Stuffed Mushrooms

What a delightful vegetarian appetizer!! Stuffed mushrooms are so easy to make & so impressive to serve. I came up with this recipe based on ingredients I had on hand, so  feel free to adjust the ingredients for stuffing based on what you have! 

Time: 30 minutes  

Ingredients:  

• 10-12 large stuffable mushrooms (can also use smaller ones for variety)  
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese  
• 8-10 green olives  
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs  
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage  
• 1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika  
• 1-2 tablespoons diced jalapeño

Recipe:  

1. Carefully rinse the mushrooms or wipe them with a damp paper towel.  
2. Pull out the stems & dice them, set them aside in a bowl.
3. Dice the olives & add them to the bowl with the mushroom stems.  
4. Add to the bowl the cheese, fresh sage, bread crumbs, & jalapeño.  
5. Carefully place enough of the mixture into the mushrooms so that it doesn't spill over but are well-stuffed. 
6. Place the mushrooms on a cookie sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper. 
7. Sprinkle the smoked paprika on top & bake on 350 for ~20 minutes depending on the size of your mushrooms.  

Tip: when the mushrooms start to form a little moisture underneath, they're ready! 

Olive Loaf

Craving olives today so I made some olive bread! Super easy to whip up with some active dry yeast. I enjoyed it with some warm tomato-basil soup!  

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients: 

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil  
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning  
• 1/2 cup mixed olives, pitted  

Recipe: 

1. Add the packet of yeast & sugar to the warm water, stir to dissolve then let it sit for 15 mins to bubble up.
2. In a medium bowl, pour the flour, salt & Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. 
3. Slowly mix in the yeast mixture & olive oil, mix with your hands slightly just to incorporate the ingredients. 
4. Chop the olives into smaller rounds, throw almost all of them into the flour mixture, leaving some for the top of the loaf. 
5. Knead the olive dough completely & form into a loaf with your hands. 
6. Set it on a cookie sheet & cut 4 small slits on the top.  
7. Garnish with the remaining olive slices, pressing them in so they stay put in the oven. 
8. Bake on 350 for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until golden brown on top, and cooked through the middle.