Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Burgers

I don't know about you, but I'm still recuperating from the July 4th weekend...I've got quite the food hangover. The weather was perfect here...just right for grilling. Doesn't food just taste better on the grill? I actually had a little help with my burgers this weekend. Red Gold Tomatoes sent me a little grilling package to liven them up! Am I lucky or what?!

Look at this cute little six pack of diced tomatoes...and I scored an apron and some recipes, too!

Red Gold Tomatoes just kicked off their Summer Grillin' Party part II. What does this mean for you? Just head on over to their Facebook Page and enter for a chance to win a Big Green Egg (!) or one of 4000 aprons that will be given away!

Of course, that's not all. Red Gold was nice enough to offer one of my readers a grilling kit just like the one pictured above, complete with an apron and a slew of great recipes. I'll give you the details in just a bit. First, I'd like to share this awesome recipe for Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Burgers. 

This is easy peasy...brush on a little pesto and stuff 'em with some diced tomatoes...so tasty!

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Burger

By Red Gold Tomatoes

Fresh veggies fill this wonderful meatless burger. Made with Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes with Garlic and Olive Oil.

Ingredients

• 4 Portobello mushroom caps, stem and gills removed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon prepared pesto
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 small yellow bell pepper to taste
• 1 (14.5 oz) can Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes with Garlic and Oil, drained very well
• 4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• 4 whole wheat buns

Instructions

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine olive oil, pesto, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Brush each mushroom cap with the oil mixture.
2. Grill mushroom caps, rounded side up, for about 4 minutes. While cooking, combine bell pepper, 2/3 of the Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes with Garlic and Olive Oil, and spinach in a mixing bowl. turn mushrooms over and fill with tomato mixture. Cover and grill for 3 more minutes. Place a piece of cheese on each mushroom, covering tomatoes, and grill 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
3. Place a whole wheat bun that has been spread with Garlic Aioli--1/4 cup light mayonnaise and 1/3 cup Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes with Garlic and Olive Oil, drained.

Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.
Total time: 20 mins.

For the carnivores in the group, I made some Spicy Tomato Burgers. I ate both versions....

For the Spicy Tomato Burgers, simply mix a well-drained can of Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles with one pound of ground beef.

And now for the giveaway! Simply leave a comment telling me which of the Red Gold Burger recipes is your favorite. You can find the recipes right here: Burger Recipes. Then register your email address with the Rafflecopter widget (no worries...no one else will see it). I'll have Rafflecopter randomly choose a winner on Sunday, July 13th  Tuesday, July 15th. Contest will end on Monday, July 14th at 11:59 PM CST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was given some product, recipes, and an apron. All opinions are my own.

Fresh Harvest Lasagna ..... #RGLasagna

With the Super Bowl nearly upon us, isn't it time we start thinking about what to feed a crowd? My friends at Red Gold Tomatoes are having a Lasagna Party with the perfect recipes to help out! They have even made it easy for you to create your own version of gourmet lasagna, by providing a fool-proof basic recipe....follow the basics and then add your own ingredients for your very own custom lasagna!

The basic Red Gold "All-In-One" Lasagna is so simple to make that even a novice cook will have no problem putting it together. It starts with regular lasagna noodles...nothing fancy...and you don't have to boil them to get it started. Then, a combination of  Red Gold® Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano, Red Gold® Crushed Tomatoes, and some Italian seasoning makes the delicious sauce (the sauce cooks up, full of flavor, right in the oven). Add your own favorite ingredients (sausage? chicken? pepperoni?) to make it your own, or choose one of Red Gold's gourmet recipe ideas. 

Since my daughter is a vegetarian, it was a no-brainer for me to choose Red Gold's Fresh Harvest Lasagna for my trial run. Oh my gosh---so easy and so good! Let's see how it's done---

Fresh Harvest Lasagna (recipe courtesy of Red Gold Tomatoes)

Printable Version

2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1  large zucchini, chopped

1  medium yellow summer squash,

1 (small, yellow) onion, chopped

1/2  red bell pepper, chopped

1  cup fresh chopped broccoli florets

1  large carrot, minced

1  (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms, chopped

3   garlic cloves, minced

1/2  cup water

1  (28 ounce) can Red Gold® Crushed Tomatoes, or 2 (15 ounce) cans

2  (14.5 ounce) cans Red Gold® Diced Tomatoes With Basil, Garlic & Oregano

1   teaspoon Italian seasoning

Salt to taste

1 (16 ounce) box lasagna noodles, traditional, uncooked

1 (15 ounce) carton low fat ricotta cheese

3  cups shredded Italian blend cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add zucchini, squash, onion, bell pepper, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms; saute until vegetables are crisp tender.  Add garlic and cook for another minute, remove from heat.

