Stuffed Portobello Melts

Hearty and comforting, giant stuffed portobellos are a perfectly wonderful meal on their own or great as a side dish. On the table in 30 minutes, nutritious, and packed full of umami flavor, these meaty melts are sure to be a favorite and impress your dinner guests.

Todd and I love portobello mushrooms though I don't often serve them myself. We really enjoyed them grilled as 'steaks' at an upscale restaurant in downtown Cleveland (they were absolutely amazing). However, they really were a standout dish when we had them stuffed with a delicious bread filling at a charming little eatery in Hawaii. I knew I just had to try to recreate them. About a year ago, I made my own stuffed portobello mushroom caps a couple times but they were really underwhelming. I decided to take a break on trying to live up to our Hawiian portobello encounter... until now!

Third time's the charm; enter this fantastic fungi fête! This is redemption at it's finest. These portobello melts are comforting and gooey with melty cheese and savory bread crumbs, meaty mushrooms and sausage, and just the right balance of seasonings. I love how quick they come together and are so simple even our little Oliver was able to help out! These are definitely going to be on regular rotation in our house. I hope you love them as much as we do!

Stuffed Portobello Melts

Recipe by Kathleen @ Produce On Parade

Hearty and comforting, giant stuffed portobellos are a perfectly wonderful meal on their own or great as a side dish. On the table in 30 minutes, nutritious, and packed full of umami flavor, these meaty melts are sure to be a favorite and impress your dinner guests.

Yield: 4

Ingredients

• 4 large portobello mushrooms
• 1 cup vegan breadcrumbs (I use panko)
• ½ cup shredded vegan cheese
• 1 Tofurky Kielbasa sausage link, chopped small
• 3 tbsp white wine (or vegetable broth)
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp large-flake nutritional yeast
• ¾ tsp seasoning salt or table salt + extra for sprinkling
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 4 slices of vegan cheese (I like Field Roast Chao)
• sprinkling of fresh lemon thyme, for garnish (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Clean the mushroom caps with a dry towel; remove and discard the stem. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and arrange the portobellos gills side up. Sprinkle each with a dash of salt and roast for 15 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients except for the slices of cheese and thyme. Spoon and pack the bread crumb filling within the cap of the mushrooms dividing it evenly between the four caps. Top each mushroom with one slice of cheese. Roast for another 10 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and garnish with lemon thyme. Serve hot.

Portobello Mushroom Steaks & Whole Foods Giveaway!

A very happy and joyful New Year to you! I hope it's starting out beautifully. As beautiful as these portobello steaks, perhaps? See what I did there? Just jumping right in! I'm so excited, this is such a wonderful post for the start of 2015!

While we were on Christmas vacation in Ohio, Todd and I were invited downtown, to a somewhat upscale restaurant in Cleveland. There were a few vegan options and one was a portobello steak. I had never had a portobello steak before! Let me say, it was amazing!! I knew I had to make them when I got home. 

It was actually pretty serendipitous because Whole Foods had contacted me earlier about working with them on a mushroom promotion! I'm down with promoting mushrooms, love the little "fun guys"...get it? Hehe. Anyways, I picked up these 'bellos at Whole Foods to make some steaks. Whole Foods is a such an intriguing place to pick up mushrooms because there are so many options. I also snagged a box filled with a variety of all kinds of funky, different little mushrooms I'd never seen before. I cooked them up in some pasta with artichokes! Delish!

And I suspect you saw the bit about the giveaway? Stay tuned below to enter to win a $50 Whole Foods Market gift card! 

First things first though, it's steak time! Don't worry, no furry companions were harmed in the making of these meaty steaks!

This juicy, Portobello steak will satisfy your cravings and fill you up. Sautéed with onions, balsamic vinegar, mirin, and herbs it’s a compassionate alternative to eating our furry friends! 

Portobello Mushroom Steaks

This juicy, Portobello steak will satisfy your cravings and fill you up. Sauteed with onions, balsamic vinegar, mirin, and herbs it’s a compassionate alternative to eating our furry friends! Adapted from Happy Herbivore.

Yield: 2 steaks

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. vegan butter
• 1/2 cup vegan vegetable or beef broth
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. mirin or sherry
• ½ Tbsp. soy sauce
• ½ Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• ½ tsp. dried basil
• dash of ground black pepper
• 2 large, whole Portobello mushrooms

Cooking Directions

1. In a large frying pan, heat the butter over medium. Once melted, add half of the broth and bring to a simmer.
2. Next, add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 8 minutes over medium-high.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl excluding the mushrooms and the remaining broth. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth to clean them and pull off the stems.
4. Add the whisked mixture to the pan and reduce to medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and then add in the Portobello caps and their stems.
5. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Gently turn over the mushrooms, add in the remaining broth, cover and cook an additional 8 minutes.
6. Serve hot, topped with the juice and onions over top.

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Dutch Word of The Day

Happy New Year --> Gelukkig Nieuwjaar (heh-lookahg-new-yearh) -- okay so that's a tough one to say...

Good Deed of The Day

Have you heard of Veganuary? If you're pondering about trying to cut out animal products from your diet for a month, now is the best time to do it! Find more information here and spread the word.

Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff

One of my most beloved dishes from my life as an omnivore was a beef stroganoff. It may have been the recipe off the back of the Campbells Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup can. I'm slightly embarrassed. I know what you're thinking, but just trust me when I tell you it was legit. Being that I am now a vegan hippie, I came to the sad realization that stroganoff was one of those dishes that I was just going to have to give up (much like clam linguine). However, I was terribly and delightfully mistaken. 

I started to see mushroom stroganoff recipes floating around the internet. It had never occurred to me to just replace the beef from my favorite stroganoff recipe with mushrooms! Duh! So I set off to do just that, until I obviously observed that a very large component of said dish is the condensed cream of mushroom soup. Well shit...that stuff is definitely not vegan. Another obstacle, and more crafty work needed.

Even without the soup, I managed to make a stroganoff that is just as good if not better than any animal based stroganoff, and that's coming from a serious carnivore and stroganoff extraordinaire (my Pops). I did it! Now I can savor in that creamy, mushroomy, rich stroganoff once again. And without any guilt! Peace has once again been restored. Now onto the next omnivore recipe to conquer....clam linguine!    

Rich and creamy, this vegan stroganoff features chunky mushrooms and a thick, savory, cream based sauce. No dairy or beef required!

Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff

Inspired by Campbells and All Recipes

Serves a crowd (about 10 people)

• 3 Tbsp. vegan butter
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 lbs. of mushrooms, sliced (I used 1/3 portobello and 2/3 cremini)
• 12 oz. vegan sour cream (I like Tofutti) 
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 Tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce (check the cheap store-brand one)
• 1/2 Tbsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. vegetable broth paste (Better Than Bouillon)
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 24 oz. pasta, dry (I used Campanelle)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Heat the butter in a very large, rimmed frying pan. Add in the onions and garlic. Saute until fragrant and the onions become soft. 

Bring a very large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain and set aside until ready to use. 

Add the mushrooms to the onions, and saute until browned, about 10-15 minutes. 

Now, whisk together the sour cream through the black pepper in a medium mixing bowl, very well to combine. Add to the mushrooms and stir well to combine. Cook on low, until thoroughly heated.

You can serve this stroganoff two ways. Either add in the cooked pasta and chopped parsley to the mushrooms and toss to coat.

Or, serve the mushroom mixture over the hot noodles with some parsley sprinkled on top. 

Swayin' to Lorde – 400 Lux

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