Meatless Monday

A lot of people are choosing to start their week out by enjoying meat free meals. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy meat, as does my sweet daughter. Recently, she proclaimed she was a vegetarian. This, however, was short lived. As soon as we were standing at the meat counter at Whole Foods, she had changed her mind. I can't say I was surprised. The girl will devour some Rendevous ribs and loves a steak. I try to cook a vegetarian meal once a week for the family I cook for. My hope is that they will love it and not miss the meat. There are so many benefits for eating vegetarian - health and enviromental. Could you eat a meatless dinner once a week ?!?

Portabello Mushroom and Tomato Stack

8 portabello mushrooms; stems and gills removed ( I remove them by scraping them out with a spoon )
4 garlic cloves, peeled, cut in half
2 tomatoes; cut into 8 slices
4 slices whole mozzarella
8 Basil leaves
2 cups Baby Spinach or Arugula
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400

Drizzle balsamic and olive oil on both sides of all the mushrooms. Then season mushrooms with salt and pepper. Put a half garlic clove on each mushrooms. Place in oven and cook, flipping once, for 12 minutes.

Remove and add a small handful of the baby spinach, two slices of tomato, basil, and slice of mozzarella to four of the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Top with another mushroom, making a "sandwich". Place back in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

I served some warm marinara on the side as a sauce.