Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Turkey Sausage

My whole life I've hated mushrooms. I would pick at my pizza all the time just to take out every little bit of mushroom. On the other hand, I love mushroom sauce especially on meat, so what really got to me wasn't the taste of the mushroom but its texture. As I've been in the mood for trying new things and overcoming some of the foods that I didn't like I decided why not ... worst case scenario, my husband would have seconds. I had heard so much about Portobello Mushrooms that I thought lets give it a try.

Ingredients:


2 Portobello Mushrooms
2 Turkey Sausages (removed from casings)
1 small onion finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
1 minced garlic clove
50 grams of grated Emmental Cheese
50 grams of bread crumbs
Fresh minced parsley leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil
Preparation:

Preheat oven to 200º C

Remove stems from mushrooms, and lightly rub some olive oil on each mushroom. Place in baking sheet and set aside.
Prepare the stuffing: In a skillet add some olive oil, the onion, garlic, red pepper, and sausage. Cook for about 8 minutes until the sausage is cooked.
In a bowl add half of the bread crumbs and half of the cheese, along with the paprika, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix up the ingredients until they are well combined. (You can use a food processor if necessary) Add the mixture to the sausage and make sure both mixtures are combined.
Place the stuffing in each of the mushroom caps and sprinkle the remainder cheese and bread crumbs.
Bake until golden brown, for about 15-18 minutes. Remove and serve sprinkled with parsley.

Can be enjoyed as an appetizer or a main dish.

Note: I have now learned to like mushrooms!

Dinner for One

Many feel that it is not worth cooking for one, especially when it involves something more elaborate. I don't  think the same way, although I don't live alone, I find myself doing single servings quite often. I think its fun and allows me to experiment with different ingredients or use the same everyday ingredients in a more creative way, besides who is the artist that doesn't love to admire their masterpiece.  So if you live alone, have a family with different tastes, or just a different schedule from everyone else, cooking a single meal doesn't have to be an undesirable task. I found this article that may help you on your way to making cooking for one an enjoyable task.   Here is something simple, and  healthy that I whipped up one of these days with basic ingredients.

Just purée some well cooked carrots, braise some red cabbage with onions and garlic, and steam cook a piece of salmon with lemon juice and herbs. Plate using a round mold. Layer the carrots, cabbage and on top the flaked salmon. 

Now doesn't that give you more pleasure to eat than just a simple piece of fish on a plate!

Hope you enjoy it!

Healthy Cabbage Rolls

Today I bring you a spin of  classic European dish, cabbage rolls. Here in Portugal, traditionally a cabbage roll is made with fresh whole sausages wrapped in the cabbage. In fact there are many variations of the cabbage roll and most countries have made their own versions not only of the stuffing but the sauce as well. I decided on slightly less traditional but more healthy version of this popular dis. Using a simple tomato sauce recipe I picked up from Jamie Oliver, which is easy to do, and adapts well to any dish using tomato sauce.

Note: The picture didn't turn out so well, but I think you can get the idea.

Ingredients:

1 small cabbage (for two servings 6 of the biggest leaves)

150 g of boneless chicken breast

2 small onions

1 clove of garlic

2 strips of bacon (optional)

100 g of Brown Rice

1/4 cup of tomato sauce

3 basil leaves

parsley

salt

pepper

paprika

olive oil

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Simple Tomato Sauce

1small diced onion

1 tsp. Harissa hot chili paste (optional)

1/2 cup white wine

Preparation:

Preheat oven at 200ºC

In large pot of boiling salted water, blanch cabbages for about 5 minutes, or carefully remove the outer leaves and blanch separately  or until leaves are softened. Remove and chill under cold water.

Prepare rice: In a small saucepan add a bit of olive oil the minced onion and the tomato sauce, stir for about 2 minutes. Add the rice and allow to be covered by the mixture for a couple minutes, season and cover with the necessary water. Cook until the water has evaporated. Let cool.

In a food processor add the onion, garlic, basil, parsley so that it is finely chopped. Remove and set in a bowl. Place the chicken breast and bacon to the food processor and pulse until all the meat in minced. Add to the onion mix and season with the paprika, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add the rice to the mixture.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of mixture onto each cabbage leaf. Bring one end of cabbage leaf over mixture, roll and tuck ends in to prevent any filling from falling out.

