More Veggie Meals

Wednesday night I made Stuffed Poblano's inspired by Elly Says Opa.

Ingredients:
4 medium poblano peppers
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
3 links Trader Joe’s garlic chicken sausage (or something similar), diced
1/4 cup salsa plus additional for serving (I used the hot salsa you get in the produce aisle)
1/2 cup corn (fresh corn is best, cut kernels off the cob)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 cup of feta and monterey cheese (all I had- couldn't find manchego which was in the original recipe)
1/2 cup of spinach

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400. Heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion. Cook for a couple minutes until onion begins to get tender, and add the chicken sausage. Cook until onion is translucent and sausage is browned. Add salsa, corn and cumin. Simmer over low to combine flavors and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in all but 2 Tbsp. of the cheese.

Lay the poblano flat (the way it naturally sits without falling over) and then cut a T-shaped slit into the top of the poblano. Using your fingers, pry the slit apart, and pull the seeds out over the sick. (you really have to get in there to remove the core and seeds)

Stuff the sausage mixture into the poblano peppers. Top each poblano with 1 T of the remaining cheese and bake for 35 minutes until soft.

Ella served hers with what looked like in her picture, a tomato sauce, and last minute, I looked for sauce in my cupboard and didn't have any. But it tasted fine without it.

Along with the stuffed Poblano, I also decided to make a recipe I saw from a new blog I just started reading, Cara's Cravings. I randomly found Cara's blog and ironically, she had my mom as her teacher in high school! Such a small world. I still have a mango from last week when I was supposed to cook Mango Chicken and Jalapeno. So I figured I might as well use it before I have to throw it out!

Black Bean, Mango, and Quinoa Salad

1 large mango, peeled and diced

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 finely chopped red onion 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions

1 plum tomato, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup hot salsa from the produce section

1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 tbsp olive oil juice from

1 lime

salt and pepper

Instructions: Combine mangos, black beans, onion, quinoa, salsa and tomato in a medium bowl. Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over salad and mix to combine.

The Poblano's were so good, it was definitely different and I really enjoyed them. That quinoa salad will be a new staple! I think quinoa is my new kale- I'm obsessed!
Tonight, I am making Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach and Goat Cheese inspired from Bon Appetit. (I wrote that in the afternoon, it's now 9:15pm and these did not turn into that recipe because I couldn't find goat cheese! I swear I bought it but it was nowhere to be found in my fridge! So yes I was inspired by the above recipe, but I certainly changed it up!)

Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Creamy Vegetables
Ingredients:

Marinated mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 cup Marsala
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
3 large portobello mushrooms
Filling: 1 10-ounce package frozen spinach
1 pound button mushrooms
1/2 Eggplant chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, diced
1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs
1/2 of cream cheese package, 4oz
mozzarella slices to melt on top
10 Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped

Instructions:

For marinated mushrooms: Whisk first 6 ingredients and Marsala, if desired, in medium bowl for marinade. Arrange mushrooms, gill side up, in 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour marinade over mushrooms and marinate 4 hours, (or 15 minutes like me!) turning to coat occasionally.
For filling: Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain; cool. Using hands, squeeze excess water from spinach. Place in small bowl. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add onion; sauté until beginning to brown, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add chopped mushrooms, eggplant, sundried tomatoes and sprinkle with salt, and increase heat to high. Cook until almost all liquid evaporates, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Season mushroom mixture with salt and pepper. Add spinach, 1/4 cup Parmesan, cream cheese and breadcrumbs to mushroom mixture; melt and toss to distribute evenly. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper. (Transfer marinated mushrooms, with some marinade still clinging, to rimmed baking sheet, gill side down. Roast until beginning to soften, about 15 minutes. Turn mushrooms over. Divide filling among mushrooms. Sprinkle remaining 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese over and bake until heated through and cheese begins to brown, about 15 minutes.) (See this step, I missed it... so I just put the mushrooms in a dish and added the filling on top. Then I added some more breadcrumbs and mozzerela and baked for 20 minutes)

So dinner was just okay. I wasn't in love with these mushrooms, but maybe if I followed the directions, these could have come out better. What can you do... Dave still liked them! I served the mushrooms with creamy spicy kale which I made by sauteing kale with evoo, chicken broth, a touch of cream, salt, pepper, mozzerela, some cream cheese and banana peppers.

Workouts this Week:
Monday- 6 miles 53:26 (8:54 pace)
Tuesday- 6.5 miles 8X400
Wednesday- Physical Therapy
Thursday- 5 miles 44:15 (8:51)

Tomorrow, I plan on doing the running a few miles then doing the step machine and lifting. I am not going to work out Saturday then Sunday I am going to meet Nancy for a 12+ mile run. Happy Almost Friday!