I love coming up with recipes that are simple to adapt with whatever you have in the kitchen, particularly ones that are veggie-heavy, creative with spices, and can be made seasonally with goodies found from local vendors. We are really lucky to live in a city peppered with farmers' markets, so a visit often inspires some culinary invention.
Intrigued by the beautiful array of mushrooms at the Union Square Farmers' Market last week, I improvised dinner after a packed weekend: travelling to celebrate my sweet sister-in-law's [surprise] engagement, hunting for a new apartment in this urban jungle, and a few long runs in preparation for the Brooklyn Half Marathon. Needless to say, we needed some energizing, but the springy weather definitely led me more towards lighter fare than heavier.
These little pockets of goodness are essentially a pile of vegetables [just how I like it!] scooped into some really delightful portobellos. It was the perfect cap [get it?!] to the weekend. They turned out so well, I needed to share them here! (Michael says they were 'top 5' as far as dinners go! Give them a try and let me know if you agree.)
Have a wonderful rest of the week! Check out a farmers' market this weekend. Good stuff is a-growin'!
Be well,
- amy


- 2 large portobello mushrooms, washed, destemmed, and gills removed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp Daiya vegan cheese
- 1. Preheat oven to 400F.
- 2. Arrange cherry tomatoes on a foil-lined tray and bake for 20 minutes [or until they start to shrivel].
- 3. In the meantime, remove the portobello gills by scraping with the edge of a spoon. Rub with one tsp of olive oil and arrange open-side up on another baking sheet.
- 4. When tomatoes are roasted, place in food processor with garlic, onion, pepper, and oil. Puree three seconds. Mixture should be chunky.
- 5. Spoon tomatoes into open portobellos.
- 6. Bake at 400F for 12 minutes or until mushrooms start to wrinkle slightly.
- 7. Remove from oven and top with Daiya cheese.
- 8. Return to oven and bake 2-3 minutes longer, until cheese is melted.
- Serve with sauteed kale and quinoa, or with tomato-parm-quinoa.
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