Meat-free Monday

We're big meat-eaters in the Everyday Baker household, but every so often I like to take a break from my carnivorous ways.

So we often have at least one night a week where dinner will be meat-free, which always kicks me into gear to be a little more creative.

Don’t get me wrong, of course meat dishes call for creativity but when dinner time often resembles feeding time at the zoo, it’s easy to get swept up in a routine of spag bol and fish fingers.

Which leads me to mushrooms, the vegetarians “meat” - I love them and they make a weekly appearance in the shopping.

White buttons: Boring but easily accessible.

Swiss Brown: These puppies are delicious and packed full of flavour, but aren’t always easily found.

Portabello: Get in the trolley; you’re coming home with me.

There are many other varieties, but let’s stick with Portabello or field mushrooms for this recipe, which requires minimal effort – basically create your own mixture, stuff, roast and enjoy.

I served ours with a roasted vegetable and couscous salad, but if you can’t live without meat for one night, these would go perfectly with a nice piece of steak!

Stuffed Roasted Mushrooms

Ingredients

4 Portabello Mushrooms

150g cream cheese

1 spring onion, chopped finely

3-4 strips marinated capsicum, chopped (from a jar or just use fresh)

Shredded fresh basil

Handful of walnuts, chopped

Salt and pepper

Method

Pre-heat oven to 190C.

Take the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely, adding them to a bowl.

In the same bowl, add the cream cheese (best if softened), spring onion, capsicum, basil, walnuts and salt and pepper. Mix well.

Arrange your mushrooms on a baking tray lined with paper and put spoonfuls of the stuffing in each, loading them up until your stuffing is all gone.

Place in the oven for around 30 minutes or until golden and juicy and your house smells delicious.

Serve and enjoy!