Greek Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Portobello mushrooms seemed like a great challenge, and one I haven't tried yet.  I have read and heard so many times how portobello mushrooms are meaty and a healthy alternative for beef. My guiding cultural influence for this recipe was Greece.  I live in a very Greek neighborhood and can easily buy Greek ingredients.  Plus, I love using feta in recipes.  I made this recipe completely without any meat and with whole grains.  

 Full of flavor, fiber, and fabulous Greek ingredients.

Ingredients:

4 Portobello Mushrooms
1 Bunch of Green Onions
1/4 cup Artichoke Hearts without liquid
4 cloves of Garlic
4 Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes
1/4 cup Feta Cheese
1 cup Hulled Barley
3 cups Water
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 tablespoons Pine Nuts
Olive Oil

Pour barley, water, and salt into a medium size sauce pan with a lid.  Heat over high until it reaches

 a boil, reduce heat to low.  Cover with lid.  Cook the barley for 40 minutes.  Check for tenderness 

and turn off heat.  If some water still remains, cover with lid and let sit for 10 minutes.

After the ten minutes are over, check if any more water remains.  If you still have water, 

strain the barley over the sink and return to the pan.

Preheat Oven to 400 Fahrenheit.

 Rinse the mushrooms, remove stems, and spoon out the gills (the black inside of the mushroom).

 Rub olive oil on the outside of the mushrooms and place on small cookie sheet.

Cut the feta into small 1/2 inch cubes, slice green onions, cut artichoke hearts into small pieces, and press the garlic.  Gently squeeze the tomatoes to remove seeds and cut into small pieces.

Gently stir 1 cup of cooked barley, feta, green onions, tomatoes, garlic, and artichoke hearts
in a small bowl.

 Toast the pine nuts in a small non-stick pan over medium heat until lightly browned.

Scoop about 3/4 cup filling into each mushroom cap and sprinkle pine nuts on each of the
stuffed mushrooms.  Drizzle some olive oil on each stuffed mushroom.

 Place stuffed mushrooms into oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Greek Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

4 Portobello Mushrooms
1 Bunch of Green Onions
1/4 cup Artichoke Hearts without liquid
4 cloves of Garlic
4 Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes
1/4 cup Feta Cheese
1 cup Hulled Barley
3 cups Water
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 tablespoons Pine Nuts
Olive Oil

Process:

Pour barley, water, and salt into a medium size sauce pan with a lid.  Heat over high until it reaches a boil, reduce heat to low.  Cover with lid.  Cook the barley for 40 minutes, check for tenderness and turn off heat.  If some water still remains, cover with lid and let sit for 10 minutes.

After the ten minutes are over, check if any more water remains.  If you still have water, strain the barley over the sink and return to the pan.

Preheat Oven to 400 Fahrenheit.

Rinse the mushrooms, remove stems, and spoon out the gills (the black inside of the mushroom).

Rub olive oil on the outside of the mushrooms and place on small cookie sheet.

Cut the feta into small 1/2 inch cubes, slice green onions, cut artichoke hearts into small pieces, and press the garlic.  Gently squeeze the tomatoes to remove seeds and cut into small pieces.

Gently stir 1 cup of cooked barley, feta, green onions, tomatoes, garlic, and artichoke hearts in a small bowl.

Toast the pine nuts in a small non-stick pan over medium heat until lightly browned.

Scoop about 3/4 cup filling into each mushroom cap and sprinkle pine nuts on each of the stuffed mushrooms.  Drizzle some olive oil on each stuffed mushroom.

Place stuffed mushrooms into oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Lamb Gyros

I love Greek food, and since I live in a very Greek neighborhood, it is really easy to find all the yummy food to make Greek Food.  Lamb Gyro's were my husband's dinner choice for our monthly menu.  Our friend's the Martinez's and Tina and Jessie came over to help make and eat Gyros. I love having Whitney and Tina over because they are so over the top helpful.  This recipe is sort of like Alton Brown's recipe, very loosely.  The gyro's turned out really, really, yummy, and I have no leftovers!  On an almost completely unrelated note, our tax refund was automatically deposited and we drove to the Apple Store on 5th Avenue (Manhattan) and I got a new MacBook Pro.  It is a wonderful computer!  

 Yes that is a lamb gyro and I made it!  I think I'm turning Greek.  I really think so (Just Kidding, I'm really English and Danish).

Ingredients for this recipe are:

4 lbs. Ground Lamb (freshly ground if you can get it)

1/4 cup Fresh Thyme

1/4 cup Fresh Rosemary

1 tablespoon Sea Salt

2 teaspoons Freshly Ground Pepper

6 cloves of Fresh Garlic

1 Yellow Onion

 Remove Thyme and Rosemary leaves from stems, chop the leaves small.

 Peel and finely dice the yellow onion.  Push garlic through garlic press.

 Using your hands to gently mix all the ingredients together in a metal mixing bowl.

Lay two pieces of 18 inch long plastic wrap with the long sides overlapping enough to seal and 
create a larger piece of plastic wrap.

Place the meat on the plastic wrap.  

 Wrap the plastic wrap around the meat and twist the ends until a tight log is formed.

Place lamb log into a plastic zip top bag and refrigerate over night.

Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit

Unwrap lamb and place on a aluminum foil lined small rectangular pan.

Bake lamb for 70 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 175 Fahrenheit.  

 Remove lamb from oven and allow to rest cover with aluminum foil for 10 minutes.

Slice meat and serve inside a pita with Tzaziki sauce (homemade recipe found here), sliced
cucumbers, Spring salad mix, crumbled feta cheese, Spanish Olives, and diced tomatoes.  

Enjoy!

Lamb Gyros

Printable Recipe Found Here

4 lbs. Ground Lamb (freshly ground if you can get it)

1/4 cup Fresh Thyme

1/4 cup Fresh Rosemary

1 tablespoon Sea Salt

2 teaspoons Freshly Ground Pepper

6 cloves of Fresh Garlic

1 Yellow Onion

Remove Thyme and Rosemary leaves from stems.  Chop the leaves small.

Peel and finely dice the yellow onion.

Push garlic through garlic press.

Using your hands gently mix all the ingredients together in a metal mixing bowl.

Lay two pieces of 18 inch long plastic wrap with the long sides overlapping enough to seal and create a larger piece of plastic wrap.

Place the meat on the plastic wrap.  Wrap the plastic wrap around the meat and twist the ends until a tight log is formed.

Place lamb log into a plastic zip top bag and refrigerate over night.

Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit

Unwrap lamb and place on a aluminum foil lined small rectangular pan.

Bake lamb for 70 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 175 Fahrenheit.  

Remove lamb from oven and allow to rest.  Cover with aluminum foil for 10 minutes.

Slice meat and serve inside a pita with Tzaziki sauce, sliced cucumbers, Spring salad mix, crumbled feta cheese, Spanish Olives, and diced tomatoes.