Confessions of a Vegetarian Bakeaholic: Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed Mushrooms
from Annie's Eats
serves about 6

2 10oz packages of white mushrooms, the LARGEST and most even you can find*
6 oz cream cheese, softened
3 Tb. parmesan cheese
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tb. bread crumbs, optional

*Search the packages for the ones with mushrooms that are large and even in size. They need to be large enough to stuff and relatively the same size so they cook evenly. They make stuffer mushrooms which are already stemmed but these won't work for this recipe since the stems are actually put to use. My two packages had 19 mushrooms that were usable (only one was too small).

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or dish with cooking spray.

Carefully remove the stems from the mushrooms and set aside. Be as careful as possible to get the stems out without damaging the caps. Wash the caps with a damp towel. Do not immerse caps in water. Arrange caps in baking dish.

I am not very good at following recipes to the T. The recipe suggests using a food processor to get a very fine chop. I kinda just do my own thing most of the time...so I simply chopped my mushroom stems and garlic as fine as I could. Mine tasted great and I didn't have any problems with too big of pieces so I would skip the hassle.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushroom stems and garlic. Cook until no moisture is left, about 5 minutes. (I really need to invest in an extra camera battery.)

Turn the heat to low. Stir in the cream cheese, Parmesan, and spices.

I "chopped" the cream cheese with a wooden spoon and let it soften. Then, I transferred it to a small bowl so I could stir better. This worked out well to combine everything.

Using a small spoon, fill each mushroom cap generously. Top with bread crumbs, if desired. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

I made these the night before so I did not bake them. I covered them with aluminum foil and kept them in the fridge. This worked fine! It's a perfect make-ahead addition to any busy menu.

Nutritional Information (for 3 mushrooms): 145 calories, 11g fat (6.5g sat), 7.5g carbs, 1g fiber, 6g protein

Not bad for an appetizer! My goal was a higher protein appetizer than most but one that could still be enjoyed by others there. I used real cream cheese. I'm sure Neufchatel would work just fine for less fat and calories...but I'm a sucker for real cream cheese. If you are too, you have GOT to try Organic Valley cream cheese. I almost just ate the block. DELICIOUS.

For Christmas, my mom also made a scrapbook of my life.