Stuffed Mushrooms

For a girl who grew up hating mushrooms, it is amazing how much I love them now. I can remember going on a campout for my older brother's birthday when I was younger. My dad was grilling hamburgers or steaks or something and sauteed some mushrooms to go with it. Being the ever-so-graceful 10-year old that I was, I knocked the frying pan of cooked mushrooms off of the picnic table onto the ground, spilling them everywhere. As a "punishment" I was forbidden to eat mushrooms for a year. I'm sure now that my dad was joking, but when I heard those words at the time, I thought I'd hit the jackpot. I hated mushrooms.

No longer. As my taste buds matured, so did my love for things like mushrooms, peppers, and onions. Good thing, too. Pizza would be plain without them! And I would never have come to love one of my favorite appetizers of all time - stuffed mushrooms. Mmm...

Although I've never eaten a stuffed mushroom I didn't like, I've seen a lot of recipes that have things like ground sausage in it. That's not really up my alley to make at home. I just don't keep a lot of that stuff on hand, and besides - I'm trying to NOT gain back 100+ pounds, remember? So I picked the things I liked best from several of the recipes I saw and came up with these little bites of heaven.


Stuffed Mushrooms
(25 calories each)

12 white mushrooms
1/4 c. bread crumbs
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp water
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
dash Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp whipped cream cheese
2 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese

Wash and gently remove stems from mushrooms.

Mince half the stems. Discard the rest.

In a small bowl, combine minced stems, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, water, vinegar, and and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until evenly moistened. Add whipped cream cheese.

Microwave bowl for about 20 seconds to further soften the cream cheese. Stir until well combined.

Gently spoon filling into each mushroom cap, pressing it in gently. Filling should also be nicely rounded on top. Place filled mushrooms in a foil-covered casserole dish. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Broil about 6 inches from heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until tops are nicely browned.