Vegan for a Day: Artichoke Stuffed Portobellos

Happy Meatless Monday (again)!  I am pretty psyched to be sharing this recipe with you because I'm still thinking about it today--even though we had it last night for dinner. It was that good.

I'm also excited because this recipe came totally from my creative, food-loving brain rather than a simple modification of a recipe I already had.  All of my cooking has really paid off.

***This recipe is a bit more adventurous for non-vegans because it includes tofu cream cheese, vegenaise and nutritional yeast (aka nooch) and vegan parmesan cheese.  While I challenge you to find and use these items, if you simply want to make your Monday meat-less (not vegan), you could use regular cream cheese, mayonnaise, and regular parmesan cheese to replace the nooch/vegan parm.  But I seriously don't think it will be as good.***

Artichoke Stuffed Portobellos
serves 2

INGREDIENTS
 2 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed 
4 artichoke hearts, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup red pepper (about half a medium sized pepper), finely chopped
1/2 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
1 heaping Tablespoon nutritional yeast
6 Tablespoons whole wheat breadcrumbs
4 oz. Tofutti Cream Cheese
2 Tablespoons vegenaise (vegan mayo)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

PREPARATION
1. Preheat oven to 350. Remove stems from portobellos and scrub outside of mushroom gently with a damp washcloth to remove any dirt. Place mushrooms on nonstick baking sheet and set aside.
2.  Heat olive oil in large pan.  Add garlic, onion, artichoke, and red pepper.  Saute until tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

3.  Combine cream cheese, vegenaise, nutritional yeast, and seasonings in a bowl.  Mix well.
4.  Add cooked veggies and breadcrumbs to the cream cheese mixture and stir until well blended.
5.  Stuff each portobello with the filling. Press down gently after first scoop to fill inside of mushroom. Don't be afraid to heap on top!


6.  Sprinkle tops with vegan parmesan cheese.
7. Place into oven and bake for 15-17 minutes, until tops/parmesan are slightly brown.

 

They were absolutely amazing! So many rich flavors that went well together.  You won't miss the meat at all...trust me.  Q grilled up some zucchini w/ just olive oil, salt and pepper on the side, and we were both extremely full at the end of the meal.

Aurora didn't have a portobello, but instead, indulged in some of her favorite foods: cheese,  hummus (on a tortilla) and peaches.  She tried the zucchini, but wasn't a fan...but she still went meatless!

 

You could also make this filling and fill up a bunch of button mushrooms as an appetizer for a summer party/BBQ (I'm hoping to throw one in the near future and plan on doing this!).

Try it, and I promise you won't regret it!

Bon Appetit,
Amanda

Vegan for a Day: Black Bean, Corn, Tomato, and Onion Salad over Quinoa with Avocado Vinaigrette

Jayme, Andrew and Lyla came for a Virginia visit this weekend, and it was fantastic.

at the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning

 But it was also a little challenging:  I had to figure out how to cook for a vegan (me), gluten-free gal (J), and veggie-hating brother-in-law (to be fair, he did eat some veggies). Food plays an important role in entertaining, and I wanted everyone--self included--to feel happy and satisfied.

snacky snack snack snack

We had a ton of healthy, yummy snacks on Friday (chips, hummus, guacamole, crackers, etc.) before dinner, some pad thai and chicken skewers on Saturday, a Sunday brunch that included tofu scramble, GF pancakes, turkey bacon and fresh fruit, and this delicious salad, along with leftovers for lunch. 

This salad is a meal, for sure: you've got your veggies, your bean, your grains, your healthy fats. It's all in there. And it's easy!  A little prep work for the veggies and dressing, but can be ready in about 15 minutes (or less, if you have some help!).

Black Bean, Corn, Tomato and Onion Salad over Quinoa
w/ Avocado Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

Salad
2 cans (15.5 oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed
4 ears corn, boiled and cut off cob (you could also use 1-2 cans of corn or a package of frozen, in a pinch, but obviously, fresh tastes best!)
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped

Quinoa
1 cup quinoa (choose your favorite variety)
2 cups water

Vinaigrette
1 medium avocado
3 Tablespoons lime juice (about 1 fresh lime)
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon agave syrup (or sugar)
2/3 cup vegetable stock
1 green onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt

PREPARATION

1.  If boiling corn, prepare the pot with water (no salt).  Add quinoa and water to sacuepan and cook as directed.
2.  Once corn is ready and slightly cool, cut off cob and put in serving bowl.  Add all other vegetable ingredients as well to make salad.
3.  Let quinoa cool while you make the vinaigrette.
4.  Add all ingredients to a small blender or food processor (I used my immersion/stick blender with its shake cup, and it worked perefctly!).  Blend until smooth, but not thick.  It should look like a runny guacamole.  If too thick, add a little more vinegar.
5. Add cooled quinoa to salad and mix.
6. Pour dressing over salad and mix (you may only use 2/3 of the dressing...it's up to you how saucy you want the salad mixture!).

 The colors in the salad are so gorgeous...of course, as the avocado oxidizes, it will get a little more brown, so this is best served within a day or two.  You can eat it warm if you prefer, by adding the quinoa immediately, but we found it tasted best cold.  Refreshing, healthy, delicious!

Have you made any Meatless Monday recipes lately, from this blog or somewhere else? I'd love to hear about them!

Bon Apetit,
Amanda