In large mixing bowl combine water, RED GOLD® CRUSHED TOMATOES, RED GOLD® DICED TOMATOES with BASIL, GARLIC & OREGANO, Italian seasoning and salt.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch baking pan with 1 1/2 cups of sauce mixture.  Arrange 1/3 of noodles on top of sauce, slightly overlapped.  Top with 1/2 of ricotta cheese, 1/2 vegetable mixture, 1 cup of Italian blend cheese and 1 cup of sauce.  Repeat layers and top with last 1/3 of noodles and the remaining sauce.

Sprinkle with remaining Italian blend cheese and Parmesan cheeses.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 to 1½ hours; until noodles are cooked. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I followed Red Gold's recipe exactly...well almost....I did use frozen broccoli instead of fresh....but really this version didn't need much improvising. I will pass along a couple of tips, though: 

(1) You can use a regular 9X13 pan...just make sure the sides are at least 2 inches deep. If you do use a regular pan (as opposed to a larger "lasagna" pan), make sure to place a baking sheet underneath to catch any drips.

(2) Use non-stick foil to wrap around the lasagna before placing it in the oven (non-stick side down!), or spray regular foil with cooking spray, so the cheese doesn't stick.

Oh my gosh...this is so easy to make and so tasty!

Don't forget to visit Red Gold's RG Lasagna Party Sweepstakes  page on Facebook for a chance to win one of 1000 aprons or a Lasagna kit (which includes a Le Creuset lasagna pan) worth $250! The sweepstakes will run until February 5th, 2014.

Disclaimer: I was provided with the recipe and a starter kit of canned tomatoes. All opinions remain my own.

Berry Baked Oatmeal

I was struck with the Pinterest bug again....this time a beautiful picture of oatmeal (!) worked its magic on me. Now, I've always been an oatmeal fan, but beautiful oatmeal? Seriously? Yes--when it's mixed up with  fruit and nuts and baked to perfection. This is my new favorite thing, and the kicker? It's healthy!

Toasted walnuts give this dish great flavor and texture.

Before I get to the recipe that I eventually used, let's give a little shout out to the blog that started this new obsession of mine. Thanks go to So, How's It Taste? for the gorgeous picture that turned me on to this idea that apparently started with the Amish (they know how to cook!). I looked around, of course, and found similar baked oatmeal recipes all over the blog-o-sphere, some healthy and some bordering on dessert. I actually tried different versions and found that all of them turned out to be tasty...this is definitely something that can be adapted to your own taste. In the end, I chose the healthier route, in part because a recent visit to my doctor revealed some icky cholesterol levels, but mainly because the taste is in no way compromised by using a healthier version.

Berry Baked Oatmeal

Printable Recipe

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

a pinch of salt

2 cups skim milk

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, sliced

1 1/2 cups raspberries or blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.; spray a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, 1/4 cup of the walnuts, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In another bowl, or in a large measuring cup, mix together the milk, egg, coconut oil, and vanilla.

Distribute the sliced bananas evenly on the bottom of the casserole dish.

Sprinkle two-thirds of the berries over the top of the bananas. Cover the fruit with the oatmeal mixture. Evenly pour the milk mixture over the oats, then tap the dish gently on the counter to distribute the liquid.

Sprinkle the remaining walnuts and berries over the top of the oatmeal. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden and the mixture is set. Serve warm with a splash of milk, if desired.

As I mentioned, one of the great things about this recipe is how easily adaptable it is. If you want to cut out the sugar, but like the sweetness, simply substitute 1/3 cup sugar-free maple syrup for the brown sugar (add it to the liquid mixture instead of to the oats). I've also subbed steel cut oats for the rolled oats--it was fine, but the texture was definitely more chewy. Don't have coconut oil? Use butter or just cut it out completely. I've done both and it's all good.

So, there you have it....baked oatmeal. Fancy enough to serve to your guests, but easy and versatile enough to bake ahead and portion out for your own breakfast during the week. I highly recommend it.

Eggs and Vegetable Hash

Since my husband has become a vegetarian, I have naturally cut back on my own meat consumption. That's not to say that I don't enjoy a nice steak or a burger, but it's easier to cook just one meal at a time. Sometimes it's a challenge, especially since I'm not entirely fond of fake meat products. Yesterday, I took note of the cover of my Vegetarian Times magazine and saw a great pic of a skillet meal of eggs and vegetables. What a tasty idea! So, while I didn't follow their recipe, I did run with the idea and made my own version---Eggs and Vegetable Hash.

Eggs and Vegetable Hash

Printable Recipe

3 medium russet potatoes

2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup diced green pepper

1/2 cup diced sweet onions

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon seasoning of choice* (try combining basil, savory, rosemary, thyme, etc.)

