filled perfect in no time without the mess!

Sausage and Mushroom Manicotti 
(Susi's Kochen und Backen Original)

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

3 Johnsonville Sweet Italian Sausage Links, casing removed
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
12 oz. button mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
15 oz. ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/3 cup loosely packed Parmesan cheese, shredded
Susi's All-Purpose Tomato Sauce (recipe to follow)
8 oz. Manicotti Pasta, cooked according to package directions
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Fresh Basil chiffonade for garnish, (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Brown Italian sausage in a large pan. Add the onions, mushrooms and salt and saute until soft about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

While the mixture cools, prepare tomato sauce. Cook Manicotti according to package directions; drain and rinse in cool water. Set aside.

Beat eggs lightly in medium bowl. Stir in ricotta, salt, basil, oregano and parsley. Add the meat/mushroom mixture and the Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine.

Spread 1 cup tomato sauce over bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Fill Manicotti with the ricotta mixture; place in dish. Pour remaining sauce evenly over filled shells; sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover; continue baking another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.


Susi's All-Purpose Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon ketchup

Preparation:

Add all the ingredients to a sauce pan and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer and let cook for at least 30 minutes.

Grilled Panzanella Salad

In some areas of the country, summer has been quite the mixed bag. Very hot days, but also very cold and rainy days. For us it has just been plain hot and unbearable with very little rain. Summer in Arizona is unfortunately not letting up for probably another couple of months. It will hold a firm grip on us, making us wish for cooler temperatures, even if it just means to dip below 100 degrees F. Yes, most of us Arizonians should be used to it, but are fed up with this terrible heat by early August. Unfortunately, we forget year after year about the temperatures when we are sitting outside enjoying a BBQ-ed meal in January while the rest of the country is freezing.

Since summer is still here to stay for at least a while longer, I'm still on the hunt for great salad recipes to expand my repertoire. This one comes courtesy of "Cuisine at Home" yet again. I really like their approach to recipes which are fairly simple, but wonderful tasting, and most of my magazines from them are covered in sticky notes for dishes to try. Today's post had been on my to-do list for a while, and last weekend I finally got around to it. Panzanella Salad is an Italian dish that is a bread salad. It varies widely depending upon region and ingredients available, however, day old bread is always included. It is also important to use a sturdy bread when making this dish. It is best to use a chewy, rustic bread that can withstand being tossed with a vinaigrette, otherwise your bread will get way too mushy. Ripe, juicy tomatoes are another must, and while any tomato will work, the sweetness of cocktail or grape tomatoes seem to harmonize best with this salad. Cucumbers, red onions, kalamata olives, fresh mozzarella and basil round out this dish.

This is a fantastic salad to serve along side any kind of meat. We had pork chops with it, but steak or chicken would be wonderful as well. Since the bread is grilled on the BBQ, grilling the meat is a logical choice and with that you can leave the stove off, which is always a plus with this heat. We all really enjoyed this unique salad. It incorporated all of our favorite ingredients and so it was kind of a given that we liked it, but nonetheless, I'm surprised by the simplicity of certain recipes that just "wow" you. This is another recipe I'm keeping, and will be making over and over again!

Grilled Panzanella Salad
(adapted from "Cuisine at Home")
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 cup red onion, sliced
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
1/2 a baguette or ciabatta bread, halved lengthwise and brushed with olive oil
2 garlic cloves

Preparation:

Preheat grill to medium-high. Whisk oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper together; set aside.

Toss vegetables, mozzarella, olives, and basil together in a bowl.

Grill bread, cut side down, until golden, 2-3 minutes, then rub with the garlic cloves. Slice bread into cubes, add to vegetables, and toss with vinaigrette.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

 
School is already back in full swing for us and pre-season football has made it's way into our home as well. What does that mean in terms of food you are wondering? It means, that I need to come up with lots of snack foods. Snack foods for "starving" children after school, and snacks for football watching. I prefer food that I can quickly make on a whim, but also recipes that taste like I spent a considerable effort preparing.

I found the recipe for these great little puffs on Noble Pig. The pictures drew me in like so often, and after reading how easy and fast this could be made, I was hooked. I did make a few small alterations to the original recipe to fit our taste, and they turned out great. Flour, baking powder and milk (I used 1%) are whisked together along with an egg. I added a bit of salt and some Italian seasoning to the batter since I thought it needed a little more "oomph". Shredded mozzarella cheese and diced pepperoni (I used turkey pepperoni) are folded into the flour/milk mixture before dividing the batter into a greased 24-cup mini muffin pan. They are then baked until light, "puffed", and golden, for about 22 minutes.

