Stuffed Portobellos

I very much underestimate how long prep time can actually take when making meals. This is a really simple meal, just more prep work than I had planned for. Between chopping veggies, cleaning mushrooms and cooking rice, it took a while. It was worth it though.

As my blog title states, I use cookbooks and recipes. I am not very good at throwing together meals on a whim with no direction, though I am getting better at it. I didn't follow this recipe exactly due to missing a step, but it came out just fine. The food was good, I didn't burn my kitchen down....that counts as a success. I wanted to name these something fancier than just "stuffed portobellos" because there are a million things you could stuff one with, but my creativity has drained from me. Two hours of ballet and jazz will do that to you.


Stuffed Portobellos
from here

7 Portobello mushrooms
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 cup sushi rice (I used regular white rice)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14-ounce) can vegetable broth, warm
½ cup canned black beans, rinsed
2 celery stalks, peeled and diced
½ cup roasted red bell pepper, diced
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley ( I used dried parsley)
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
1/3 cup Dubliner cheese, shaved (I shredded mine)

1. Cook the rice until about 2/3 done. Drain but do not rinse.
2. Remove the stems from the portobellos. Use the edge of a spoon to scrape out the gills. (I had an extra portobello that I chopped up and threw into the skillet with the other veggies). Rub portobellos with olive oil. Either throw them on the grill or a grill pan and heat until they have grill marks. (This step can be left out). Set aside.
3. In a deep non-stick skillet, over medium heat, heat 1 tsp olive oil. Add the onions and cook until tender, about 5-8 minutes.
3.  Add the coriander and garlic. Cook for one minute until garlic is fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add in the celery and black beans. Cook for a couple minutes and then transfer onion mixture to a separate bowl, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.
5. Add another teaspoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the rice. The oil should coat the grains. Add the tomato paste and broth. Stir constantly and bring to a boil.
6. Once the mixture boils, lower the heat to med-low and add the parsley, onion mixture and red peppers. Continue cooking for about 10-12 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Adjust the seasoning to your liking.
7. Spoon the mixture into the mushrooms and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until the cheese melts. Broil for 2 minutes if you want your cheese browned with a little crust.

The best thing about this dish is that it's super healthy with lots of veggies, but fills you up. A lot of times, veggies leave me craving carbs, but not this dish. I also really liked the Dubliner cheese. It's like a sharp Irish cheddar. I'm glad I have some leftover to sprinkle on anything else I make this week. Which I need to go plan right now.

I really need a good camera...and to not put my food on highly distracting (but oh so pretty) plates.