I don't know if it is the never ending rainy spring here in the Pacific Northwest or what, but if feels like I am stuck in some sort of time warp where it seems to stop and fly by all at the same time. Weird, right? Anyways, onto this tasty little dish. I had a craving for some sort of filling meal with a really bright, freshness to it. And the Mexican Stuffed Potobello is what came of my craving within my black hole time warp. Also, my love affair with daiya cheese has officially reached epic proportions.
Here is what you will need:
Salsa Freso
4-5 medium tomatoes
1 small - medium onion (about 3/4 c.)
1 serrano pepper (or whatever pepper that suits your spice level)
1 lime
1 c. lightly packed fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
2 portobello mushrooms
1 avacado
1 c. daiya cheddar cheese
fresh cilantro for garnish
(optional: a side of rice)
Start by making the Salsa Fresco, so all of the flavors have time to mingle while you prepare everything else. Chop your tomatoes, onions, and pepper. Add to a bowl, stir to combine. Squeeze the juice of one lime over tomatoes, onions, and the serrano pepper. I left the membrane and seeds of the pepper and added everything to the salsa, because hey, we can take the heat, right?! Roughly chop your cilantro and add to the salsa. Sprinkle the 1/4 tsp. of both salt and sugar over the salsa, and again, stir to combine. The sugar will cut down on the acidity of the tomatoes a bit, but not enough to make it taste sweet at all. Set aside. Try not to eat all of this before you make the mushrooms, it will be difficult because it is so yummy just with chips alone!
Clean your portobello mushrooms, remove stems, and preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with either a Silpat mat, parchment paper or simply brush it with a bit of olive oil. Grab your salsa, and spoon in enough to fill your portbello mushrooms so you can't see the ribs anymore. Grab your delish daiya cheese, and sprinkle over the salsa. Throw these bad boys into the oven for 15 minutes. Check how things are going along, and then set it to broil for 2 - 3 minutes, just enough to crisp up the melted cheese a bit.
Slice up your avacados, serve with a side of salsa. Alternately, you can serve this with a side of rice, add some salsa fresco into the rice, served it with the portobello on top of the bed of rice/salsa mixture and garnish with avacados and cilantro. The salsa fresco should be enough to either make 4 portobello mushrooms or for 2 portobello mushrooms served with rice where you add the extra salsa into the rice.
Mmmm....here is a little shot of the inside so you can see all of the yummy layers of salsa and daiya cheese! I have my fingers crossed that this sunny meal with bring forth some real sunshine around here.
Enjoy :)
