ZagLeft

My niece from back home in Louisiana has been visiting us for the past week.  She and my kids have been having so much fun spending time together.  I love when we have family staying with us because it forces us in a wonderful way to be tourists in our own hometown.  Often, I find we take for granted all the wonderful things to see and do where we live. By slowing down to show off our city to others is when we recognize what great, fun activities we have in our own backyards.

In between our outings, we’ve been spending lots of fun time in the kitchen.  My niece, Tabatha has become quite a good cook.  She follows in her mother’s (my husband’s sister, Bridget’s) footsteps.  When Bridget comes to visit, we often cook together.  I especially love when she and Tabatha come for a few days before and after Thanksgiving.  Bridget and I spend lots of time preparing and cooking our Thanksgiving feast together and always end up relaxing in the backyard while the food is cooking with a glass or two of wine…my favorite part!

Tabatha told me about a great little recipe she discovered for making portobello mushroom burgers.  She put  these mushroom burgers together in minutes on the grill and they were so good!  They were a huge success with our vegetarian and non-vegetarian family members.

Since I’m trying to limit my carb intake, Tabatha’s Mushroom Burgers inspired me to put together little Mushroom Tomato Stacks.  For these, I grilled up several tomato slices and made little stacks with the portobello mushroom, the tomato and a generous scoop of feta cheese and then repeated the layers.

A delicious recipe either way you decide to make it…

INGREDIENTS

5 Portobello Mushrooms

4 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 large tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat a grill to medium high heat.

Clean the mushrooms under cold, running water.  Wipe them off with a clean paper towel.  Remove the gills with the tip of a small spoon on the underside of the mushrooms.

In a small bowl, mix together the oil, vinegar, salt and spices.  Using a pastry brush, brush both sides of the mushrooms and both sides of the tomato slices (if you decide to grill these) and place on a large baking sheet.

Carefully place the mushrooms and the tomato slices on the grill.  Grill the mushrooms for about 7 minutes per side and grill the tomato slices 4-5 minutes per side.

Remove from the grill and set aside.

To prepare the Mushroom Burgers:

Lightly toast the buns on the grill.  Tabatha suggests serving the Mushroom Burgers with spicy Zatarain’s mustard and sautéing some green onions to scatter on top.

To prepare the Mushroom and Tomato Stacks:

Place a portobello mushroom down on a plate, top with a slice of tomato and finish with 2 teaspoons of feta cheese. Layer with another mushroom, tomato and feta cheese.