Poblano-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms & Roasted Veggies with Lavender Salt

Surprisingly, I don't cook with portobellos much. I like them, I just don't seem to pick those recipes very often.

I found this recipe on Food & Wine and what was particularly interesting was the Poblano ingredient. I LOVE a good chile relleno and haven't had any luck making it at home, which makes me appreciate it even more! So I really wanted to try this recipe, because I love the gentle heat and full flavor of poblanos.

Poblano-and-Cheddar-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients
2 poblano chiles
4 jumbo portobello mushrooms (about 6 ounces each), stemmed
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro

Directions
Light a grill or preheat the broiler. Roast the poblanos over the grill or under the broiler, turning, until blackened, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Peel, core and seed the poblanos then finely chop them.

Brush the portobello mushrooms with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill or broil the mushrooms over high heat, turning, until softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate, stem side down; let drain and cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the baby spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer the spinach to a sieve and press out the liquid. In a bowl, mix the spinach with the rice, cheese, cilantro and poblanos. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 325°. Season the mushroom caps with salt and pepper. Spoon the rice mixture into the mushrooms, mounding it slightly. Transfer the mushrooms to a baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

It turned out delicious! I sub-ed the rice with brown rice and it turned out great. The extra work with grilling/roasting the poblanos is well worth the effort. As a side dish, we had broiled vegetables.

Roasted Vegetables with Lavender Salt

1 zucchini, cut in 1/4" rounds

1 squash, cut in 1/4" rounds

1/2 red onion, wedges

1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut in 1" squares/chunks

olive oil

lavender salt

pepper

generous handful of Italian flat leaf parsley

2 garlic cloves

Finely chop parsley and garlic cloves and keep in a ramekin or small bowl. Barely submerge this mixture with olive oil. Mix aggressively with a small spoon to force the flavors to mingle. (The woman-in-a-hurry technique). Mix all veggies in another bowl, coat very lightly with olive oil (very lightly!). Lay on a lightly oiled toaster oven tray. Broil until veggies are browned at the edges. Lower heat to 300. Bake for 10 more mins. Transfer veggies from toaster oven tray to a bowl. Allow veggies to cool slightly. Drizzle with olive oil/parsley mixture and sprinkle with lavender salt to taste. Mix well and serve.

The veggies were an even bigger hit - they actually upstaged the entree a bit.

Olive oil loose it's good health benefit properties when heated so try to use most of the olive oil after the veggies are roasted.

Try these and let me know what you think!