Meaty Portobellos and Lemon Kale Topped with Pumpkin Seed Cream

Today's recipe is a mouthful, both literally and semantically.

....I was sort of striving to have 13 posts (how many times I post this month) of deliciously healthy sweet treats....but, alas, things have not gone as planned.

This little monster has been experiencing her first flu....

.....so my blogging efforts have been a bit lax, to say the most.

Today's recipe is one that I have had saved for a rainy day....

Mushrooms (portobellos in particular) are a wonderful alternative to meat for any vegetarian or vegan. They have a 'chewy' consistency that makes them very hearty and substantial...and they taste fabulous!...coming from someone who never uses the word 'fabulous'.

They are also low carb and boast a decent amount of protein for a vegetable (half a cooked cup yields 2 grams of protein).

Topped with the sautéed kale and creamy pumpkin seed (not the orange pumpkin) sauce, this makes a great lunch or light dinner. 🙂

MEATY PORTOBELLOS AND KALE WITH PUMPKIN SEED CREAM

MUSHROOM MARINADE:

3 T. grapeseed oil

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1/2 t. dried thyme

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. black pepper

2 portobello mushroom caps, de-gilled and rubbed clean

Cut the stems off of the portobellos.

De-gill the mushroom. Using a spoon, gently scrape out the gills and stem stump, being careful not the remove the flesh. Also, using a damp, clean cloth, gently rub the outside (top) of the mushroom clean. They should NOT be cleaned by running them under water, as mushrooms are sponge-like, and will absorb the water, consequently diluting the flavor.

Mix together the first five ingredients for the marinade. Pour into a pie plate (or a large enough baking dish), coat the mushroom caps with the marinade being careful to get into all of the crevices, and let the caps marinate for one hour. You can flip the mushrooms over a few times during this period to equally marinate both sides. I have found this step to be critical in taste and consistency, so don't skip it!

Heat a non-stick grill pan to medium. Grill the portobellos for about 5-6 minutes per side. No oil is needed here, as the mushrooms were already soaking in the oil-based marinade.

PUMPKIN SEED CREAM

1/4 c. pumpkin seeds, soaked in 1 c. water + 1/2 t. salt, overnight

1/2 c. water (not soaking water)

2 t . coconut oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 t. nutritional yeast

1 t. flour (spelt or rice work best)

a few scrapes of nutmeg

a few squirts of fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste

Blend the soaked seeds with the water for about 2 minutes. Strain the mix either using a nut milk bag or a sieve, removing the pulp. Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and cook for about 20 seconds. Add the pumpkin milk, nutritional yeast, and flour. AStir until thickened (about 2-3 minutes). Add in the nutmeg and lemon juice, tasting as you go.

LEMON KALE

2 t. coconut oil

4-5 kale leaves, stems removed, chopped

1 t. lemon zest

1-2 T. lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste

AHeat the oil in a skillet. Add the chopped kale, and saute just until wilted (about 2-3 minutes). Add the lemon zest and juice, and season to taste.

To assemble:

Dollop a spoonful of the pumpkin seed cream onto a plate. Top with the portobello steaks, followed by the lemon kale, and more pumpkin seed cream for the top. Garnish with a handful of raw pumpkin seeds, and devour!

This was amazing! I love when I can make a meal out of vegetables because I feel so healthy afterwards! I've recently been playing around with less grains in my diet, and I don't know if it's less grains or more veggies, but I definitely notice a difference!

Bear with me as I am attempting to include nutritional information for all of my upcoming recipes, including Weight Watchers points. If you're interested in anything I've previously posted, please just shoot me a message, and I will figure it out for you!

What's your favorite vegetarian/vegan dinner?

I am a HUGE dal lover and will be posting a recipe for it soon! 🙂