Author: Kimberly Roberto

Last night, I decided to go meatless and made Stuffed Porto Pattys from the Maximized Living Nutrition Plans Book.  One of the many joys of cooking is being able to improvise.  I was out of tomatoes so I just substituted chopped zucchini instead.  I also substituted a very light sprinkle of raw cheddar cheese instead of goat cheese.   The portobello mushrooms are so rich and meaty and satisfying that will satisfy even big appetites.

These portobello mushroom caps make the perfect ‘bowl’ and can be stuffed with any veggies you have on hand.  You can even leave off the cheese entirely.   The recipe suggests grilling, but since it was raining last night, I just popped mine in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

You can also assemble the mushrooms ahead of time and just sprinkle with the cheese and pop them in the oven when you are ready.  It only took me minutes to gather and chop the ingredients, then just 25 minutes in the oven.

4 medium portabello mushroom caps

1 large tomato, diced

1 organic yellow bell pepper, diced

6-8 kalamata olives, sliced

4 leaves chopped basil

1/2 small red onion, diced

2 handfuls organic spinach

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 tablespoons grass fed butter or avocado oil

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon course ground black pepper

goat cheese crumbles or raw cheddar cheese, optional

Melt butter or avocado oil and lightly cook garlic until tender.  Wipe off any dirt from the mushrooms with a damp towed.  Brush insides of mushrooms with half of the melted butter/garlic mixture.  Sautee peppers, onion, tomatoes, spinach, olives, salt, and black pepper with the rest of the butter/garlic for  3-4 minutes or until tender.  Meanwhile, grill or bake mushroom caps for approximately 4 minutes or until softened.  Fill the caps with the veggie mixture and cheese if desired, continue cooking until cheese is melted and everything is heated together.

After Cooking

One of my main goals on my mission for better nutrition is to GET PEOPLE IN THE KITCHEN!  Most people are surprised to learn that most of the meals I make come together in less than 30 minutes, use few ingredients, and appeal to the whole family.  This is an example of one of those quick, easy, and tasty meals that I made on a night that was very hectic.  I actually found that taking that short mental break while I was preparing the food was just what I needed.  I enrolled my kids to help which allowed us some time to cooperate and communicate.  Not to mention, when the kids help, they are much more likely to try the food.  For example, my 7 year old helped chop the zucchini and my 9 year old skewered the chicken.

On the menu:

CHICKEN SATAY (from Maximized Living Nutrition Plans) – CORE & ADVANCED PLAN

2 tablespons raw almond butter

1/2 cup liquid aminos, coconut aminos, or organic tamari

1/2 cup fresh lemon or lime juice

2 tablespoons curry powder

6 skinless, boneless organic chicken breasts, cubed

1 teaspoon hot pepper or chili sauce (check ingredients!)

2 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed

Combine almond buter, aminos, lime juice, curry powder, garlic and hot pepper sauce.  Place the cubed chicken in the marinade and let marinate 30 minutes – overnight.  Weave the chicken on to wooden skewers (presoaked in water to prevent burning) Preheat an indoor cast iron grill pan to high than reduce to medium heat.  Cook skewers approximately 5-8 minutes on each side until no longer pink inside.

SAUTEED ZUCCHINI

2-3 large zucchini – chopped into cubes

1/2 onion – chopped into cubes

Sea salt

Spices to taste

Coconut oil or grapeseed oil

Heat oil in a pan (I used GreenPans here but cast iron or stainless steel will also work – stay away from aluminum or teflon!) to med-high heat, put vegetables in the pan and do not touch until browned.  This gives the vegetables a nice color and provides a different taste.  I used a premade spice mix – just check the ingredients.

WILTED SWISS CHARD

1 bunch swiss chard or any type of greens

olive oil

garlic

salt

lemon juice

To prepare the chard, start by cutting out the hard pink stalks and chop the rest of the greens into bite sized chunks.  Combine the chopped chard with the salt, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice in a bowl.  Massage the chard to combine the flavors and soften the leaves.  Put into a pan and heat lightly until desired doneness.  I prefer mine just lightly wilted.  DO NOT heat the olive oil too much because it cannot withstand high heat.