Healthy Stuffed Mushroom Appetizers
What is it about conference dinners that they believe they can get away with serving the vegetarians some sort of mushroom dish every single time? And they are always slimy. It's like it's still the 90's and there are no other options. But despite the sad droves of conference hotels are hopelessly un-vegetarian friendly, there's one kind of dated way I still love to eat mushrooms. And I wish more people still served them: baby stuffed mushrooms. Healthy, baby stuffed mushrooms.
My Grandmother's stuffed mushrooms are famous in our family. I'm not sure when they started making appearances at her parties...in Asia as a diplomat's wife? The Virginia vineyard? I don't know if they even had the right kind of mushrooms for that thing in Malaysia at the time. If they did I'm sure Grandpa found a way to get them shipped duty free with his American candy bars. Regardless, while most stuffed mushrooms contain cheese and buttery bread crumbs, her's included, I converted these mushroom bites to be a healthier, yet still delicious option. In fact, there is no cheese or butter in these bites. They are in no way similar to Grandma's because she is a tiny Filipino Martha Stewart, and I just can't duplicate Grandma dishes. But these work too. With a crispy top shell and a bright surprise inside, they're not Grandma's stuffed mushrooms, but they'll do just fine for a dietitian.
Parsley Corn Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients:
- 6 small white/button mushrooms
- 1/8 white onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 T corn kernels
- 1-2 tablespoons vegetable stock
- 1/8 C parsley, fresh chopped
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs
- olive oil
- salt
Directions: Wipe mushrooms with a paper towel to remove dirt. Yeah, mushrooms grow in the ground. It's okay for them to be dirty. Using a melon baller, hollow each mushroom out, removing the 'gills' and stem. Chop the removed parts of the mushroom and set aside. Dice onion and garlic, adding to a small pan with 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil. Cook until onions become soft. Add corn kernels, chopped mushroom and add vegetable stock. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more if you feel the pan becomes dry and the mushrooms absorb much of the liquid. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add most of the chopped parsley, reserving one tablespoon for garnish after baking. Add breadcrumbs. The mix should clump together (I'm sorry I used such an awful word in a cooking blog). Fill each mushroom with this mix, mounding over the top. Dash each one with salt and drizzle additional olive oil over the top. Put in the oven at 350 until the mushroom softens and the top becomes crisp. It will be roughly 5 minutes. Add fresh parsley over the top.