The other day, as I was searching the web for good food ideas (who doesn’t??), I recruited the help of some of you on facebook for Valentine’s Day menu options. One of you, Stephanie, suggested stuffed portobello mushrooms (Thanks, Stephanie!!). I really don’t think I’ve ever eaten stuffed portobello mushrooms, but it sounded tasty enough, so I set out to the grocery store and returned with some nice plump portobellos. Then it dawned on me. What on earth does one stuff in a portobello mushroom?
That’s when I found this. Kale pesto with fresh avocado all mixed together and stuffed into an oven-roasted portobello. Y to the Yum! BevCooks isn’t a vegan blog, but it has lots of great recipe ideas that can be veganized (I love doing that :D).
So, I made my own vegan version. And it tastes wonderful.
I must say that this recipe tastes delicious with either the large portobellos or small baby bellos or both. However, if you’re serving someone (or yourself) who isn’t used to the rich flavors of avocado and portobellos mushrooms, I recommend serving these up as appetizers using the baby bellos. They are delicious, bite-sized, and not too overwhelming. I probably wouldn’t use these as entrees, unless you or your guest are just in love with avocado and portobellos. (Me!! I totally sliced up the big ones and ate them with vegan mayo in a sandwich. Confessions of an avocado and mushroom and spinach fanatic…)
To start, you’re going to brush the caps and rims of your ‘shrooms with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Next, you’re going to roast them in a hot oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. (Yes, they were steaming, so that’s why Mr. ‘Shroom on the right looks slimy. He wasn’t. It’s just steam. :D) Make sure you dump the water out of the caps, as it’s sure to collect in there while they’re baking.
Next, you’re going to make your filling, spoon it into your mushrooms, and sprinkle with some sliced almonds. At this point, you can either serve ’em up with the raw filling or throw them back in the oven for a couple more minutes to brown up the tops a little (my personal preference). They’re delicious both ways.
And there you have it, my friends, an easy soy-free, gluten-free, stress-free appetizer option for your Valentine’s Day dinner menu.
Don’t forget the entree: Mushroom Ravioli with Sun-dried tomato “Cream” Sauce
And the dessert: Lemon Strawberry Sweetheart Cakes
And the salad with Creamy Basil Salad Dressing
Come back tomorrow for the drink, and that will conclude our Valentine’s Day menu series.
Enjoy!
Spinach Avocado Stuffed Portobellos
Ingredients
- 2 Portobello mushrooms Or leave out the large Portabellos completely and just use 8 oz of Baby Bellos
- 4 oz Baby bellos Or 1 more large Portobello mushroom
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 1/2 cup baby spinach well packed
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt to taste
- handful of sliced almonds for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Gently wash your mushrooms in cool water, then remove the stems by getting a firm hold of the base of the stem, and pulling straight out.
- Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil or your favorite non-stick waterproof liner. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small cup, and use a pastry brush to paint the edges and caps of your mushrooms with a tiny bit of oil.
- Place your mushrooms, cap side down, on your baking sheets, putting your baby bellos and large mushrooms on separate pans, as they need to bake for different lengths of time. Sprinkle the gills with a little salt.
- Bake all mushrooms at 450 degrees F for about 7 minutes, then remove your baby bellos. Leave the big ones baking for another 3-5 minutes (total of 11-12 minutes), or until the edges are starting to get all wrinkly and dry and delicious. Pour water out of caps and put back on your baking sheet.
- For your filling, combine your spinach, garlic, walnuts, and seasonings in a strong blender or food processor. Blend until chunky, but smooth.
- Peel and remove your avocado pit, then mash the contents until it is also chunky, but smooth. Pour blender contents over mashed avocado and stir it together. Now, taste it, and add salt to your preference.
- Spoon filling into your mushrooms and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
- At this point, you can serve your mushrooms with the raw filling if you wish (This is the stage at which all of the large mushrooms were photographed.). Or, if you are like me, and you love everything to be piping hot before you eat it, put your stuffed mushrooms back in the oven at 450 degrees F for another 3-5 minutes (This is the stage at which the small mushroom close-ups were photographed). This will dry out your filling just a tiny bit, and make it even more delicious, in my opinion.
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Come to moma, little avocado mushroom boats! ;) These look great and I bet they make a very pleasing appetizer for guests!
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Must try this, it looks really really yummy =)
Mmmmm, I have some Haas avocados at home, just waiting for a recipe like this, thanks!!
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I just made these for dinner and they were wonderful!
http://rhayne73.blogspot.com
Oh, YUM!
I am a vegetarian, looking for ways to cut down on wheat … so I just made this for lunch and it was DELISH! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
:)
Thanks, Jaime!
Oh my goodness! Made these as a side for hubby’s delicious grilled tilapia. Added minced roasted radishes and subbed feta cheese for the nuts. So darn, incredibly, ahhhh, devine. Thank you :-)
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You really shouldn’t wash your mushrooms, just wipe them off with a paper towel or a small brush. Then they do not get slimy. The recipe looks good, maybe I will have to make a version of this.
Made this for our 4th of July “barbecue”. They were DELICIOUS!!!!!!
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Lindsay, I see from the comments that you catered your own wedding with the help of friends. My daughter is interested in doing the same (vegan/vegetarian). I don’t know how to do it, logistically. Did you make a lot of food and freeze it? How did you get it all ready on the big day and still do bride stuff? I would appreciate any tips. Thanks