Pizza Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms!

Calling all mushroom lovers! This recipe is a great way to get those yummy Italian flavors without the hassle of making pizza dough. This is one of the most simple recipes to put together, all you need to do it some vegetable prep, and you're done (It took me under 5 minutes to get everything together)! I put whichever toppings I had in my fridge, so anything goes for this recipe- artichokes, spinach, eggplant, Italian squash. This would be a really impressive dish for when you're having people over for dinner, serve with some fresh Italian bread and some yummy salad and you have yourself a quick and easy meal!

Ingredients
- 2 portobello mushrooms cleaned with stems removed
- 2 TBSP pesto
- 4 TBSP pizza sauce
- 1/2 cup mixed Italian cheese divided (or whatever cheese you have)
- 1/4 bell pepper diced
- 1 TBSP chopped jalapeño
- 2 TBSP chopped tomato
- 1 TSP fresh chopped basil
- Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
- Preheat oven to 300. Place portobello mushrooms (stem side up) on a baking sheet lightly greased with cooking spray.
- Spoon 1 TBSP pesto on each of the mushrooms and spread evenly, then spoon 2 TBSP pizza sauce on each mushroom and spread to the edge.
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup mozzarella on each mushroom and with the back of a spoon or your fingers press down lightly to pack cheese into the mushroom, then divide toppings evenly over each mushroom. Top with a sprinkle of salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- Bake at 300 for 6-9 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling slightly. After removing the tray from the oven let mushrooms cook for a few minutes before removing (or the cheese will spill over and mushroom will break). Use a nonstick wide set spatula to scoop onto plates.

Serving size- 1 mushroom per person

Serving suggestions: Serve along side fresh salad, pasta salad or some soup. You can even place the pizza stuffed mushroom between two slices of Italian bread for a really good Italian sub!

Cilantro Wild Rice

Happy Mother's Day to not only my mom but to all of my awesome friends who are moms! I am truly amazed by how much you do on a daily basis. =)

This week's recipe is going to be a two part recipe but cilantro wild rice is a key ingredient so I wanted to post this recipe first.  Cilantro rice is one of my personal favorites and it's great with just about any meal.  It can be used as a side dish,  a main dish, with Mexican, or burgers...the possibilities are endless with this tasty concoction! Try it at home and let us know your favorite way to pair it.

Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 cup wild rice (you can use any kind of rice you would like)
3 cups (24 oz) warm water
3 TBSP cilantro diced and blended
1 TBSP EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt to taste

Directions:
1.  Chop and blend 3 TBSP cilantro.
2.  Place cilantro in a small bowl, add EVOO, and mix.  Let the mixture sit overnight.
3.  Wash and soak wild rice for at least 30 minutes (the longer you let the rice soak, the quicker it will cook).
4.  Place rice and water in a rice cooker (or pot), add cilantro mixture, salt, & lime juice.
5.  Cook until rice is tender and all of the water has evaporated.  If you used a rice cooker, just mix the ingredients and let the cooker do the rest.
6.  Enjoy!

Serves 4-5

Orange Chocolate Chip Cake

If I were to combine chocolate with a flavor, 95% of the time I would pair it with orange. I love the citrus flavor with chocolate, nothing beats it! This is one of my favorite cake recipes, my sister surprised me and came down from Phoenix for a few days, so I thought I would show her my appreciation through this yummy dessert! The ganache is optional for those who don't want chocolate over load. I hope y'all love it as much as she did!

Ingredients
   Cake
- 1-1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 cup sugar

- 1/2 TSP baking powder

- 1/2 TSP baking soda
- 1 TBSP vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 3 TBSP orange juice
- 2-3 TBSP grated orange zest
- 3 TBSP ener-g egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup water
- 1-1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips mixed with a little flour
  Ganache
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup heavy cream


Directions
- Pre heat oven to 350.
- Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and set aside
- Cream butter and sugar with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy. Then add ener-g egg replacer mixture, orange zest, vanilla extract, orange juice and butter milk and mix until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients in thirds to the wet ingredients and mix with hand held mixer.  Fold in chocolate chips. Pour in a lightly greased pan and bake for about 30 minutes or when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool Completely.
- For the ganache heat heavy cream and chocolate chips on a double broiler until chocolate chips are completely melted.
- Transfer the cake to a plate or cake stand and spoon ganache over the top of the cake.

Serving size 8-10.

Almond Joy Macaroons

Hello All! It has been a week of emotions. I am happy to announce that this week, we launched our official FB page - Texan Veggies (be sure to like us to receive our weekly updates) as well as an Instagram page.  On the other hand, I am writing this blog with a heavy heart because a good friend of my husband's, someone he considers a brother, tragically lost both of his parents this week.  It only makes you realize that life is short and therefore, you should cherish every moment with those you love and care for.  When my husband spoke with his friend, he was at peace with what happened and insisted that the only thing he wanted was some goodies from the "Texan Veggies" girls.  His calm nature inspired me to make a "care pack" for him and his sweet family to comfort them through this difficult time.  Here is this week's recipe...