4 large eggs

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Peel and dice the potatoes into 1" pieces; rinse in cold water. Place the diced potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes or until slightly softened. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, over medium high heat. Add the potatoes, green pepper and onions and saute for 5-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the seasonings and cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

Reduce heat to low. Make 4 cavities in the mixture with a spoon. Break one egg into each cavity. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the egg whites are set. Sprinkle with ground pepper.

*I'm kind of lousy when it comes to measuring spices. Usually, I toss in whatever I have. I'm also prone to picking up jars of spices that sound good. What I actually used in this recipe was a hefty sprinkling of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute and a few grinds of Trader Joe's South African Smoke (guaranteed to add that "wonderful Umami flavor, which can be elusive"). I am aware that there are those that don't like spice blends, so feel free to use your imagination.

I do love those runny eggs....

Who said vegetarian food was boring?

Cheesy Cauliflower

Many of you are aware of the fact that my husband and my daughter are vegetarians. As a result, I've been eating less meat myself. It's a good thing I'm a fan of veggies, no? My biggest worry for the two of them, is that they get enough nutrients in their diet. My daughter is on her own these days, so I will have to trust that she's eating sensibly. And my husband? Well, he's subscribed to Vegetarian Times Magazine. Now I'm getting suggestions as what to try. How cool is that?

The first issue of Vegetarian Times came just the other day with a glorious looking cauliflower casserole, Mac-And-Cheese Style Cauliflower, gracing the cover. Hubby and I were both drooling over it. I had to make it.

The hardest part was getting the cauliflower into pieces.

The recipe calls for 1/2 cup nutritional yeast. What? Yeast? I had to look it up. Apparently, the yeast is there to provide nutrition--it's different than the yeast you use to make bread. Here's a link to some info on it: Nutritional Yeast. After a little searching, I found it at Whole Foods in the bulk food area. I will say that if the smell of yeast is offensive to you, you can skip this addition (maybe use a little less of the liquid that is called for in the recipe), but I found that the smell totally bakes out and if it adds some nutrition, why not?

The recipe also calls for homemade bread crumbs. While you can sub some Panko crumbs, the homemade ones are really easy. I like to keep a bag in the freezer---whenever I have a day-old baguette, I just swirl the dried out leftovers in my food processor and add it to the bag.

Just spray the bread crumbs with a little cooking spray. I like the olive oil spray. Is it just me or do those fake butter sprays smell funny?

Bake it until it's nicely browned and bubbly.

 A couple of observations: to prevent the moisture from the cooked cauliflower from making the sauce too watery, just keep it in the pan after you drain it, and put it back over the heat for a few minutes to dry it out. Thanks to Chris DeNicolo, for that sage advice. I'm also going to saute some chopped onions with the butter the next time I make it. Other than that, the recipe is perfect. It will be made again.

Homemade Veggie Burgers...and a winner!

Homemade Veggie Burgers...

First a big WootWoot to LadyTink_534, aka Jen, the winner of the Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour giveaway. Jen will receive a VIP coupon for a free bag of the flour, a set of recipe cards, and a nifty blue Gold Medal cookie jar! Jen, let us know how your snickerdoodles turn out using the white whole wheat flour.

You all may remember me talking about how my daughter, Taylor, is a vegetarian. The phase that I thought she would outgrow has turned into a permanent lifestyle change and, while I remain a true carnivore, I gladly embrace most of the food that she now prefers. Good food is good food, after all. Now, my husband has seen how healthy former President Bill Clinton is looking these days (rumor has it he had become a vegan), and has decided to jump on the "mostly" vegetarian bandwagon. I really have to go with the flow here....

This weekend, I had a request from Taylor for some homemade food. As a poor college student (that dang chemistry book was $400!), she has been existing on ramen noodles. She specifically requested a couple of homemade pizzas--one veggie for her, and one pepperoni for the boyfriend--and some veggie burgers. The veggie burgers are a relatively new invention of mine. They even have a secret ingredient. Care to wager a guess? No? OK, then. I'll spill the beans. Pun intended. :)

The soup adds some liquid and some flavor to the veggie burgers.

Homemade Veggie Burgers

Printable Recipe

4-6 tablespoons olive oil for frying 1 cup chopped onions 1 cup chopped red bell pepper 2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 cup fresh or frozen sweet corn 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 (19 oz) can ready-to-serve lentil soup 2 eggs, slightly beaten 2 cups fresh spinach leaves ¾ cup Panko bread crumbs 2 cups quick cooking oatmeal 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Turn down the heat to medium, and add the onions and peppers, then saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, corn, and garlic, then continue to cook until the mushrooms are softened and browned, 5-6 minutes. Stir in the corn. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Reserve skillet for sauteing the burgers. While the vegetables are cooking, place the black beans in a large bowl and mash slightly with a fork. Stir in the can of lentil soup and the beaten eggs. Add the vegetables and the spinach and stir to combine.

