Stuffed Mushrooms

Portabello Mushrooms stuffed with Quinoa and Callaloo

Ingredients:

Portabello mushroom caps
Onion
Sweet Pepper
Hot Pepper to taste
Garlic
Okra
Callaloo (Leaf Amaranth)
Okinawa Spinach
Parsley
Basil
Tomato **
Shredded cheese
Panko Bread Crumbs
Quinoa



Process:
Cook Quinoa according to package instructions.  Use just a bit less water.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms, slice and set aside.

Dice Onion, Sweet Pepper, Hot Pepper, Garlic and Okra.  Saute till limp in a bit of olive oil.  Add sliced mushrooms stems.

Dice Callaloo and Okinawa Spinach.  Add to pan with sauteed mix and toss until limp.

Remove pan from heat.

Dice tomato and set aside.

Dice fresh herbs, along with a portion of young leaf amaranth and set aside.

Mix equal parts shredded cheese and panko in a bowl and set aside.

When the quinoa is finished cooking, add the sauteed mixture, tomatoes and fresh diced herbs to the pot and stir well.  Add dry seasoning as desired.  Cover and let set for about 5 minutes.

Prepare the mushroom caps by coating or spraying with a light covering of olive oil.  Use a baking dish with a light layer of olive oil.  Spoon the quinoa and callaloo mixture onto the mushroom caps.  The okinawa spinach is providing the binding action, so you can form the mixture into a nice cap.

Sprinkle the cheese/panko combination on top of each stuffed mushroom.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350.

I don't measure very often.  Guess if we like this enough I'll cook it again and measure the ingredients.  We made this as a side dish to go with pan grilled salmon.  I used 2 mushroom caps, 1 cup of uncooked quinoa and about 2 cups of prepared leaf amaranth (callaloo).  I used about 6 leaves of okinawa spinach.  The okinawa spinach and okra for flavor and nutrients as well as for a binding agent.  The rest of the ingredients I picked for taste to create a stuffing with a slightly spicy flavor.  I tasted the stuffing mixture just before I spooned it out and thought it needed a bit more kick so I added a squirt of Rooster Sauce.

I probably made just a bit too much of the cheesy panko topping.  I used about 3/4 cup each.  Next time I'll use about 1/2 cup each.

Oh, and Mikey likes it.  He says this is a do again recipe.

Yummy!

Hubs grilled the salmon in the pan I used for saute.  The bits of pieces of sauteed goodness left in the pan added a nice flavor to the salmon.  Callaloo and pan grilled salmon went good together.

Tonight I used the Tender Leaf Amaranth from Evergreen.  It continues to be my favorite regarding flavor.  And it is 'dwarf' size, so grows nicely in a container.  Notice the different shape to the leaves as to the red amaranth.  These leaves are more rounded.  The red amaranth leaves are more pointy and the leaves are more spread on the stem.

Everything and more about amaranth.  And it's many names.

** Tomatoes not from our garden.  Boo-hiss.  Temps have dropped.  Which of the blooming (non-cherry) tomatoes will be the first to set fruit??????  Lime Green Salad is just loaded in blooms.  Also blooming strong are:  Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, Mountain Magic and Tropic Boy.  Solar Fire x 2?  Not a single solitary bloom.