Spinach-Lentil Stuffed Mushrooms

This recipe is a bit of a desperation recipe. I had forgotten to soak beans to make the dinner I had planned, and was running way short on time, so after staring at the fridge and shelves for a bit, here's the result.



Spinach-Lentil Stuffed Mushrooms


Ingredients

¾ cup brown lentils
1 medium onion, diced
¾ cup frozen spinach
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry powder
Cayenne pepper to taste
Non-stick cooking spray
2 portabella mushroom caps

Apparatus

Frying pan
Spatula
Pot
Wooden spoon
Small knife
Baking sheet


Process

1)Place lentils with pot and cover with water (approximately 1 inch above lentils). Place on stove on medium high heat and allow to boil until all water is absorbed.
2)Spray pan lightly with cooking spray. Add onion, and sauté until transparent.
3)Add spinach and spices, and reduce to low heat.
4)Wash a mushroom cap, and very gently remove the center and brown ridges. Add these parts to the pan with spinach and onion. (I prefer to lightly scrape them off over the pan so they go directly in) Repeat this process for the second mushroom cap.
5)Spray baking pan lightly with cooking spray, and place mushroom caps on pan, stuff-able side up.
6)By this point, the lentils should have absorbed all, or almost all of the water. Transfer approximately ½ of the lentils to the pan with spinach and onions.
7)Heat vegetable mixture on medium-high while moving quickly with spatula, for approximately 1 minute.
8)Transfer mixture in small amounts to mushroom caps.
9)Place in oven at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes, and serve.


The complete meal (yes, that is microwave-steamed asparagus. Not nearly as good as fresh, but it does add another vegetable!)

*Notes* I like to serve this with the extra lentils on the side (after I’ve added some garlic and cumin!) You can also stuff smaller mushrooms with this recipe and use them as appetizers if you’re the entertaining sort. The left-over spinach onion mixture is great in a whole wheat tortilla wrap for lunch the next day too!

One final note- I really like the nutritiondata.com site for telling you what the nutritional content of ingredients is. If you are watching any sort of calorie intake, calorie ratio, or just want to try to guess whether you’ve been getting all of your micronutrients, etc, I would take a look at it.