Portabella Mushroom Burgers

A few years ago I tried my first Portabella mushroom burger and my taste buds were changed forever! If you like (or love) mushrooms, then you are going to love this recipe for portabella mushroom burgers.

This burger contains no meat, and is full of savoury vegetable deliciousness! Even better, it's quick and easy to make.

http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/food-drink/peggy-lampmans-dinnerfeed-portabella-mushroom-burgers-with-goat-cheese-and-roasted-red-pepper/

Ingredients:

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 large red pepper
4 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed and washed
4 heaping tablespoons softened goat cheese
4 of your favorite buns, large enough to accommodate the mushrooms
Greens, such as leaf lettuce, arugula or romaine, as needed

Directions:

Mix mayonnaise, basil and mustard together. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic in another bowl.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Place red pepper on the grill. Brush mushroom caps on both sides with the balsamic oil mixture. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. To start, begin grilling the mushrooms gill side down. When the mushrooms are just tender, turn over and divide goat cheese between the mushrooms, spooning and spreading it inside each cap. Transfer to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.

Meanwhile, turn pepper until charred on all sides. Place in paper bag to steam for 10 minutes. Remove from bag and peel off skin. Remove pepper top, cut into quarters, removing membranes and seeds. 

Grill cut side of rolls, if desired. Top the bottom half of each roll with a mushroom, quarter of a roasted red pepper and leafy greens. Spoon some basil-mustard sauce over pepper and top with the other half of the bun.

Now bite into this absolutely delicious creation and enjoy!

Take Care,

Leanne.

Broccoli & Cheese Patties

If you love broccoli and cheese, then I have a recipe that you will love! Broccoli and cheese patties.

These are a perfect meatless meal that you could pair with a nice garden salad, and they are quick and easy to make. 

I came across this recipe when I was trying to figure out what to do with my broccoli in the fridge for a meal, since it was the day before I was going to the grocery store and I had no meat in the house. This recipe was perfect since it used minimal ingredients, which I had on hand at the time (and I'm sure you will too).

http://www.lindas-nothinfancy.blogspot.ca/2013/05/two-good-broccoli-recipes.html?m=1

Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil 
2 cloves garlic - minced
½ onion - chopped
2 Crowns of Broccoli (or 1- 12oz Bag of frozen Broccoli)

¾  cup panko breadcumbs (or regular breadcrumbs is fine too)
½  cup sharp cheddar cheese 
⅓  cup parmesan cheese 
2  eggs - beaten
 salt/pepper 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add in the garlic and onions. Season with salt/pepper to taste. Sauté until onions are garlic are tender. Set aside to cool.

Chop broccoli into small pieces and set aside.

Note: if you are using frozen broccoi add the broccoli to a kitchen towel. Wrap the towel around the broccoli and squeeze out the extra moisture.

Pour the broccoli into a large bowl.

To the same bowl, add the bread crumbs, the cheeses, eggs, and salt/pepper to taste 

Form the mixture into patties and place them on the prepared baking sheet..

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes; 15 minutes per side, or until browned and crispy.

It's as simple as that! Enjoy your  delicious Broccoli & Cheese Patties.

Take Care,

Leanne.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

Now that winter is upon us, I find that people are really starting to dig out their recipe books and are making soups and stews for meals.

After last weekend`s snow storm in my area, with temperatures that started to dip quickly, I decided to make 2 different soups. The most recent one was Tomato Tortellini Soup.

Here`s my quick and easy (not to mention frugal) recipe:

http://amybites.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/amybites_tomatosoup-2.jpg

Ingredients:

 1 16oz can of tomato sauce (I used mushroom)

2 tomato sauce cans of water

1 cup milk (or cream if you wish)

3 Tbsp chicken bouillon powder

1/4 Tsp salt

1/8 Tsp ground black pepper

A dash of white pepper

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tsp Oregano

1 small pkg of frozen tortellini, cheese or beef filled (I used cheese filled)

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

Directions:

In a large pot add tomato sauce, milk, water, and seasonings. Whisk together.

Add frozen tortellini and frozen mixed vegetables to the pot. 

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes, or until tortellini is no longer frozen, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat, and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Serve & Enjoy!

Take Care,

Leanne

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus Spears

If you've never experienced the deliciousness that is prosciutto wrapped asparagus spears (or the bacon wrapped version) I highly recommend you give them a try (unless you're vegetarian, then do your thing, or look for my alternative at the bottom of this post).

