Chicken and Spinach Burger Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

I had ground chicken.  I had portobello mushrooms.    A little google searching and I came up with this chicken parm-y related stuffed mushroom and I am not sad about it.  I used about 1/2 of the burger mix for these and then made 3 oz. patties out of the rest and stuck them in the freezer for mini burgers sometime later.

Chicken and Spinach Burger Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

4 large portobello mushrooms, cleaned with stems removed and gill scraped out

1 lb. ground chicken

about 5 oz. of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 small onion, diced finely

1 t. salt

a bit less than 1 t. pepper

1/2 t. onion powder

1/3 c. fresh parsley, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

4 slices of pepper jack cheese

1 c. or so marinara or pizza sauce 

Mix together the spinach, onion, salt, pepper, onion powder, parsley, garlic, egg, and parmesan cheese in a bowl.  Add the chicken and combine.  Form four 2 1/2 oz. patties or so and form the rest into patties for the freezer for another day.  You choose the size based on what you want them for.

Put the 4 mushrooms cap-top side down on a baking tray sprayed with oil.  Roast at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes, flip them over and bake another 3 or 4 minutes.

Reduce the temperature to about 400 degrees and place a chicken patty in each mushroom cap.  Bake for about 12 or 13 minutes until internal temp on the chicken is around 165 degrees.

Then top each with a dollop of marinara or pizza sauce and a slice of cheese.  Return to the oven for about4 minutes to melt the cheese.  Then add one more light dollop of sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.  Finish off for another minute or so in the oven.

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t = teaspoon

c = cup

oz = ounce

Chicken Kabob Seasoning

 Really good and simple chicken kabob seasoning here!

I served these along side of red baby potatoes, that I halved and par boiled to soften some and then tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, granulated garlic, fresh dill and fresh parsley.  We finished them off to crisp up a bit on the flat top grill.

We also had bell peppers of assorted colors and red onion tossed in olive oil and za'atar seasoning.

Chicken Kabob Seasoning

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in desired skewer size

1 T. melted butter or olive oil (I used avocado oil)

1 t. salt

1/2 t. freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. paprika (I used a combo of regular and smoked paprika)

Microwave Salmon

 Microwave Salmon?!? WHAT?  No, seriously, this is awesome.  Super great flavor, super quick.  I'm 'hooked'. Hahahahaha.  Thanks, Jean, for the recipe!

Microwave Salmon

12 oz. or so salmon, skin on or off, either works

2 t. salt

2 c. lukewarm water

Seasoning of your choice (this time I used salt, lemon pepper, and dried dill)

Put the salmon in a dish with sides that can go in the microwave so it fits snuggly.  Sprinkle with your seasonings.  

Dissolve the salt in the water and pour in the salmon dish, but don't cover the salmon.  Have the top exposed.

Cover the salmon dish with a plate or loose plastic wrap.  Microwave for 4 minutes.  Then let it sit for another 4 minutes before uncovering.

Remove from the water and serve.

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oz = ounce

t = teaspoon

c = cup

Italian Seasoning

 Make your own Italian Seasoning -- don't buy it!

1 T. dried basil

1 T. dried oregano

1 T. dried thyme

1 T. dried Marjoram

2 t. dried Sage

1 T. dried Rosemary

Popovers

 Guess who got a popover pan for Christmas?  ME!  I found this recipe on the King Arthur flour website and it was duplicated on another site that said it was the 'best'.   We enjoyed them!  They are large and tasty.  

Popovers

4 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 c. whole milk, lukewarm at 110 degrees or so

3/4 t. salt

1 1/2 c. flour (178 grams)

3 T. melted butter, slightly cooled

In a blender, combine the eggs, salt and milk.

Add the flour and blend. Then add the butter.  Blend until frothy.

Let it sit for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Position the oven racks so one rack is at the top setting and another is in the bottom third of the oven so there is room for the popovers to pop.

Put the popover pan on a sheet pan in the hot oven for 2 minutes.  Remove it from the oven and spray  the insides and rims of each popover pan section with nonstick spray.

Split the runny batter between the 6 popover cups.  Bake for 20 minutes, trying not to open the oven as they rise.  After 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake another 10 minutes.  If the tops are getting over-browned, slip a sheet pan on the top shelf to shield the popovers from burning. 

Remove the popovers from the oven and pierce each popover with a paring knife to release steam.  Slip  them from the pan and enjoy.  

Warm is best.  These are best right out of the oven.  If you need to make in advance, you can warm them in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes or so to reheat and maybe crisp up again.

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t = teaspoon

T = tablespoon

c = cup

Pasta Fagioli

 I signed up for a recipe site geared toward a healthy eating plan for 'maturing' women recently.  I've tried some awesome stuff from them. homemademethod.com.  This one is going to be on repeat.  It is SO GOOD. This is a 6 serving recipe below.

Pasta e Fagioli

2 T. olive oil, divided

1 lb. ground beef, grass fed preferred

1 1/2 c. diced onion

2 c. diced carrots

4 stalks celery diced

3 c. kale spines removed, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 c. chicken or veggie stock

2 T. tomato paste

2 cans diced tomatoes

t t. coconut sugar

1 T. Italian seasoning

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper

1/2 c. water or more as needed

1 c. Ditalini pasta, dry (or macaroni noodles work too)

1 can kidney beans drained and rinsed

1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed

For serving (optional):

1/2 c. parsley, fresh, roughly chopped

1/2 c. parmesan cheese, shredded

Heat 1 T. oil in a large pat over med high heat.  Add the beef and cook and break it apart until fully cooked.

Drain the fat from the pot and transfer the meat to a bowl aside.

Cook the pasta to al dente.  Drain and set aside.

Heat 1 T. oil in the same pot.  Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté over med high heat until tender, about 6 minutes.  Add the kale and garlic and sauté 1 minute longer.  

Add the stock, tomato past, tomatoes, sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to med low.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft, 15-20 minutes.  Add water if needed.

Add the pasta and beans to the soup.  Add water if needed.  Cook until beans and pasta are hot, about 5 minutes more.

Garnish with parsley and parmesan if desired.

Lingonberry Salmon

 We try to stick to a Scandinavian theme for Christmas Dinner each year.   Lingonberry Salmon sat next to Norwegian meatballs this year.  This is based off the Quick Cured Lingonberry Salmon on northwildkitchen.com but changed a bit since we don't have fresh lingonberry readily available here.  I used a lingonberry jam instead.  It's a bit more runny than it probably should be, but it still works in a pinch.  We also did ours on the grill using cedar planks instead of baking it.  (I doubled this recipe for our crowd, but here is the single version)

Lingonberry Salmon

2 lb. salmon (We use sockeye whenever we can!)

1 T. salt

1 T. sugar

1 c. fresh or frozen lingonberries (recipe says you can sub chopped cranberries, too).  I used 1/2 c. or so of lingonberry jam in it's place

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. whole grain mustard (I used stone ground)

1/4 c. melted butter and cooled

Place the salmon on a sheet pan, skin side down.  Combine the salt and sugar and rub it on the salmon.  Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge and let it sit for an hour or so. 

Take it out and rub off with a paper towel as much of the salt and sugar mixture as you can.

In a small bowl, combine the mustard, honey, lingonberries (or jam), and the melted and cooled butter. 

If you are grilling this, transfer the salmon to the cedar planks (be sure to presoak these so they don't burn).  Spread the mustard-jam mixture over the salmon.

Grill and enjoy.

If you are baking the salmon, bake the salmon in a baking dish (without the planks of course) at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

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T = tablespoon

c = cup

lb = pound