Stuffed Mushrooms

For the past few months, John and I have been trying to eat healthier by cutting out carbs, junk food, and fast food.  We've been semi-successful, but every now and then we do slip in a burger or two.  I mean, I am a french fry addict!  Originally, I thought it would be difficult to make dinner because I rely so heavily on pasta and rice as they both cook really fast and you can generally make a lot of whatever it is you're making, which you can pack for lunch the next day.  However, after cutting out bread, pasta, and rice, I find that cooking dinner is not as difficult as I feared.  That is how I came across this super delicious stuffed mushroom recipe.  We both absolutely love mushrooms, and I knew this meal would be a big hit with John.  

What you'll need:

12 fresh, large mushrooms 

1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, soften

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 

minced garlic

1/4 tsp black pepper 

1/4 tsp onion powder 

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

garlic and herb breadcrumbs

olive oil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 

Clean each mushroom thoroughly by using a damp paper towel, remove the stems

Finely chop up the mushroom stems into tiny pieces, set aside

In a small saucepan, heat up about 1 tbs of olive oil, saute the garlic and the mushroom stems, careful, not let your garlic burn

Set aside the garlic mixture to cool

Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature, and once your garlic mixture has cooled down, add the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese cayenne pepper, onion powder, and black pepper to the mix.  Texture should be thick

Spoon a generous amount of the cream cheese mixture into each mushroom, and arrange each mushroom cap on a prepared cookie sheet.

Sprinkle a generous amount of breadcrumbs onto each mushroom cap

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are hot and liquid forms underneath each mushroom

Serve immediately! 

I paired the stuffed mushrooms with baked pork chops, and a side of steamed veggies.  Super healthy, and super yummy! 

Natasha's Suggestions: Next time, add crab meat to your cream cheese mixture and bake as directed above.