Portabella Vegetable-Stuffed Mushrooms

So anyone who knows me, knows that I love mushrooms. I will find a way to add them to any dish, just like my new found love of curry, but this is not about curry. My son too, when he was six months, ate a huge, and I mean huge portabella mushroom when we ate with his great grandparents in So Cal. Anyways, someone posted they wanted to see a vegan recipe, and I thought of something I could do with mushrooms. Walking down the isle at Berkeley Bowl, I found portabella mushrooms, and thought of stuffing it with brown rice and veges. For those of you who are not vegans, I have put a cheese option, but wanted to keep this a vegan recipe.
I hope you enjoy this!!





4 Servings

Ingredients:

4 Portabella Mushrooms
1/2 Green Bell Pepper
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper
2 Bunches Green Onions
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 Roma Tomato
2 Cups Brown Rice

If Not Vegan, Grated Monterey Jack Cheese


Steps:
1. Make the brown rice
2. Preheat the oven to 425
3. Take the stem off the portabella mushroom and cut into pieces
4. Cut all vegetables
5. Get a baking pan and put olive oil on it, or pam and put the 4 portabella mushroom on them and bake for 10-15 minutes
6. Saute all the vegetables, garlic, etc, not the tomato
7. If you are not vegan, you can grate some cheese to go on top as well
8. Once time is up take portabella mushrooms and pour out the juice that has come to the top of the mushroom
9. Scoop 1/4 Cup brown rice into each portabella mushroom
10. Put the vegetables on top, you should have some left over, if not that is ok, grated cheese if you are not vegan
11. Bake in the oven for an additional 15 minutes
12. Slice your roma tomato into slices
13. Take it out of the oven when done, and then top with a tomato
14. Pour the mushroom juices on top
15. Take the left over mushroom and left over tomatos and put them on the side
16. Yum Yum!!!

Pictured Below:
(Pink and Orange Plates, Vegan)
(Green and Blue Plates, With Cheese)

Vanilla Almond Cup Cakes

Super rich and delish! My husband even loved them more than I did. I am glad I did this while my kids where asleep- they would have eaten this up. Again, this really is super rich, but super yummy. Perfect for a birthday party because 1 cup cake really is enough!


Makes 20 Cup Cakes

- Dry Ingredients:
2 Cups Flour
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Sliced Almonds
2 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt

- Wet Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Shortening, Crisco
3/4 Cup Milk
2 Eggs
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract





- Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Get three bowls out, one for dry ingredients, which needs to be the biggest bowl, one for the wet ingredients and one small one for the shortening
3. Measure and mix as you go, all the dry ingredients
4. In the 2nd Bowl, crack your eggs and whip them until completely integrated (yolk, and whites) then add the vanilla and milk and mix
5. In the 3rd bowl, take the shortening and take a fork to it and press it down and then mix it until it is more a cream than shortening. Consistency is important.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix completely
7. Add the shortening to the batch and stir real well
8. Lay out cup cake holders and pour 3/4 of the cup full
9. Put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, do not bake to long so they don't get dry
10. Let Cool
11. Ice with icing recipe below

Icing:

1lb of Powdered Sugar
1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds
1/4 Cup Milk
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Stick of Butter

Steps:
1. In a small bowl, take the stick of butter and cream with fork
2. In large bowl empty the sugar, than add the milk, vanilla extract and mix. After I mixed it, I added a few more drops of vanilla.
3. Add the butter and cream it with a fork
4. Add Almonds and cream it
5. Use it!

(Blueberry) Cinnamon Vanilla Yoghurt

Let me just say this- not only is this super simple and easy for kids to help with, my son was licking the bowl afterwards and kept asking for more!! My kids had a blast.
Only a few ingredients, fast, easy to make for breakfast or a snack. Great homeschooling or preschool activity as well.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Vanilla Yoghurt (pick your favourite brand of vanilla yoghurt)
1/2 Teaspoon to 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
Handful of blueberries, optional

Steps:
1. Get all your ingredients ready
2. Measure out the yoghurt into a bowl
3. Add the Cinnamon
4. Add the blueberries, if you wish

Ready, Presto, YUMMY!

Curried Lamb Pasta

My son ate this up so fast! My husband went back for seconds!
I try to find ways to put curry in things, and this is very good, very balanced tasting.
I had a lot of fun making up this recipe, I hope you all enjoy it!

Serves 8

Dry Ingredients:
1 tsp Curry Powder
1/8 tsp Salt
1/8th tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp Cinammon

1 large onion
1 lb Ground Lamb
1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1 can or 26 ounces of Tomato Sauce
1 package, 12 oz, Veggie Spiral Pasta
a sprig of parmesean cheese

Let's Make It!

1. Mix dry ingredients, put aside
2. Cut Large onion into pieces
3. Heat a pan, sautee onions for a few minutes
4. Add garlic
5. Add the lamb and cook, after juices released pour out the excess
6. shake the pan to even out the lamb, and pour the dry ingredients on them, leave for a minute, and then stir
7. Let cook for a few minutes
8. Get together the vege pasta and put in to cook
9. Pour the tomato sauce over the lamb and simmer
10. Mix pasta and curried lamb sauce, and top with parmasean cheese

Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup

11th of January , 2010
Top left: Cooking, Right: Yummy Results!

Have you ever wondered how to get your kids to eat lentils? And have a heart warming soup that is healthy and cheap to make in time and money?
This is it! My 3 year old boy loves it and my 2 year old daughter won't eat anything pureed, and she liked this too! You can eat as shown in either picture, but very yummy!!


It takes about 40 minutes to make, 10 minutes prep time.
Serves about 6 people.

Ingredients:
5 Cups Water
5 teaspoons chicken buillon
2 Teaspoons Whole Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric
1/4 Teaspoon Chile Powder
1 Tablespoon dried Cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Cup Red Lentils
3 medium Onions
2 large Sweet Potatos
2 1/2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic


Steps:
1. Mix the chicken buillion, cumin, turemeric, chile powder, cilantro, salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix in with the boiling water (the whole 5 cups)- wait until the water is boiling and stir well
2. Cut the sweet potatos into cubes, keeping the skin on for nutrition, unless you want to not have skin on it (I kept it on)
3. Cut onions into cubes as well
4. Add in the garlic to the boiling mixture
5. Add the onions, sweet potatos, and lentils
6. Boil for 25-30 minutes
7. Serve as is or put into a blender and puree it with a little chunk left in it.
8. Enjoy!!!

So yummy and filling you will go back for seconds!!