#34 Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms

Ahhhhhhh......to go on a vacation! A week away from reality, work and everyday stress.  We are on a limited budget the last few years and have been postponing a long planned vacation to Italy. But,
someday we plan on traveling to Rome, Florence and Venice. For now, we opted for adventures close to home.....a driving trip to places neither one of us have been to and stopping on the way.
Since I am trying to incorporate healthy foods into R and my daily diet, I felt like I had to try out a stuffed mushroom recipe that I put together very quickly. This recipe is reassuringly simple, without a lot of spice or oil. I have enjoyed many a stuffed mushroom at the Olive Garden so this one is pure vegetarian. I added some onion powder for my own taste and that intensified it to my liking.

These broiled mushrooms turned out so soft and plump with the warm Parmesan cheese and tomatoes, that they disappeared from the table like hot cakes.  But you can add Pecorino Cheese, bread
crumbs and sausage if you want it to be authentic Italian style

Ingredients:
White button mushrooms- 24 large
Roma Tomato- 1/2 of one chiopped fine
Garlic paste- 1/4 tspn
Itlalian Flat leaf Parsely Chopped fine- 1 Tblspn
Mayonnaise- 1 Tblspn
Onion Powder-1 Tspn
Grated Parmesan cheese-1/2 cup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Remove the stems from  the mushrooms , set caps aside. Finely chop these and saute them in a little oil until soft, Cool.
3. Stir in garlic paste, onion powder, Roma tomatoes, mayonnaise, parsley,  salt and pepper to taste and the above chopped stems in a medium bowl to blend.
4. Keep aside half the Parmesan cheese and add the other half to the above mixture and mix well. If this mixture is not dry enough to stuff, add a little breadcrumbs if needed.
5. Firmly stuff the mushroom caps with the above prepared filling and place cavity side up, on a heavy large baking sheet drizzled with about 1-2 Tblspn of Olive oil.
6. Top with the remaining half of the Parmesan cheese and then drizzle with the remaining Olive oil.
7. Bake in the Oven until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is soft and gooey for about 10-15 mins. The tops may turn a golden color when ready. Serve hot.