Quinoa Stuffed Portobella Mushrooms

This is one of those ideas where you can literally take any leftovers, stuff it in a mushroom, top it with cheese and call it good. Here I have used "leftover" quinoa and beans and added flavorings that I typically have in my fridge. Use any grain or pasta, meat (or not), vegetables, tomato sauce, pesto, you get the idea. Goat cheese would pair nicely with the mushrooms, as well as, parmesan, feta, or fontina. Serve with a salad on the side for a nice, light dinner.
4 portobella mushrooms, stemmed and dark gills removed
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked white beans (rinsed canned beans will work)
1 sprig rosemary, finely minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup stock
1/3 cup toasted pinenuts
1/2 cup grated manchego cheese
1/4 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub each mushroom with oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes. While the mushrooms are baking, combine quinoa, beans, rosemary, lemon zest, stock, and pinenuts. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove mushrooms from oven and stuff each with the quinoa mixture. Top with cheese, breadcrumbs, and a little more salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of oil onto the breadcrumbs. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Roasted Beets

Beets have a tendency to dry out in the oven, so roasting them unpeeled in a foil pack is the ideal method.
4-5 beets, cleaned and unpeeled
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut greens from beets right at the root (leave enough stem so the flesh of the beet is not exposed). Lay one sheet of aluminum foil onto a baking sheet. Toss beets, oil, salt and pepper and rub the oil into the beets to ensure they are completely covered. Place beets onto the foil. Top with another sheet of foil and fold over all edges to make a packet. Bake for 30 minutes or until you can stick a knife through the beets. Allow the beets to cool slightly and remove skin. Use immediately or refrigerate whole.

Roasted Vegetables

This method can be used for any vegetable or any combination of vegetables. Keep in mind, though, that some vegetables will take longer than others to bake and may need to be baked at different temperatues. Vegetables with more water, such as zucchini, do not take as long to bake and should be baked at 425 to get that good caramelization. In general, vegetables that are grown within the same season work very well together in terms of temperature and cooking time. The mix below, which are all winter root vegetables, bakes for the same amount of time, same temperature, and should be cut the same size. A summer mix with zucchini, yellow squash, red bell peppers, red onions, and cherry tomtaoes will all bake at 425 degrees for around 25 - 30 minutes. If there is any question, set the temperature to 400 to start out with and then raise after 25 minutes if the vegetables are not caramalizing. It is very important to spread the vegetables out into a single layer so that every single piece is touching the pan. If you overcrowd the pan, they will steam instead of roast.


1 butternut squash
2 sweet potatoes
3 medium carrots
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss all ingredients together in large bowl and spread out onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 35 - 40 minutes. Carefully stir the vegetables half way through, if necessary.