Let Them Eat Healthy: Salmon Stuffed Mushrooms

These stuffed mushrooms are a combination of two of my favorite things; seafood stuffed mushrooms meet spinach dip. Oh yes, that can happen my friends! I really love spinach dip but its usually loaded with calories and very little nutrition. The same goes for traditional stuffed mushrooms I have revamped the two recipes and combined them to make a perfect recipe that is modern and healthy. This recipe is something I feel good about feeding my family because it is full of vegetables and heart healthy salmon. These two things are folded into a creamy, satisfying cheese sauce and then stuffed into huge, mineral rich portabella mushrooms. I usually make these to serve 2 1/2, stuffing the large mushroom caps and serving them with a salad or steamed vegetable but you can easily convert this recipe to make appetizer portioned sizes by stuffing the smaller cremini mushroom size.

Let's talk about salmon! I like to eat fish at least once a week, its so very good for you and incredibly versatile. The only problem is...I live in upstate NY and the healthiest fishes are expensive and incredibly hard to find. I am very picky when it comes to the fish I eat, not because of taste but because of the irresponsible fishing practices involved in a lot of commercial fishing. I like to buy fish from responsible fish mongers who practice sustainable fishing. I also like to eat as much wild caught fish as possible. Because wild caught salmon is so expensive and also hard to find I like to buy the canned salmon and try to use it in place of other seafood in recipes. It's much healthier than shellfish and is lower in mercury than most canned tunas. Just be aware when buying canned salmon, you want to look for wild caught and I don't like the ones that contain bones and skin, so make sure to read the label and know what you are buying. I have bought the skin on and "may contain bones" kind and was very grossed out.

Peppery watercress

Greens, healthy, healthy greens! I have a toddler so that means that being able to hide vegetables, especially the green ones is a challenge. Greens are the easiest thing to hide in a dish to make it healthier and I think they are pretty darn tasty. This recipe uses a combination of watercress and rainbow chard. The watercress is lemony and peppery and goes well with the salmon while the rainbow chard is earthy and bitter and goes well with the mushroom. I like to saute them first with a little olive oil and crushed red pepper, this allows me to chop them fine so that they incorporate easily into the stuffing and you get some greenery in every bite!

Ingredients

Filling

2 Large, organic portabella mushroom caps

1 (7.5 oz) Can wild caught salmon

1/3 Cup organic, mixed greens, steamed, drained of all liquid & chopped finely, I used watercress & rainbow chard.

4 Organic scallions, light parts only, chopped finely.

1/2 An onion, diced.

1 Tbsp fresh, organic basil, chopped finely.

1 Tbsp fresh, organic thyme, leaves only, chopped finely.

1 tsp Organic lemon zest

1 Tbsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp light, organic cream cheese, softened.

1 oz pasture raised, local goat cheese, crumbled, I use Vermont Creamery.

2 Tbsp Sabra hummus, I used garlic.

1 Clove organic garlic, minced or grated.

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste.

Crumb Topping

1/4 cup homemade whole wheat bread crumbs, get my recipe by clicking the link.

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Clove organic garlic, grated or minced.

2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, finely grated.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Scrape out the gills of the mushroom caps and any stem, the gills are the black stuff on the underside (where you would stuff). Wipe with a damp rag and place, cleaned side up on a small cookie sheet.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients except the onion. In a saute pan, cook onion with a little olive oil and salt till soft and add to the salmon mixture. Mix all ingredients well to combine. Fill the two mushroom caps evenly with the mixture.

In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, olive oil, garlic and parm. Sprinkle over the top of the stuffed mushrooms, pressing down slightly so that they stick.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until filling is hot and bubbly and the topping is browned.

I like to serve the mushrooms with a salad or a fresh vegetable, such as sauteed spring peas, seen in the picture above. Feel free to serve with whatever vegetable is freshest in your area!