Caprese Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Does anyone feel like we’ve moved to Chicago? Maybe it’s me but I don’t recall a Spring that has been as windy as we experienced. And then there is the rain, which I have no complaints about, our lawn hasn’t been this green for a long time and it looks nice. 

The garden is fully planted, some things are doing well, others not so well. You may recall that I’ve struggled to find and grow a cucumber I like. This year I got a tip from a  fellow Master Gardener about Marketmore his description seems to be exactly what I am looking for; smaller fruit, thin skin, few seeds - sounds perfect. 

Unfortunately, the first plants I put in the garden died a quick death. In the second set only 1 remains. I am not sure what the issue is. Fingers crossed that the last one survives. 

I’ve been busy this Spring and am looking for new and fresh recipes. The Caprese Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms, have limited ingredients, easy prep, and only @ 8 minutes under the broiler to cook. 

We served the mushrooms with a fresh green salad and a nice glass of white wine - they were delicious. 

INGREDIENTS

Garlic butter:
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

Mushrooms:
5-6 large Portobello Mushrooms, stem removed, washed, and dried thoroughly with a paper towel
5-6 fresh mozzarella cheese balls, sliced thinly
1 cup grape, (or cherry) tomatoes, sliced thinly
fresh basil, shredded to garnish

Balsamic Glaze: (or you can use store-bought, or this recipe)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar (OPTIONAL)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to grill/broil settings on high heat. Arrange the oven shelf in the middle of your oven.

Combine all the Garlic Butter ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, and melt until the garlic is fragrant. Brush the bottoms of each mushroom and place them, buttered side down, on a baking tray. Flip and brush any remaining garlic over the insides of each cap. 

Fill each mushroom with the mozzarella slices and tomatoes, and grill/broil until cheese has melted and golden in color (about 8 minutes).

To serve, top with the basil and balsamic glaze. 

Enjoy!

Apple Puff Pastry Donuts

The garden is in! Veggies are planted and the rain has been so generous here in Minnesota so watering has been minimal. I’ve planted eggplant, peppers, and watermelon in my straw bales and so far everything is good, which means no dead plants … yet. 

I’ve been volunteering at my favorite communal garden, playing MahJong with my girlfriends, reading books, and lunching with neighbors. We’re heading to the North Shore for waterfall viewing and some hiking in the coming weeks, and working on a fall vacation to Iceland - Life is Good!

Sometimes life is all about dessert. I don’t mind creating something special but sometimes I want something relatively easy. The Apple Puff Pastry Donuts have minimal ingredients and are easy to make. Give them a try, they are like little apple pies. 

Ingredients:

1 apple

cinnamon 

granulated sugar

1 sheet of puff pastry

Instructions:

Combine sugar and cinnamon - stir to combine. Thaw the puff pastry, roll it out, and using a pizza cutter slice it into strips. 

Cut the apple into 6 slices and remove the center core using a small cookie cutter. Dip the apple slices into the cinnamon sugar mixture, ensuring it is coated on both sides. Wrap the puff pastry strips around the apple slices going through the center hole. 

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the apple/puff pastry slices. Bake @ 375 for @ 25 - 30 minutes or when puff pastry is slightly browned. 

Cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!

Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Radishes, Greens, and Feta

I’ve been working hard to get my flowers and veggie garden planted this week. Spinach, collards, chard, onions, leeks, and herbs are all planted. This weekend I’ll work on the rest of the beds and the straw bales.

Onions, leeks, and celery are the new crops this year; it should be interesting. Dan has an amazing leek and goat cheese bread that he makes so I’m sure some of the leeks will find their way into that, and we use onions almost every day.

I was looking for a nice Spring salad that used fresh ingredients and didn’t take hours to make and this one caught my eye. The dressing is tart and flavorful and really compliments the fresh ingredients and it takes 10 minutes from start to finish. Thanks to With Spice for the inspiration.

