Quiona Stuffed Portobella Mushrooms

It has only been the last two years that I have enjoyed mushrooms. It started when I was pregnant with my son. I craved mushrooms. I couldn't get enough of them! While that craving doesn't hit anymore, my taste for mushroom has remained. There is also a movement that Mario Batali, Oprah, and tons of others have gotten involved with called Meatless Monday. This was first brought to my attention by a friend of mine. Her name is Natalie and she runs a blog called "It's Soup!" I encourage you to check her out when you have a few minutes. She has some very cool posts. This is one of my additions. You get plenty of protein from the quinoa and lots of the flavor from the spices. I encourage you to try it out and maybe start having meatless monday in your house too.

What You Need:

4 portobella mushroom caps
1/2 c quinoa
1 c water
2 tbs taco seasoning
1/2 bell pepper (green, red, yellow, orange, doesn't matter)
1 ripe tomato
1/2 c mexican cheese blend, plus a bit more for the top
2 tbs chopped cilantro
Olive oil

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the quinoa and place in a pot with the 1 cup of water and the taco seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer, uncovered for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorb and the quinoa is cooked. Meanwhile, finely chop the bell pepper. Remove the seeds from the tomato and finely chop that as well. Wipe off the mushroom and pull the stems out. You can take a spoon and gently remove the gills too if you prefer, which is what I did. Once the quinoa is cooked, stir it together with the tomato, bell pepper, cheese and cilantro. Brush the tops of the mushrooms with a bit of oil and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove, and fill each cavity with 1/4 of the quinoa filling. Top with a bit more the cheese and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until the mushrooms have slumped and are cooked through.