Combine the oatmeal, breadcrumbs, and seasonings in a medium bowl. Add to the lentil and bean mixture, mixing well. To form the patties, line a custard cup with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang and fill with the bean mixture. Carefully pull the bean mixture out of the custard cup and fold the plastic wrap over the top to form into a patty. Repeat until 12 patties are formed, leaving wrapped in the plastic until ready to cook (you may freeze the patties at this point). Add a tablespoon of oil to the skillet and heat over medium high heat. Unwrap 2-3 bean patties and carefully add to the heated skillet. Reduce the heat to medium low and fry for about 5 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through. Repeat for the remaining burgers, adding additional oil to the skillet, if needed. 

I chose the red bell pepper for some color. Feel free to use green instead.

I used Trader Joe's Roasted Sweet Corn...because I like it. :)

Instead of canned black beans, I cooked my own. The only problem was that they were a little hard, so I pulsed them in a food processor. All was good.

Here's where I could have added a slew of fresh herbs...but I didn't have any. Feel free.

Isn't this a clever way of forming the patties? No fuss, no muss.

I filled them almost to the top and got 12 patties.

At this point you can freeze the patties. Once they are frozen, they are easier to handle. When I fry them from frozen, I put a lid on the pan so that they cook through.

Of course, I toasted the bun with a little butter, then I spread some basil/tomato hummus on the bottom bun and topped it with some fresh spinach.

Have you seen the Pretzel Buns at Trader Joe's? Yum!

You can add whatever toppings you love. I used some prepared Taboule that I bought at Costco.  MMM...tomatoes, onions, parsley, cracked wheat, seasonings, olive oil....this was great on the burger.

The bottom line is that these veggie burgers are tastier and far more economical that the ones you find frozen  at the store. In fact, the husband is wanting me to make a second batch for our own freezer....they must be good!

Impossible Zucchini Pie

Impossibly Easy Zucchini Pie

Have you ever had one of those days where everything seemed like one big coincidence? Let me tell you how I came to make my zucchini pie.

My friend and co-worker, Brenda, is forever bringing me all sorts of veggies from her sister's farm back home. This week was all about string beans and zucchini, or summer squash as she calls it.

Usually, I'm all about making that zucchini into a nice fattening loaf of Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread (and I did), but this time I also wanted to make something a little healthier. As it happens, another co-worker, Jan, stopped at my desk to give me a copy of a recipe she had printed out from the Betty Crocker site (if you haven't guessed, food is the main topic of conversation at work). At any rate, the recipe she handed to me was for an Impossibly Easy Zucchini Pie. Immediately, I was transported back in time...to the early '80's in San Diego. Pete was in law school back then, and we hung out with a lot of his law school buddies. They were all nice guys, but we rarely had a chance to socialize with other couples. Luckily, one of his classmates was engaged to be married and we had a chance to spend some time with him and his fiancee. For our first get together, we spent the day in Tijuana, Mexico and then we had dinner at their apartment. We were students, so cash was tight, but the simple meal we shared was really tasty---it was a vegetable impossible pie. 

It wasn't long after that we moved out of California and lost touch. Years later, we saw that Pete's friend had  become very successful--we spotted him on 48 Hours or 20/20--he was a hot shot. Pretty cool. And then I didn't think of him or his wife again...until I saw that recipe. I folded it up and put it in my purse, figuring I might give it a try. It would require a stop at the store for Bisquick and I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy it, although it does call for the "Heart Smart" variety.

Pete picked me up from work and as I got in the car, he handed me a printout from the computer. "You have to read this..." he, says. The article he printed out was all about our former friend from San Diego! How weird is that? It wasn't a nice article--he's in some hot water--really hot water. The FBI may or may not be involved....hmmm. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. All I could think of, though, was how weird that I hadn't thought of him in so many years and then in one afternoon.....

So now I had to buy the Bisquick. Strange universe vibes were at work here. Must. Make. Impossible.Pie.

Ok, so it looks almost healthy...I'll give it a try.

Easy to put together. Shredded zucchini, diced tomatoes, chopped onions....I was out of Parmesan cheese, so I subbed cheddar.

Mixed up a little of the mix with some milk and an egg...

Poured it over the cheese and veggies....

Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes...

And, Voila!...Impossible Pie.

Here it is--the pie that was meant to be.

Impossibly Easy Zucchini Pie  a.k.a. Coincidence Pie