Stuffed Mushrooms Caps

Picture of before they were cooked because my family devoured them!

These healthy bites were a hit at my family's Christmas party! I took this recipe, changed all the measurements and added more spices, which means the flavour came from the spices and not from the butter. They were quite simple to make and packed with fibre which can be rare for holiday appetizers.

Ingredients
20 medium mushroom, white or crimini
1 tbsp (15mL) margarine or butter
1 tbsp (15mL) olive oil
1/4 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp (5mL) freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp (2.5mL) dried oregano
1 tsp (5mL) smoked paprika
1/2 cup (120mL) lentils, cooked or canned and drained
1/2-3/4 cup (120-180mL) cheese, grated - I chose old cheddar
1/2 cup (120mL) plain breadcrumbs
Smoked paprika for garnish

Method
1. Preheat oven at 375 F
2. Lightly oil a baking dish big enough to hold all your mushroom caps.
3. Remove stems from mushrooms. Finely chop the stems and set aside. Arrange the mushroom caps in the baking dish, round side down.
4. Heat olive oil and margarine in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the chopped stems, onions, black pepper, oregano and smoke paprika. Cook until onions are translucent, about 8-10 minutes.
5. Mix in the lentils, cheese, and breadcrumbs. Once all combined, remove from heat.
6. Stuff the mushrooms with the mixture. Sprinkle smoked paprika on all of them.
7. On middle rack of oven, bake for 8 minutes and broil for 4 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!

If you are making them for a diner party at someone else's house, I suggest you do steps 2 to 6 at home and the baking once you're at the diner party.

One-Pot Chicken Curry

I must start with an apology, I was so hungry and so excited to eat this delicious smelling curry that I forgot to take a picture of my meal. It's the third curry I've made in a month because I was not satisfied with the results of the others. What I was looking for in this curry is a medium heat with a nice and creamy consistency without using cream, you'll see what I mean when you taste it.

Ingredients

Cooking oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, minced

2 red hot peppers, minced, optional for heat

3 tbsp (45mL) red curry paste

3 chicken breasts, cut in about 1" pieces

1 large broccoli, cut the florets and slice the stem (remove some of the hard skin on the bottom of the stem before slicing)

2 carrots, peeled or washed and sliced
1 can (400mL) coconut milk

Method
1. In medium to large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Cook onions, garlic and the hot peppers for 3 minutes, until right before the onions turn translucent.
2. Add the red curry paste and mix it in the onion mixture.
3. Add the chicken and continue cooking for 10-12 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. Continue flipping/mixing as you cook so that by the end the chicken is coated with the curry paste as well.
4. Add the broccoli (florets and stem) and the carrot slices. Cook covered for 5 minutes.
5. Add the coconut milk and bring down the heat to let simmer for 20-30 minutes, uncover for the last 5 minutes of cooking to reduce the liquid a little and acquire the desired consistency.
6. Serve on a bed of white or infused rice. Enjoy!

Serves 4.