Prepare the sauce: In a skillet with a bit of olive oil add the onion. Sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the Simple Tomato Sauce and the Harissa Hot Chili Paste. Stir and allow the flavors to blend well. Check for seasoning.

In a deep oven dish, place a bit of the sauce, and cover with remaining cabbage leaves. Place rolls over the leaves. Cover with remainder sauce and white wine. Place in preheated oven for 40 minutes. 

Serve hot.

Fish Burgers served with Asparagus

I had some asparagus in the fridge, and was wondering what to do with it, I mean its almost a perfect side for anything, the problem was the anything. So after some thought and going through my freezer and pantry I decided to try making some fish burgers. First time experience ... so I kind of improvised. The end result ... not bad if I say so myself. It was very healthy and light meal that I will definitely try again.

Ingredients for two:

300 g of boneless white fish
1 jalapeño pepper
1 clove of garlic
3/4 stalks of fresh coriander
1 lemon grass stalk, pale section only, finely chopped
salt
1 tsp.lemon or lime zest
1 tbsp. lemon or lime juice
coconut
1 tbsp. curry powder
2 tbsp. olive oil
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12 shoots of asparagus

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove of garlic crushed
6/7 crushed pecans
salt

Preparation:

In a food processor process the fish until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Add the pepper, garlic, coriander, lemon grass, lemon zest, and juice to the food processor, and pulse a couple of times until all ingredients are finely chopped. Add them to the bowl with the fish and season with salt.
Shape into patties. In a shallow plate add some shredded coconut and the curry, dredge the patties in the mixture and set aside.
Heat a frying pan with the olive oil, and add the fish burgers to the oil when hot. Allow about 3 minutes on each side or until fish is cooked.
For the asparagus: Steam the asparagus for about 3 minutes. In a frying pan add the oil and garlic, when the garlic starts to change color, add the asparagus and sauté for a few minutes, add the pecans and season with salt.
Serve hot.

Maple Glazed Chicken with Parsnip Mash

On my visit back, I just couldn't get enough of the flavors that I truly missed. I discovered parsnips, I had heard so much about them, but here in Portugal they are rare to come by (actually there is only one place in the country that has the correct weather conditions to grow them). I almost brought some with me in my suitcase, but after a bit of supermarket hopping I finally found them, and so decided to work with them. The other flavor that I did bring back with me was maple syrup, I even bought a cookbook of Maple Syrup recipes. As today was a rainy day, why not bring some of the comfort to my day with flavors from home.

Ingredients for Chicken

4 chicken thighs

1/4 cup of maple syrup

1 tbsp. of butter

2 tsp. of lime juice

1 onion (optional)

sal, pepper, olive oil

Preparation

In a baking pan cover the bottom with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Rub the chicken in the oil preparation in the pan and with skin side down place in the oven at 200ºC for about 15 minutes. In the meantime prepare the glaze, in a small saucepan add the maple syrup, butter and lime juice and heat for a few minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and pour the glaze over the chicken. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes.

Ingredients for the Mash

500g of parsnips

1 tbsp. of butter

100 ml of cream or milk

salt,  nutmeg

Preparation

Place the parsnips in a pan and cover with water. Cook until parsnips are soft. Drain. Mash with the butter and milk. Season with salt and some nutmeg.

I'm back ...

Time goes by so fast ... It seems like yesterday I was planning my trip and now, I'm back.
I'm preparing myself to get back in the kitchen in full force and make some new recipes and creations. Autumn is my favorite season of the year ... I like the sunny cool days, with light crisp winds, the leaves changing colors, but above all I like the autumn flavors ... pumpkins, squash, apples, chestnuts, parsnips, corn, sweet potatoes, and so much more. Before I launch my new recipes, here are some of my foodie pictures from Canada.

At St. Jacobs Farmers Market, Waterloo:

Apple picking at ... Orchlaw Farms

MacIntosh Apples

Mitsu Apples

ByWard Market  Ottawa... so many pumpkins:

... and this was how I spent my vacation. Can't wait to go back.

I leave you with one last picture of the  Inniskilin Winery on Niagara-on-the-Lake. They were the first producers of Ice Wine in Canada. Soon I will share some recipes with this sweet nectar.

Travelling ...

I will be away for the following month travelling to what I call  home, Toronto-Canada. I hope to be inspired with my favorite season of the year and bring back many new recipes for you to enjoy.
Thank you and happy cooking.