Herbed Garlic Rice Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

We have had a rather busy and exciting February thus far!  We have been focusing on eating meals prepared from our pantry and freezer overstock for home prepared meals.  Despite eating out on average of three times a week, we are still making a bit of headway in paring down the overstock.  We also dramatically reduced buying any groceries other than fresh produce for the month.  I bought some gourmet teas and macadamia nuts too, but other than that only produce.  It helps that it has been extremely cold so I really don't feel like going out to shop and even considered cancelling a couple of social events because it has been so cold!

We aim for 5 to 7 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily in addition to any frozen or home canned fruits and vegetables.  I was looking for something a bit different during my last trip to the grocery store and settled on portobello mushrooms.  Portobello mushrooms are simply grown brown crimini mushrooms with a diameter of 4 to 6 inches.  Their deep flavour with firm texture lends themselves nicely as a meat substitute.  We often enjoy portobello mushrooms grilled or sliced and sautéed, as well as stuffed.  The caps are large enough to hold a nice portion of the desired stuffing to create a filling, delicious entrées.  Portobello mushrooms are fat-free, low in calories, and a rich source of selenium, copper and niacin.

I cooked long grain rice then stirred in about a quarter cup of Kraft Herb & Garlic Shredded Cheese and finely chopped broccoli.  I cleaned the mushroom caps and placed top-side down on a Silpat lined baking sheet.  I brushed about a tablespoon of home canned pizza sauce in each mushroom cap.  Then, I spooned the rice filling into each cap mounding nicely.  I sprinkled lightly with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and baked at 350°F until the mushroom caps were cooked (about 40 minutes).  A fresh garden salad with citrus vinaigrette completed the meal.