These little snacks are a definite "make again" recipe. It was amazing how much flavor each bite held. I served them per Noble Pig's suggestion with warmed pizza sauce (I made my own) but they were just as good dipped in a bit of ranch dressing (my youngest came up with that concoction). This is a great, crowd-pleasing recipe, no matter if for football watching, after school, or any other event that could benefit from finger foods. I can see these little puffs going in many different directions just by changing up the cheese, using cooked Italian sausage, or leaving all the meat out and making a vegetarian "puff" by adding peppers and mushrooms. There are a lot of options and I'm sure this is not the last you have seen of these little snacks!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
(adapted from "Noble Pig")

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk (I used 1 %)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 ounces pepperoni (I used Turkey pepperoni), cut into small cubes
1/2 - 1 cup of your favorite pizza or marinara sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.
In a large owl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk, egg, salt and Italian seasoning. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Warm your pizza or marinara sauce, then stir in 1 tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Caprese Salad My Way

I've been making caprese salad for a long time. The regular one that is, with the big slices of juicy ripe tomatoes, fresh salt brined mozzarella (Trader Joe's sells them for a great price), fresh basil, and last but definitely not least, a drizzle of high quality olive oil. This salad has always been a summer favorite for us. In fact, there is nothing better then a big plate of this along with some fresh crusty bread and a good glass of red wine. As an added bonus, this salad is so light and refreshing tasting which makes it the perfect meal on a hot summer's night.

Insalata Caprese (as it is called in Italy), is a simple salad from the Italian region of Campania. The dish is also known as Tricolore salad due to it's three colors, which mimic the Italian Flag.

Usually, I make it the way it is supposed to be with the big slices of tomatoes and mozzarella but every once in a while when they are out of season or not very good looking I turn to sweet, juicy grape or cocktail tomatoes. Unfortunately you just can't present this salad with tiny tomatoes they way it is supposed to look so I came up with my version of this classic.

This is always a big hit, no matter if I serve this for the family or when we have guests. I haven't met anyone who didn't love this salad. I hope you will give this a try for your next summer meal.

Caprese Salad My Way

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

Grape or Cocktail Tomatoes, washed and halved or quartered

Red Onion, finely sliced

Fresh Mozzarella, cubed

Fresh Basil, chiffonade cut

Salt and Pepper

Balsamic Vinegar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

On a platter or in a large bowl add your tomatoes and red onion. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar. Toss lightly.

Layer your cubed mozzarella on top and drizzle with olive oil (again about 2 tablespoons). Scatter your basil chiffonade on top and serve.

Chicken Parmigiana

Sunday Dinners are an important part of our family. I love spending a quiet day in the kitchen trying my best to prepare a special meal that I wouldn't necessarily have time for on a weekday. I take pride in making all of the components by scratch and the process is made even sweeter by having my husband work side by side with me. That, along with some good music playing in the background makes for a perfect day.

Chicken Parmigiana is one of those meals that takes a little more time then I usually have. The meal itself is not a hard meal to cook but putting all of the different layers together certainly takes a bit of time. The meal has a fantastic tomato sauce that's spooned over breaded browned chicken which is then topped with Parmesan and Mozzarella and baked in the oven until the cheese is bubbly and golden. This is best served with some Spaghetti and a slice of warm, crusty bread.

 

Chicken Parmigiana

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the sauce

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

Fresh basil, chiffonade cut

Pinch red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

For the chicken

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

Kosher Salt and Pepper

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup dried plain bread crumbs

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

For Finishing

1 (8 ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup fresh Basil, chiffonade cut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hot, add the onions, garlic and bay leaves; cook and stir for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant. Add both of the vinegars and carefully add the tomatoes (crushed and sauce) along with the basil. Season with red pepper flakes, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick about 15 minutes. Lower the heat, cover and keep warm.

Put the flour in a large shallow bowl, season flour with salt and pepper, and mix to distribute. Put the two beaten eggs into another shallow bowl and lastly combine the bread crumbs, along with the Parmesan and chopped parsley in a third shallow bowl.

Dredge the chicken breasts one by one first in the flour, then dip them into the egg wash and finally into the bread crumb mixture making sure to coat them entirely. 

Heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in a pan and when the oil is hot add the cutlets and fry for about 4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown and crusty.

Place the browned chicken into an oven proof dish and ladle the tomato sauce over the chicken. Arrange the mozzarella on top and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Finish the dish with the rest of your basil and serve over spaghetti.