This recipe is quick and easy, and amazing. My oldest sister makes these as her go to appetizer for company and they're usually one of the first things to run out.

http://recipesweet.net/prosciutto-wrapped-asparagus/

Recipe:

Ingredients:

12 asparagus spears

6 prosciutto slices/strips

A little butter for frying

Directions:

1. Wash asparagus and cut 2 cm off the ends. Cut prosciutto strips into two halves, going lengthways, you should end up with 12 strips.
2. Place each prosciutto strip on a chopping board at a 45 degree angle. Place one of the asparagus spears on top of the meat, perpendicular to it. The tip of the asparagus should be lined up with the bottom of the prosciutto strip. Wrap the bottom end of prosciutto over the asparagus and holding the meat tight, start rolling the asparagus up. The prosciutto strip will wrap around the whole length of the spear because it’s on an angle. You can try a different wrapping method but I find this is a very quick to do it. Don’t worry if parts of the asparagus spears are not covered completely.
3. Heat some butter in a large, flat frying pan to sizzling hot. Fry wrapped asparagus spears for 1-2 minutes on each side or until prosciutto is brown and crispy.

Note:  When I make these I put a bit of a twist to this recipe by adding 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar to the pan when browning the asparagus. I find it enhances the overall flavour of the dish.

If you're a vegetarian you can always leave out the prosciutto and just simmer the asparagus in the butter and balsamic vinegar (it's still delicious and even easier to make since you don't have to take time to wrap the spears).

Enjoy!

Take Care,

Leanne.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells

I don't know what it is about the fall, but it makes me want to eat super healthy and start eating squash and root vegetables like carrots and potatoes.

If you find yourself craving these things too, or are just a lover of all things squash and/or pasta, you will LOVE this recipe!

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells:

http://soupdujourblog.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/butternut-squash-and-spinach-stuffed-shells/

Ingredients:

1-2 cups of butternut squash, peeled and cubed

a box of jumbo pasta shells (or half a box, depending on how many you plan to make)

2 cups of ricotta cheese

some parmesan cheese (to taste, about 1/4 cup)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 box of frozen spinach, cooked according to package directions and drained well

1/2 of a lemon, plus grated lemon peel

1 stick of butter

several sage leaves

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

I found a way to peel and cube your butternut squash that makes it so much easier. I can’t recall the website where I found this tip, but I’ve been doing it every time I use butternut squash for something, and I am so thankful I discovered this. First, put your whole squash in the microwave for about 3 minutes. When it is done, let it cool for a bit. Sometimes I don’t wait that long for it to cool and just wear an oven mitt while handling the squash. Put a sil-pat under your cutting board to keep it from slipping and sliding. (Genius!) Cut off both ends of the squash, so that it will stand flat. Then cut the “bulb” of the squash off from the “neck” so that you have it in two sections. Then with a small knife (not a vegetable peeler!), carefully slice off the skin in thin strips. Then cut your squash into discs. From there, cut it into cubes. You can Google this if you want to find videos and photos of how to do this.

Toss your squash cubes with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast them on a sil-pat lined baking dish for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Turn oven down to 400 degrees.

Once your squash is cooled down a bit, you can mash it slightly with a fork. It’s okay if there are still some larger chunks.

Combine the squash, ricotta, spinach, parmesan, lemon peel, garlic and a bit of salt and pepper in a bowl. Fill the shells with your mixture and place them in buttered baking dish.

Bake until heated through and the cheese is bubbling, about 20 minutes.

While the shells are baking, you can make the lemon sage butter sauce. Melt a stick of butter in a small saucepan or skillet, until brown and bubbly. Add your sage leaves and cook until slightly crisp. Remove from heat. Squeeze in the juice from your lemon. Pour lemon sage butter sauce over the shells right before serving.

Enjoy.

I can't wait to try this, and I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I know I will!

Take Care,

Leanne.

Healthy Stuffed Peppers

This weekend I tried stuffed peppers for the first time and all I have to say is I can't believe what I was missing out on!

I used a Weight Watcher's Recipe from my new cookbook "Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook".

http://crockpot-weight-watchers-recipes.blogspot.ca/2011/01/weight-watchers-mexican-stuffed-peppers.html?m=1

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 lb lean ground beef (7% fat or less)

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 garlic cloves, minced

1tsp minced fresh thyme

1 tsp minced fresh basil

4 green, red, orange or yellow peppers, tops cut and seeded

1/2 cup tomato sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mix together everything but the last 2 ingredients (peppers and tomato sauce) in a large bowl. Spoon evenly into the hollowed out peppers.

3. Stand peppers in a shallow baking dish or casserole dish. Pour tomato sauce over peppers. Add water to the baking pan; enough to come partway up the sides of the peppers.

4. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake, basting peppers occasionally with the pan liquid, for 30 minutes.

5. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the filling is cooked through.

6. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve & Enjoy.

This recipe is so good. I encourage you to give it a try.

Take Care,

Leanne.