Stuffed Portobello Mushroom on Spinach

Happy New Year! The season of renewal and resolution is upon us. 

Now doesn’t that just sound exciting? It’s true, the month of January is a bit of a coin toss.  I’m never quite sure which direction my attitude will fall. Will I feel deflated and disheartened the holiday season has ended, dreading the dreary, festivity-less months to come? (I feel low just saying that.) Or will I tap into that take-on-the-world, go-get-your-dream-life, it-really-is-a-happy-new-year spirit? 

Can you feel the very palpable, very split energy the first month of the year brings?  Perhaps you’re like me, patiently sitting on the center tug-of-war line, waiting to be swayed to either side.  Back and forth, back and forth, until finally deciding it’s time to let go of the holidays and embrace the excitement of a new year.  This seemingly happens within a ten-second ball drop, quick cheers, and loving kiss for most… but I tend to transition slowly. 

New Year’s Resolutions

Once I’m ready to get on the resolutions train, they often include aspirations to better my health. Wellness is a great passion of mine and is undoubtedly a subject that is constantly changing.  You may have heard it said that optimal wellness is a journey, not a destination…though we often set health goals with a final destination in mind. In my experience, when you are carefully and consciously attending to your health, you begin to notice a pattern.  Your individual health goals become part of a larger picture and perpetual cycle of exploration, discovery, and implementation.  It’s a journey with no real end, but one filled with persistent evolution and infinite possibilities.  Still, as we journey toward optimal health, it’s imperative we set clear, attainable goals for ourselves!

Have you, indeed, set healthy resolutions for this new year? Perhaps you’d like to eat a little healthier? Maybe you’re determined to incorporate more vegetables into your daily meals? These stuffed portobello mushrooms on spinach will allow you to do just that. Filled with onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, ancient grains, and more, they’re not only a treat for your taste buds but entirely gorgeous. What a great dish to share with others and visually inspire healthy appetites while hosting your next gathering with family and friends.  Both filling and nutritious, you won’t be left scavenging the refrigerator after this resolution-worthy dish! 

Why we love it: 

• Portobello mushrooms are a less-expensive, easier-to-find “medicinal mushroom”, combating inflammation and cancer and supporting the immune system. 
• They’re an excellent source of plant-based protein, antioxidants, and phytonutrients such as L-ergothioneine and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).  These phytonutrients help prevent cancer and possess anti-aging abilities.
• Portobello mushrooms are nutrient-dense and especially high in niacin, riboflavin, copper, and selenium. They aid the body in removing toxins and free radicals.
• Spinach offers a great amount of dietary fiber, protein, and vitamins, including Vitamin K, A, Vitamin C, and folate.  It is also a well-known source for magnesium and calcium. 
• Researchers have found more than one dozen flavonoid antioxidants in spinach, in addition to its many other vitamins and minerals. 
• Nutrients found in spinach assist the body in a multitude of ways including defending against heart disease and cancer, preserving brain, vision, and bone health, improving immunity, detoxification, and blood sugar stabilization, and creating a healthy glow from the inside out. 

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom on Spinach

Ingredients:

• 4 portobello mushrooms
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 T. olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Stuffing: 

• 1 T. oil
• 1 small onion- diced
• 1/3 c. sun-dried tomatoes- diced
• 2 cloves of garlic- minced or I t. garlic powder
• 1 t. dried thyme
• 1 t. dried rosemary
• ½ t. dried basil
• 1 c. cooked couscous, quinoa or rice
• 1 egg- beaten with 1 T. of water
• ½ c. Parmesan cheese- shredded (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 T. butter or oil
• 1 pkg. (5 oz.) fresh spinach
• 2 cloves of garlic- minced

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375º.
2. Wash the mushrooms and remove the gills.
3. Place the mushrooms, gill side down, on a baking sheet and brush with the balsamic/vinegar mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Set aside to marinate while preparing the stuffing.
5. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan; add the onion, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, thyme, rosemary and basil. Cook until the onions are tender.
6. Remove from heat and add the couscous (rice), cheese and beaten egg. Mix well.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Flip the mushrooms over, gill side up, and stuff each one generously with the filling.
9. Bake, uncovered, at 375º for 15 minutes.
10. While the mushrooms are baking, wipe out the sauté pan and add butter (oil) and heat on medium. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, and then add the spinach.
11. Add ¼ cup of water, cover the pan and steam for 5 minutes.
12. Serve each portobello on the divided spinach.

(Variation: Add ½ pound ground turkey, chicken or beef when sautéing the onion mixture.)

(Recipe by Chef Lynda Lacher)

More about mushrooms!…

5 Ways Mushrooms Benefit Your Brain

Vitamin D: The Sunshine Prohormone

How to Properly Store Produce to Prevent Food Waste

Chef Kylee Snyder is a recent graduate of NTI’s Natural Food Chef Program. She currently leads nutritional cooking classes and provides holistic health coaching that has been known to cause deep affection towards vegetables. Connect with Kylee at www.rendezfoodhhc.com.

Image: Stuffed Mushrooms by Alexa is licensed under CC BY 4.0