Healthier Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed mushrooms are one of my favorite appetizers. They are typically made with sausage and lots of gooey cheese - very delicious and indulgent but not particularly healthy. This is a lower calorie vegetarian version made with olives, cheese, and bread crumbs. It is one of my go-to appetizer recipes and everyone loves them. They also make a good side dish.

Mushrooms Stuffed with Olives and Cheese

1 pound white mushrooms
1/2 cup pitted cup green olives, finely diced (see note)
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (you can also use Parmesan)
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven at 400. Clean the mushroom caps with a damp paper towel and pop off the stems. Mix the olives, cheese, breadcrumbs, olive oil, and scallions in a bowl. Add black pepper to your taste (you do not need to add salt - the olives and cheese are salty). Spoon the mixture into the mushrooms caps and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until mushrooms are tender. Let cool slightly before serving.

Note: Try to use fresh olives in this recipe. Many grocery stores have an olive bar that will have these, and you can buy them by the pound. Olives from a can just aren't the same.

Kale - a Delicious Superfood!

Kale is always on those lists of top 10 ten superfoods in health articles. It's a dark leafy green vegetable that is high in calcium, Vitamin C, vitamin K, and phytonutrients. You can tell it is healthy just by looking at it! I've always been a little intimidated by it, but in the past year I've forced myself to be more adventurous with vegetables so I started buying it and experimenting with recipes. This recipe is my favorite. It's very easy and I think it will make you fall in love with kale.

Kale Sauteed with Mushrooms and Onions
serves 2 small or 4 large side dishes

one bunch of kale
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
10 or so white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil

Prep the kale - rinse it, then cut out the rib in the center (see photo below), and chop into large pieces. In a wok or very large sautee pan on medium heat, add the sesame oil, ginger, and onion and sautee until the onions start to get soft, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to deglaze the pan and scrape the bits off the bottom. Add the kale (it is a huge fluffy pile, but don't worry, it will cook down a lot) and drizzle another tablespoon of soy sauce on top. Every few minutes, use tongs to move the kale at the bottom of the pan to the top of the pile so that all the kale wilts down. It takes about 10-15 minutes for the kale to finish cooking. Give it a taste and add another tablespoon of soy sauce, if desired.