Tonight was a perfect summer evening! One of my girlfriends from college and I went to a Total Conditioning class at the gym and then she came over for dinner! Brady was in NYC for work so I decided it was a good time to try some new “girlfriend food” recipes. It was difficult to eat because we were busy chatting and catching up!
I adapted this recipe by changing the following things in pink. 🙂
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Artichoke Puree & Roasted-Corn & Tomato Topping
(from the July 2008 issue of Shape magazine)
For the Artichoke Puree:
3/4 cup artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil I used 2 tbs. of hummus instead
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 clove garlic
sea salt
For the Corn-Tomato Topping:
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil no oil – it didn’t need it 🙂
1 clove garlic, pressed (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 ears corn, in their husks – roasted corn from Trader Joes frozen section…so good, cheap and easy!
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
For the Mushrooms:
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil – no oil, just a little PAM in the grill pan
2 (one for each of us) large portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed
sea salt (optional)
Place the artichoke hearts, oil, thyme, garlic, and a small pinch of salt in a blender and pulse until smooth. Add more salt to taste. Set aside.
Preheat the grill (stove) to medium heat. Meanwhile, place tomatoes in a bowl and drizzle with oil. Add garlic (if using), basil, and parsley and toss gently to combine. Set aside.
When grill is hot, cook the corn, turning frequently, about 10 minutes, or until husks are charred and pulling away from cobs. Let stand until cool, then strip husks and remove silk by rubbing with a dish towel. Cut kernels off cob and toss them with tomato mixture; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
While the corn is cooling, grill the mushrooms. Pour oil into a small dish. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat both sides of each mushroom with oil. Place mushrooms on grill, gill side down, for about 8 minutes. Flip mushrooms and continue grilling for 6-8 minutes more, or until edges begin to brown. Lightly sprinkle with salt, if desired.
On a large serving platter, place mushrooms gill side up and spread artichoke puree over them. Top with corn-tomato topping and serve.
Here they are:
These were AMAZING! So many great flavors and easy to make. To go along with this we had a berry salad and quinona. The quinoa tasted great mixed in with the mushrooms. I can’t wait to have Kelly over again to try another “girlfriend food” recipe! 🙂
For dessert I adapted a recipe I saw in US Weekly. Weird, I know! We will call it…
Lemon Chiffon
- Sugar-free lemon pudding made according to the package – 2c. skim milk
- Fage 0%
- Fat free Coolwhip
- lemon juice
- blueberries (optional)
- a small pinch of blueberry flax and soy cereal – for crunch 🙂
Make the pudding according the package. Put the pudding in an individual bowl, or **a hollow lemon would be cute for a party**, add a spoonful of Fage, a spoonful of Coolwhip and a few drops of lemon juice. Toss on some berries and cereal for extra flavor! We both loved this summery, creamy, sweet, low-cal dessert!
The picture is not to pretty…but it tasted great!
Worse pic than I thought – sorry!
Overall it was a great night with wonderful food and even better company!