Ingredients:
2 packs (14 oz) sweetened flaked coconut
1 can fat free sweetened condensed milk
2 TBSP fat free sour cream
1 TBSP fat free half & half
1 & 1/2 tsp Mexican vanilla extract (can use regular vanilla as well)
1 cup toasted whole almonds
3/4 bag bittersweet chocolate, melted
Bakers Joy non stick baking spray

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2.  Toast almonds in an oven at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes.
3.  In a food processor, pulse 1/2 cup of toasted almonds until they are roughly crushed.
4.  In a large bowl, mix coconut, condensed milk, vanilla extract, sour cream, & half & half.
5.  Scoop some dough/ mixture in your hand, place an almond in the middle, and roll into a ball.
6.  Spray cookie sheet with non stick baking spray, & place the rolled cookie balls about 1/4 inch apart.
7.  Bake cookies for 23-24 minutes until they look golden brown.
8.  Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat in increments of 30 seconds until it is completely melted, stirring the chocolate in between every increment.
9.   Dip half of the cookie in chocolate, roll it in almond pieces, and place in a container or tray lined with parchment paper.
10.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Matchstick Mangos

I would like to announce some pretty exciting news...yesterday, we launched an official Texan Veggies Facebook page - YEAY!- which has put me in an extra festive mood.  With this new page, we will have some exciting promos as well as surprises.  We hope you enjoy reading our blog and making these wonderful recipes as much as we enjoy sharing them with y'all!

Now, on to the actual post...this is a very basic and simple snack that is not only delish but also very healthy.  I will throw out the caveat that I am not really a big mango fan (strange, I know, considering that I'm of Indian origin) but I do enjoy a nice unripe mango and this is my favorite go to summer snack.  Try making it at home and let me know what your favorite snack is!

Ingredients:

1 medium size unripe mango (they are usually green and very firm)

1/4 tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Wash and cut the mango in long skinny match sticks.

2. Add turmeric & salt and mix well.

3. Let the mango sit for about 10 minutes. 

4. Enjoy!

Shrikand

Shrikand is a yogurt based Indian dessert, you sweeten it with sugar and mix your favorite toppings, it is so easy and simple to make! I use Greek yogurt which makes it really rich, creamy and tangy. The great thing about this dessert is that it is really versatile, you can use whichever fruits and nuts that you have on hand! Some add-ins that I have used are pomegranate, pistachios, slivered almonds, chocolate chips, mango...and the list goes on! Traditionally this dish has a few pinches of saffron, which gives the dessert this awesome pale yellow color and a distinct flavor but it is completely optional.

Ingredients
- 32 oz Carton 2% Greek Yogurt (I like Fage)
- 1 cup super fine sugar
- 2 pinches of saffron (optional)
- 1-1/2 - 2 cups of your favorite add-ins

Directions
- Empty contents of the yogurt carton into a large sheet of cheesecloth lined colander.
- Bring all four corners of the cheese cloth together, twist the four corners together and tighten it around the yogurt, squeezing any excess water from the yogurt. Secure with a rubber band. Place in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
- At this point most of the liquid will have drained, squeeze the tied cheese cloth a few times to get the last drops of liquid out.
- Place sugar and contents of cheese cloth in a large bowl (the yogurt will look like thick ricotta cheese), and with a hand held mixer, whisk on medium speed until the sugar is well incorporated (you will know the sugar has been well combined with the yogurt when the shrikand becomes shiny).
- Taste the shrikand, if it is not sweet enough add necessary amount of sugar and keep mixing.
- Fold in your favorite mix-ins along with the saffron and enjoy!

Serving size- about 6 people

Bhel (popular Indian street food)

First and foremost, I would like to say as an avid runner and an advocate of health in general, it truly saddens me to think about the horrific acts that took place today in Boston during the holy grail of all marathons - the Boston marathon!  Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Boston.

Secondly, I would like to apologize for posting our weekly recipe so late; it was a very busy and memorable weekend for me.  This was a weekend of celebration especially because my husband graduated with his doctorate degree in chiropractic and was recognized for additional degrees in Anatomy as well as Health and Wellness.  Afterwards, we celebrated his graduation at our home with close family & friends, which is the inspiration for today's recipe...

Bhel is a type of street food and falls under what is commonly known as chaat.  It is not only delicious but chaat food is also the most famous type of found throughout India.  These days there are chaat restaurants in most major cities that serve up this delicious dish but nothing compares to making it at home.  Try it out at your next party and it will be sure to be a hit.

Ingredients:
1 package of pre made/ mixed bhel mix (found at most local Indian grocery stores)
Cilantro and jalapeno chutney (recipe to follow)
1 bottle pre made tamarind chutney (you can also find this at the local Indian grocery store but you can use a 1/2 cup of apple butter and add a pinch of cumin powder, salt, & cayenne pepper in its place)  
1 cup sprouted moog beans
1 cup brown chick peas (found at most local Indian grocery stores)
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
2 medium boiled potatoes, diced
1 bunch cilantro plus more for garnishment
1-2 whole jalapeno or Serrano peppers
Salt (for chutney)
1 tsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

Directions for Jalapeno Chutney:
1.  In a blender, place the entire bunch of cilantro, add salt, EVOO, jalapeno peppers, and blend on medium to low speed.
2.  You can add a bit of water to help the blending process so that the chutney is at a desired consistency (the chutney shouldn't be too runny or too thick).

Directions for Bhel:
1.  Soak moog beans and brown chick peas over night in warm water.
2.  Drain the water out and in a cheesecloth, place the moog beans in the over for roughly 12 hours so that they sprout.  Alternatively, you can find sprouted moog beans at your local organic market or your local Indian stores.
3.  Follow the same instructions as above for brown chick peas.
4.  In a plate or bowl, add bhel mix, potatoes, chick peas, moog beans, & cabbage.
5.  Top off with all of the various chutneys and garnish with a bit of cilantro.
6.  Enjoy!