Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms with Tomato and Bread Salad

I stumbled onto this recipe and it sounds so good. Its a vegan meal pretty much unless you dont eat cheese or dairy either. I could eat this for dinner but I know my boyfriend would be looking for the meat so if I decide to make it, I might throw a chop or burger on the grill too while these were cooking..... Just for him........cuz I love him :)

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms with Panzanella

8 portabello mushroom caps
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing mushrooms, plus 1/4 cup
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained well
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 egg yolk
1 clove garlic, grated with microplane or small side box grater
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/8 teaspoon
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
6 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves, about 20, torn
4 cups crusty bread, torn or coarsely chopped
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

Panzanella, stale bread salad, requires that you soak and wring out the bread before assembling the salad. If you make this with fresh crusty bread or the bread has staled a bit but not hardened, the juice from the tomatoes should be enough to tenderize the bread's crusty edges.
Preheat grill to medium-high and oven to 425 degrees F.

Using a damp towel, brush mushroom caps to clean. Using a pastry brush, coat the caps with extra-virgin olive oil and grill with lid down or roast about 5 to 6 minutes, turning once, until tender but still firm at center.

Wring the spinach out in a clean kitchen towel. Separate the spinach with your fingers and combine with artichokes, ricotta cheese, egg yolk, grated garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, and nutmeg. Remove mushroom caps from grill.

To portion-control the filling, divided the stuffing into 4 parts then just split each of those evenly between 2 caps. Sprinkle the caps with Parmigiano and cook 5 to 6 minutes more in the preheated oven to set filling and lightly brown tops.

Do not seed tomatoes. Chop and place in a salad bowl. Add basil, bread, onions, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, lots of salt and pepper and toss with your hands to combine.

End of Harvest Casserole (also vegan)

I used to work at a Health food store. I took over for the chef in their deli when she moved. I learned alot about many things including things I never thought Id like. I found out Gardenburgers are awesome and I didnt even miss the meat. I found out whole grains are pretty tasty. And I found out you need surprisingly little oil when making a salad to make it taste good. One thing tho I never thought Id ever eat or like is tofu or soy cheese.

I used to make all kinds of things for this place, muffins, salads, sandwiches and these were things that were already on their menu. But in time I got to play and added cakes, breakfast cookies and this particular dish. We used to serve take out foods for vegans. I was always looking for things and since Im not vegan I wasnt sure what anyone would like. I do know its hard to find good vegan recipes. I love veggies and have grown them for yrs. but I dont eat only that. So when I stumbled on this recipe I had to give it a try. The owner of the shop encouraged me to include products in the store so others would taste things I made and buy those things too.

I decided to make this dish with smoked soy or tofu cheddar cheese.....and omg ....it was delicious and you would never know its soy. This dish became a popular one in our shop for take out.


END OF HARVEST CASSEROLE Serves 8-10

1/2c. chopped fresh parsley
2 tb. chopped fresh thyme
1 tb. chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper
1c. thinly sliced potatoes
1c. broccoli or cauliflower flowerettes
1c. thinly sliced celery
1c. thinly sliced onion
1c. thinly sliced zucchini or summer squash
1c. shredded cabbage
2-3 tomatoes, sliced
1/2c. chicken stock (you might need a bit more)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2c. grated cheddar cheese

Any vegetables in this recipe can be replaced by an equal amt. of whatever vegetable you may have growing in your garden.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a sm. bowl, mix the salt and pepper, parsley, thyme, and rosemary. In a 3qt. casserole , arrange a layer of each vegetable, starting with the potatoes, (They cook the longest so need to be closer to the heat source and in the broth), broccoli, celery, onions, or other slow cooking veggies and ending with the tomatoes, sprinkling herb mixture between each layer and over the tomatoes. Pour the chicken stock over the casserole and scatter the garlic and cheese on top. Cook, covered, till the veggies are tender and the cheese is melted, about 45min. to 1hr. Serve at room temperature.

You can substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock to make it vegan and I topped this with smoked soy cheddar cheese. I like the smoke flavor better on this dish and no one would ever know you used it , it is that good.

I would use the best vine ripe tomatoes you can find on this. Sometimes the potatoes take a bit longer to cook I found. I dont know if it was the little oven I had to use in the store or what so thats why I said it might need more broth or it might need to cook a little longer. Test at the suggested time and see if they are done.