Ingredients:

• 1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• kosher salt
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb. sugar snap peas, strings removed, cut into ½-inch pieces diagonally
• 3 radishes, trimmed, and sliced thin
• 2 - 3 oz baby greens 
• feta, crumbled

instructions:

Combine garlic clove, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt in a jar or large glass measuring cup. Whisk in olive oil, then season with black pepper and more salt to taste. Set aside to let garlic marinate while you assemble the salad. 

Combine snap peas, radishes, arugula, and feta in a large bowl.

Remove garlic clove from the dressing and discard. Add two-thirds of the dressing to the salad then toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing if desired. Serve.

Black Bean Mango Salad

It’s a beautiful Spring day in Minnesota but the weather lately makes me feel like I’m in Chicago - what’s up with all that wind!

The raised beds will get some much-needed compost this weekend and then I can plant my cool-weather vegetables; turnips, beets, spinach, collards, kale, and chard. I’ve been hardening off my flowers, onions, and leeks so they can also go in the beds. 

The straw bales experiment is going well and they should be ready to plant soon. I’ll try peppers and eggplant in there with the hope that the longer growing season will enhance the end result. 

My trip to the Arb plant sale this morning was successful; they had all of my favorite tomatoes and a few surprises. And yes, I will also go to the Hennepin County Master Gardener plant sale next weekend, it’s important to spread my money around and support my favorite peeps. 

We grilled brats (for Dan) a few nights ago and a new veggie sausage from Trader Joe's for me. The TJ’s sausage was good but could have used more herbs/spices. Field Roast Italian sausages remain my favorite.

No BBQ is complete without a salad so I chopped, measured, prepped, and dressed. The combination of black beans and mango is one of our favorites and the dressing pulled it all together. This makes a big salad but the leftovers can be put in the fridge and will be good for a few days. 

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 cups diced mango (about 2 large or 3 medium mangoes)
1 cup diced cucumber (½ English cucumber or 2 Persian or)
½ cup diced red onion

½ cup diced red bell pepper (about ½ pepper)
2 tablespoons seeded and fine diced jalapeno 

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved
3 cups thinly sliced cabbage (red or mixed)
¼ cup chopped cilantro (leaves and light green stems)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 

Mango Salad Dressing:
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (1 large lime)
¼ teaspoon sea salt or pink salt, or ⅛ teaspoon regular salt (adjust after tossing)
⅛ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional - skip for mild)
½ teaspoon maple syrup 
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions:

Using a vegetable chopper, dice mango, cucumber, red onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeno (see photo below for size reference). Using a knife, slice the tomatoes in half, slice the cabbage thinly, and finely chop the cilantro. Add to a large bowl, along with cooked black beans.

Add lime juice and seasoning ingredients to a small bowl. Pour the olive oil while whisking so it emulsifies and creates a rich dressing.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Chill until ready to serve. 

A Simple Guacamole

 Happy Kentucky Derby, May the 4th be with You, and Cinco de Mayo weekend. It’s a beautiful Spring day and we’ve been enjoying the sun and warmth. My many seedlings are growing and I am getting antsy to put them in the ground. I know it’s too early and we are in May when anything can happen. I will wait until May 15th - maybe. 

I am experimenting with straw bale gardening this year. I took a class from fellow Master Gardener Cris Phillips and I am currently “conditioning” my bales. The plan is to plant eggplant and peppers in them. More to come on the experiment as the Summer unfolds.

Guacamole is a favorite dip around here second only to hummus. In honor of Cinco de Mayo, This is an easy and delicious guac recipe, which takes about 15 minutes from the start to your first chip dip. 

Ingredients

3 avocados, ripe

½ small yellow onion, finely diced

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lime, juiced

½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

Slice the avocados in half, remove the pit, and scoop into a mixing bowl. 

Mash the avocado with a fork and make it as chunky or smooth as you’d like.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir together. Give it a taste test and add more salt or lime juice if needed.

Serve the guacamole with tortilla chips.