“I’ve never met a mushroom I didn’t like”. That is my Dad’s favorite way to joke with us about his mushroom fascination. No, not the special ‘shroom variety, but hey… a nicely prepared mushroom can be just as magical.

Ok, I have a confession to make. As I was browsing the produce the other night, I came upon this great buy, and actually found myself saying “Oh, fun!” out loud. Yes, I know I’m a dork. It takes a rare breed of dork mixed with foodie to get excited about finding a sale on portabello mushrooms, but I guess I am just that right combination.

Usually, this poor fungus takes a back seat to other ingredients more suited to be the center of attention. What’s the old saying, “always the bridesmaid, never the bride”? Well, not today! I took those mushrooms home and made them the star of the show. They didn’t get to toss a boquet at the the end, but they were still very happy with their new adornments.

Remember, when cleaning mushrooms, you don’t rinse them with water! Always take a moist paper towel, and wipe the mushroom clean. Mushrooms are little sponges, and if you wash them like other produce, they will absorb too much of the water. Wiping them off takes a little longer than just running them under the tap, but it works out much nicer for your cooking.

Now, before you see this next picture, I want to say that these are actually very small plates, so this isn’t really the mounding feast of food that it looks like. But, pairing the stuffed mushrooms with some oven roasted veggies did make for a delicious, filling, healthy meal that was extremely cheap!

Creamy Chicken Stuffed Portabellos

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INGREDIENTS

• whole portabello mushrooms
• 4 oz. canned chicken, shredded
• 1 large green onion, diced
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (I prefer the reduced fat variety)
• 2 tsp. dried cumin
• 2-3 tsp. fresh cilantro, diced
• shredded cheese to top, any variety

METHOD

1. Clean the mushrooms, and remove the stems.

2. Mix together all other ingredients, excluding the cheese. Place the mushrooms in a baking pan / sheet, and fill with the mixture.

3. Top each with a small amount of shredded cheese, and bake at 400° for about 15 min.