Lasagna Mushroom Caps

When we were trying to come up with our meals for the week a while back, I wanted to do a new take on lasagna. I had previously made a mushroom lasagna and that was wonderful, but I wanted something slightly less labor-intensive. I wanted the essence of lasagne without the pasta. Weird, I know. What's lasagna without the noodles? Be patient with me, it's worth your wait.

The flash of an idea! I can take the robust tomato sauce and the creamy mozzarella, and layer them directly into a large mushroom cap. Nom! I'm always on board whenever stuffed mushrooms are involved. To keep with the lasagna theme, I layered the mozzarella and tomato sauce, alternating like you would for a regular lasagna. The different textures combined in a savory and oh-so-delicious way. While the mushrooms were cooking, we took the rest of the tomato sauce and dipped some garlic toast in for an appetizer. If you don't plan on snacking while your meal is cooking, you can cut the tomato sauce in half. But I wholly recommend the garlic toast and tomato sauce appetizer.

Italian-Style Stuffed Mushrooms
2 8oz cans tomato sauce (I used one Roasted Garlic, and one Basil, Garlic, and Oregano)
1 6 oz can tomato paste
8 large button mushrooms
2/3 cup mozzarella
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, red pepper, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer at medium/medium-low heat for 15 minutes.

3. Rinse and de-stem mushrooms. In each mushroom, layer a sprinkling of mozzarella, a spoonful of the tomato mixture, mozzarella, tomato mixture, and topped with mozzarella. Place mushrooms in a greased 8x8 glass pan. Top with ground pepper and olive oil.

4. Bake for 25 minutes, until mushrooms are soft to touch.

Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers

When I was growing up, we never had stuffed peppers. My dad was allergic, and as a result bell peppers never graced our house. I honestly don't think I even knew that bell peppers could come in multiple colors, let alone the wonderful crisp flavors they can incorporate into your meal.

Flash forward to college, and I'm experimenting with foods and discovering new tastes and textures I never dreamed about. Along the way, I discovered the wonder that is stuffed peppers. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely scared the first time I really had bell peppers that my mouth would be on fire. Little did I know. On fire? No. Flavorful? Yes.

AJ and I share our love for stuffed peppers, and are constantly trying new methods, stuffings, etc. Below is just one of the many we have found and love. Oh, and I get to call them Tex-Mex because I'm from Texas. It's a birthright.

Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers
6 bell peppers
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, cored and diced
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1 can of diced tomatoes (I used fire-roasted)
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
salt, pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheese

1. Cook brown rice according to package.

2. Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the onion, jalapeño, brown rice, diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, and seasonings. Set aside.

3. Core bell peppers and scrape out as much of the white part as possible. Stuff mixture into each pepper almost to the top. Place peppers into greased baking dish.

4. Place in oven and cook for 20 minutes.

5. Top each pepper with shredded cheese. Raise oven temperature to broil. Place peppers back into over and cook until cheese is browned and edges of pepper begin to scorch (about 3 minutes).

Dig in!

Zucchini Black Bean Chili

I know it's summer. I know I'm supposed to only be craving light cold items...but I'm not. Despite 90 degree days, I have been consistently craving chili for two weeks. You heard right. Chili. For two long weeks I tried to deny the craving ('I'm not REALLY craving chili in July'). Then I tried to convince myself the error in my craving ('No! You want a smoothie! You want ice cold! Think of how hot it is!'). But it was to no avail. I wanted what I wanted and I wanted it when I wanted it.

I've never really understood the whole craving concept. I mean, why would I crave one thing even IN THE MIDDLE of eating some other equally delicious meal?

Oh well. If what I REALLY want is chili, I can have that. Then I was presented with a new dilemma. If you've made chili before, you know - it makes a lot of chili. I should just freeze some, but inevitably we just end up eating chili for 3 or 4 days straight until it's finally all gone. While I wanted chili, what I didn't want was beef for 3 or 4 days straight. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for beef, but there is a time and a place for it and 4 days straight is not the time and my belly for those 4 days is most certainly not the place.

I hopped on over to my handy dandy Pinterest. I knew I had pinned several veggie-friendly chilis, so I casually perused until one caught my eye. Zucchini and Black Bean Chili. 'That's it!,' I thought. I opened the recipe, nodding along as I read each ingredient out loud...until I saw "two pounds ground beef." Well, there goes that idea. None of the other recipes I saw were satisfying my fancy, either. I wanted real chili and real chili taste without having to put greasy fatty beef into my system for several days.

Never mind, I'll make it myself. And you know what? I WILL have Zucchini Black Bean chili - my own way. Since I'm making it up, I'm going to add one of my absolute favorite food items of all time - avocado. If avocado isn't your thing, you can obviously just leave that item out. Feel free to top with your favorite chili toppings. This has everything you love about chili - the thick consistency, the lumpy tomatoes, the absolutely wonderful taste...just without any beef. You may be surprised to find that you didn't actually need that beef.

Zucchini Black Bean Chili
3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 big zucchinis (about a pound), diced
1 onion, diced
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 cups vegetable broth (plus more, if needed)
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons cumin
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon black pepper
avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream (for garnish)
1 Tablespoon arrowroot powder or other thickening agent, if needed

1. Combine all but your garnish in a crock pot. Be sure to add all the liquids from your canned tomatoes. The liquid should completely cover everything. If not, add more vegetable broth until everything is covered.

2. Cook in crock pot at low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

3. A few minutes before serving, taste and add more of the spices if needed. If you want thicker chili, add a tablespoon of a thickening agent (arrowroot powder, masa flour, corn starch). Mix to combine.

4. Top with favorite chili toppings. I used a tablespoon of sour cream and half of an avocado, diced. If you want to make this vegan, don't add sour cream or shredded cheese.