Super Stuffed Mushrooms

The final recipe that I made for break-fast was Stuffed Mushrooms from Annie's Eats. I don't think I need to say much more to introduce them because they were a huge hit!

Ingredients:
24 whole fresh button mushrooms

4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

2 tsp. vegetable oil

8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Fresh rosemary, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully remove the stems from the mushroom caps, setting the caps aside for later.

Add the stems to the bowl of a food processor (I actually used a blender). Add the garlic to the food processor as well, and pulse in brief bursts until the mushroom stems and garlic are finely chopped.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped mushroom stems and garlic and cook until all the moisture has disappeared, about 5-7 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low. Stir in the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, and spices.

Using a small spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of filling. Arrange the mushroom caps on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are hot and liquid starts to form under the caps. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with rosemary, and serve immediately.

Couple things... I didn't use bread crumbs so to keep this recipe gluten free. I also didn't serve these immediately. Due to timing, I baked them through, then reheated them just for a couple minutes at 350F before serving them. They were at room temperature, but still delicious! These got gobbled down really fast and ended up being way easier than I anticipated. I actually made 25 mushrooms and they really aren't so bad for you! Only about 1 pt/mushroom. This ended up being a much easier recipe than I was expecting and I would definitely make it again!

Beans Beans Beans

I love beans, it's true. Ever since going to school in Miami where Cuban food reigns everywhere, rice and beans have become a staple in my life. So when I was searching for a sweet recipe to make to take to work (originally was planning to make cookies) and came across Black Bean Brownies I couldn't help but take a look. What I found was a very interesting recipe and what I made was a very delicious recipe!

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can unsalted black beans

2 large eggs

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 tbsp instant coffee

pinch of salt

* I also added a 1/2 cup of walnuts (not in the original recipe)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat an 8x8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until completely smooth.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 20 minutes.

At 20 minutes take out the brownies and top with walnuts.

Continue baking for another 20-25 minutes until the top and sides of brownies are set, although the insides will still be a bit soft.

Let cool then slice into 16 brownies.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The final product? So good! Really rich and moist. And they are only 2 points! That's with the walnuts too, so if you take out the nuts they are only 1 pt/brownie. Definitely worth it! Mmmm this may be my go-to brownie recipe moving forward. Plus they are gluten and dairy free!


One last suggestion, I wouldn't tell people the beans ingredient until AFTER they try it. It will weird them out, but then they'll be so shocked at how good they were it'll pass. Enjoy!