Smoky Baby Portobello Mushroom Sliders: Trust me, you won't miss the meat!

ENJOY THIS ONE: (I had to write my text after the recipe so keep scrolling!)

From Vegetarian Times Magazine

SMOKY BABY PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM SLIDERS

Ingredient List

Serves 4

• 8 baby portobello mushrooms, stems removed
• 3 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 2 Tbs. Classic BBQ Rub (Recipe below)
• 2 medium yellow or white onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. herbs de Provence
• 1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce (I used Bourbon BBQ)
• 2 oz. shredded smoked Gouda (3/4 cup)
• 8 mini rolls or dinner rolls

Directions

1. Toss mushrooms in bowl with 1 Tbs. olive oil and Classic BBQ Rub. Set aside.

2. Heat remaining 2 Tbs. oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and herbs de Provence, and cook 30 minutes, or until golden, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Heat grill or grill topper over medium-high heat. Rub grate or grill topper with vegetable oil. Place mushrooms stem-side down on grill. Brush mushroom tops with barbecue sauce, and grill 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft and charred around the edges. Flip, and grill 3 minutes more. Divide cheese among mushrooms, placing in center of each stem side. Grill 1 minute more, or until cheese is melted.

4. Meanwhile, warm buns on grill. Spread barbecue sauce on bottom buns, then top each with 1 mushroom, sautéed onions, and top bun.

Nutritional Information

Per serving (2 sliders): Calories: 355, Protein: 10g, Total fat: 17g, Saturated fat: 5g, Carbs: 43g, Cholesterol: 34mg, Sodium: 1mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugars: 16g

Classic BBQ Rub

Vegetarian Times 

This basic spice blend can be added to marinades or sprinkled directly on grilled vegetables. The recipe makes enough for about four uses as a rub, marinade, or sprinkle. Store in an airtight container for use all through the summer.
Ingredient List

Makes 3/4 cup

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sweet paprika
• 3 Tbs. ground black pepper
• 3 Tbs. kosher or coarse sea salt
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. celery seed
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients in small airtight container. Shake well to blend. Store in refrigerator. 

Okay, so it's Sunday night again and I should be doing laundry and cleaning but instead I spent most of the day in the kitchen! I made some really tasty recipes trying to use up a lot of the produce I got from the CSA. I stopped at Costco yesterday and bought a big expensive bag of pine nuts which I never buy but thought it would be a nice treat. I made some fresh pesto, homemade granola bars, amaretto peach crumble bars, vanilla peach bourbon jam, and a 15 clove garlic pesto!!! Yes, I know I'm crazy! I made a huge mess of the kitchen but loved every minute of it! I'll post some of these great recipes later this week....plus I'm going to start a new weekly posting of TILT (Things I'm Loving Thursdays). Stay tuned....

For now, enjoy this recipe from Vegetarian Times Magazine for Smoky Portobello Mushrooms Sliders. These were extremely delicious and extremely messy but when something tastes this good it doesn't really matter if it's messy right! Just have some extra napkins ready! The mushrooms with the BBQ rub are so juicy and flavorful, I really don't think you'll miss the meat. Plus, how can you go wrong with caramelized onions seasoned with herbs de Provence. You can use any small dinner rolls for the buns. I found some whole wheat slider buns at Whole Foods that worked pretty well. 

I'll try to post some more recipes tomorrow. I cook so much more than I blog! I need to get faster at uploading my pictures and writing these posts. My husband and I finished Season 3 of True Blood tonight so I think this means I'll have more time in the evenings to do some posts! That show was is so addicting! Good thing we don't have HBO because now we have to wait until Season 4 comes out on DVD! 

Ciao for now!