A delectable wrap, ready in 10 minutes, is a fabulous weekend lunch or weeknight meal when you’re crunched for time. Keep reading for the full scoop from Paula from bell’alimento.
If you’re looking for a simple and scrumptious meatless meal option, you can’t go wrong with this vegetarian mushroom, spinach and roasted red pepper wrap. In less than 10 minutes you can have this on your plate and on its way into your belly!
A secret weapon in my fridge is flour tortillas. You can add just about anything to them, roll them up and ,voila, you have a meal in ready minutes. They also double as an easy peasy appetizer! I’m a big fan of easy and effortless entertaining, so these are a staple when I’m playing host.
This vegetarian wrap is “meaty” without the meat. The mushrooms are gently kissed with butter, added to silky smooth roasted peppers and given a little texture with the fresh spinach leave. They’re then enveloped by a soft, warm tortilla to complete the dish.
It’s refreshing, delicious and EASY.
Sauteed Mushroom, Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Wrap (Serves 4)
What you’ll need: 6 ounces button mushrooms – sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt/pepper
1 loosely packed cup fresh spinach
1 roasted red bell pepper – sliced
4 flour tortillas – warmed
What to do:
1. Into a medium sauté pan over medium heat add butter. Melt. Add mushroom and sauté for approximately 4-5 minutes until cooked through. Season with salt/ pepper. Turn off heat.
2. To assemble: Equally distribute spinach, bell pepper and mushrooms between each tortilla.
3. Wrap each like you would a burrito (or you could also simply fold in half and enjoy soft taco style).
Warm, creamy, and rich… just the flavors we’re looking for to forget the winter cold. This Mushroom Feta Quinoa Risotto from We are not Martha, packed with hearty flavors and filling quinoa, is just the ticket…
I’ll admit it. I’m risotto obsessed. I’m perfectly convinced that I could create a variation of risotto every single night and be perfectly happy with my dinner choice… for the rest of my life. Not to mention risotto makes the perfect leftovers for lunch the next day. Meals that you actually want to eat two days in a row or multiple times a day are always winners in my book. Mushroom risotto was the very first risotto I ever made, back in my “I’m so scared I won’t stir the risotto enough and it will stick to the pot and be ruined” days. Nowadays, I’m an old risotto pro (so I like to think) and have come to learn that constantly stirring the pot isn’t necessary. (Literally and figuratively.)
The other night, I had a desire to go back to my roots, while at the same time experimenting. And thus, I pulled my quinoa out of the pantry and grabbed a block of feta cheese and, of course, my old friends, mushrooms. A new risotto was born; one filled with healthy whole grains that will keep you nice and satisfied. Of course, the mushrooms really make this dish and add to its incredible earthy feel. Mushrooms and risotto will always go together like soul sisters. But adding a little extra pizazz is exactly what we need to keep life (and dinner) exciting.
Mushroom Feta Quinoa Risotto (serves 4-6):
4-5 C low-sodium chicken broth
2 T olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 C mushrooms of your choice (I used shitake and baby bella), chopped in 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 C quinoa
1/2 C dry white wine
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
2 C spinach
1) In a medium saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil then lower to a simmer and keep on burner.
2) In a separate, medium-large saucepan, heat your olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes, until onions are transparent.
3) Add the quinoa to the pot and cook for about 2 minutes.
4) Pour the wine in, listen to it sizzle, and then stir it a bit while the quinoa absorbs the wine.
5) Add one cup of chicken broth to the pot and stir a bit. You don’t have to constantly stir, but do check on the quinoa from time to time to make sure it’s not sticking to the pot. As soon as the chicken broth is absorbed by the quinoa, add another cup. Continue until the quinoa is nice and tender, but still firm. Don’t be a afraid to taste! That’s the best part.
6) Once all of the broth has been absorbed, stir in feta cheese. Take the risotto off the heat and stir in the spinach so it gets a little wilted.
7) Enjoy the most perfect comfort food of all.
Whether you need a filling, warm lunch or a comforting sandwich to pair with dinner, this panini, packed with baby bella mushrooms, gooey cheese, and sweet sauteed onions is a superb sandwich choice! Read on for the recipe from Paula from bell’alimento.
Panini are Italian pressed sandwiches that come filled with just about anything your heart desires. This vegetarian version will satisfy even the biggest of appetites. It’s filled with creamy caramelized onions and baby bella mushrooms that have been sautéed to perfection in an herb butter. It’s oozing with Swiss cheese and has a big crunchy exterior thanks to the Pan Bigio bread. It’s a stellar lunch or light dinner when accompanied with a hearty bowl of soup!
What you’ll need: (Makes 2 panini)
Caramelized Onions:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion – thinly sliced
salt/pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
Mushrooms:
2 tablespoons unsalted herb butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
6 ounces baby bella mushrooms – sliced
4 slices Pan Bigio – sliced thick on the bias
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 cherry tomatoes – halved, optional
What to do: 1. Place 2 tablespoons olive oil into a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add onions. Season with salt/pepper. Cook until onions are softened. Add sugar, continue cooking, stirring as necessary until onions have caramelized (approximately 30 minutes). Set aside.
2. Into a small sauté pan add: 2 tablespoons herb butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Heat over medium heat. Add mushrooms. Season with salt/pepper. Cook for approximately 4-5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Heat your Panini press to 350 degrees. Equally distribute mushrooms between two slices of bread. Equally top with mushrooms with caramelized onions. Place 2 slices of Swiss cheese on each piece of bread. (NOTE: if using tomatoes place them on at this time) Place corresponding slices of bread on top. Lightly brush tops of bread with room temperature herb butter.
4. Place sandwiches onto hot panini press. Cook for approximately 4-5 minutes until bread is toasted and cheese has melted.
TIPS: If you do not have a panini grill, use a non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Place sandwich onto hot pan. Using a heavy pan (such as a cast iron pan), weigh sandwich down. Cook as directed above.
Food Day is a grassroots campaign organized by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) that encourages people to “eat real” by focusing on healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.
As you might imagine, everyone at the Mushroom Channel is quite on board with the concept of Food Day. Mushrooms offer a versatile and tasty solution for unprocessed, low-calorie entrees, side dishes and snacks. Their flexibility and friendliness toward virtually any kind of diet makes them an easy addition to any “real” shopping list. We’re proud to bring them to your stores, markets and tables and excited about what lies ahead.
Portabellas are wonderful meaty and flavorful mushrooms. They’re perfect for those nights when you want something vegetarian and filling. This recipe can be grilled or broiled making it perfect year round. It’s also incredibly versatile. You can stuff them with just about anything your heart desires. Cherry tomatoes would be a fantastic addition.
For another variation it would even be delicious made into a portabella mushroom burger simply by adding a great toasted bun and garnishing with balsamic vinegar!
Portabella Mushrooms filled with Goat Cheese What you’ll need:
2 portabella mushrooms – stems removed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
pepper
2 cloves garlic – minced
firm goat cheese – 2 slices or enough to cover mushroom caps
1/4 cup Parmigano Reggiano – grated
flat leaf Italian parsley – roughly chopped
What to do: 1. Preheat broiler to HIGH. Place mushrooms onto a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle oil olive on both sides {using more if necessary}. Place portabellas gill side down. Broil for approximately 8-10 minutes.
2. CAREFULLY flip portabellas over onto baking sheet. Season with pepper. Add garlic and top with goat cheese slices and Parmigiano. Season with pepper. Return to oven for approximately 5 minutes OR until cheese is bubbly and golden.
Shaina Olmanson is the food writer, home cook and photographer behind Food for My Family and Olmanson Photography. This is her first recipe for the Mushroom Channel and we’re willing to cosign it as the one that could turn the meat-lovers in your house meatless…at least for one night a week.
I spent several years as a vegetarian, and it’s a lifestyle that still sings to me, calls me even. Contrast that to my husband’s classic Midwestern meat-and-potatoes upbringing, sandwich them together and you’ll find us today where navigating the landscape of real food, and seeking to fuel our four children’s bodies with the best nutrition available, settled quite happily into omnivore status.
With an effort to change the way we think of food and the way we eat our food comes giving and taking, and sometimes it also means exploring those meatless meals for my husband, who loves vegetables but prefers to pair them with a side of meat (to help fill him up). His dislike for meat-like products is strong, and he declares good vegetarian burgers to be something of a myth that is talked about but does not exist. That is, he did until I changed the concept.
Rather than imitating meat, this meatless burger is a play on the whole sandwich with giant portabella mushroom caps as buns and a slice of grilled halloumi takes the place of the burger. These were not only accepted, but devoured and raved about after dinner. I may just turn the carnivore yet.
Portabella and Halloumi “Burgers”
4 portabella mushroom caps with stems removed
3 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 thin slices halloumi
2 thick slices tomato
Sea salt and pepper
1 handful basil leaves
Heat grill to medium-high heat (about 450 degrees). Wash mushroom caps and cry. In a shallow bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Place mushrooms gill side down in the mixture.
When the grill is hot, grill the mushrooms on the gill side first for about 5 minutes or until they start to sweat. Flip and grill 2-3 minutes more. Add halloumi to the grill and grill 2 minutes on each side over relatively high heat until grill marks form on the cheese and it becomes soft and pliable. Sprinkle salt and pepper onto the tomato to taste.
Assemble the “burger” with the mushroom as the bun, the halloumi cheese as the burger, the lightly salted tomato and fresh basil leaves. Wrap and serve hot.
Makes 2 servings.
Of note:
:: For a true vegetarian meal, find a vegetarian halloumi made with non-animal rennet.
:: Be sure to wrap these sandwiches before serving or plan to eat them with a knife and fork, as they are a bit slippery.
This week’s recipe post comes to the Mushroom Channel from Paula of the positively bellissima blog bell’alimento. If your family is looking for tasty ways to cut down on meat during the week, this recipe would be an excellent choice for Meatless Monday (or Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday…you get the idea).
Vegetarian Mushroom Calzones are a quick and easy meal that you can pull together in about 30 minutes tops. It’s quick because we’ve taken a short cut and used refrigerated pizza dough. If you want to make your own pizza dough, you can find my pizza dough recipe HERE.
The filling is a classic mushroom mixture that starts by sautéing the mushrooms with butter, garlic, and parsley. A quick note: you’ll want to be sure your mushroom mixture is cool before adding it to the dough and topping with the cheese mixture. Then the assembly comes together in a snap: dough, cheeses, mushrooms, fold, seal and pop into the oven!
You can serve this with pizza sauce for dipping if desired. This recipe makes 2 very generous calzones, but can easily be doubled if necessary!
Vegetarian Mushroom Calzones
Ingredients: {Makes 2 large calzones}
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces mushrooms – sliced
1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf Italian Parsley – roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic – minced
cornmeal
13.08 ounces of refrigerated classic pizza crust
1/2 cup ricotta cheese – divided
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese – divided
salt/pepper
extra virgin olive oil – enough to brush on calzones
Directions:
1. Place your pizza stone {or upside down rimmed baking sheet} into oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. WHILE the oven is preheating, into a sauté pan, add: butter and melt over medium heat. Add: mushrooms, garlic and parsley and sauté for approximately 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Sprinkle a small amount of cornmeal onto your clean work surface {so pizza does not stick} Unroll the pizza dough and cut it in half.
4. To assemble: Place 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese about 1″ from the bottom of the dough in a straight line. Top with 1/2 of the ricotta mixture. Top with 1/2 of the cooled mushroom mixture. Season with salt pepper. Using your finger, or pastry brush, LIGHTLY dab water onto the edges of the dough. CAREFULLY fold the dough over itself sealing the edges. Use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges. Continue with other piece of dough.
5. Transfer your calzones to the oven {A pizza peel is recommended but if you don’t have a pizza peel, a large grill spatula will work in a pinch} and onto pizza stone {or upside down baking sheet}. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until golden.
6. Carefully remove calzones from oven. Lightly brush the tops with olive oil. Allow calzones to cool slightly prior to serving.
This gorgeous tutorial for a healthy dinner comes to you from Sabrina- the blogger behind the healthy living (and eating!) blog RhodeyGirl Tests. Great cooking demo, Sabrina!
That is one beautiful pizza from Rebecca at Ezra Poundcake. I think this is on my menu tonight, only I’d like to try cooking it on the grill. Silently salivate on that for your Wordless Wednesday.
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