Stuffed Mushrooms

White button mushrooms are great to stuff.
I love to stuff them with vegetables and cheese!

You can take large white mushrooms, twist and pop the stems off.
and stuff them with spinach and artichoke, a caprese style stuffing,
Italian sausage, pepperoni and cheese, etc... cultivate it to make it your own.

Once you decide what to stuff the mushrooms with, simply add a little olive oil

or grape seed or avocado oil and drizzle over all the mushrooms. This will not

only give it flavor but will allow for the mushrooms to bake better.

Add your preferred cheese (shredded off the block if you can) and then

simply bake for 10 minutes on 375 degrees.

You can always garnish with a sprinkle of herbs or a veggie puree or cream sauce.

I love to add pea sauce or carrot puree. The purees can be easily made

by chopping the desired veggie into small pieces and simply simmer for about

10 minutes with choice of stock or water. (the liquid will cook down)

Then blend to your desired thickness. I put them into squeeze bottles for easy use.

Zestfully,  private party chef Yoon

Guacamole

Guacamole is an avocado based dip that was started by 

the Aztecs back in the 16th century. The word guacamole

came from Aztec dialect which translates literally

to avocado sauce.  Makes sense and sounds pretty simple...

just like this home-made guacamole recipe.

If you are making a small bowl of guacamole  for up to 3 people

you can use 2-3 ripe avocados, 

1 small tomato (diced)

a quarter of a small red onion, (diced small)

handful of cilantro stems (chopped- including the stems)

the juice of 2 limes

a pinch of cumin (about 1/2 a teaspoon)

and a pinch of salt  (to your tasting)

and a pinch of sugar (optional; to your liking)

Avocados are meant to be picked in their unripened stage off of their

trees and are to be left on the counter or table to ripen.  Do not put your 

avocados in the frig unless it is ripe and you want it to stop ripening.

Avocados are typically a dark, forest green color and when they start

to ripen they turn a blackish hue AND they are soft to the touch.

To make a basic, easy but super flavorful guacamole all you need to do

is cut your ripened avocado and place it in a bowl.

Dice up the tomatoes into small pieces and throw them on top of the

halved avocado. Dice the red onion into very small pieces--

the smaller the better. Chop the cilantro and add that to the bowl

as well. Lastly, squeeze the juice of the limes and add a pinch of salt.

It's nice to take a fork and stir and fold all the ingredients together.

The sweetness and liquid of the tomato gives a natural sweet flavor

along with the lime juice bringing out some acidity. Onions always

give food more flavor and red  onions being the mildest makes 

for the best onion to choose for guacamole since everything is raw

and the beautiful hue of the purple makes it look attractive as well!

Zestfully,  Let's Cultivate Food

Stuffed Meatballs Drunken in Tomato Sauce

Stuffed meatballs. Drunken in Tomato Sauce. Yum!

You can stuff meatballs with whatever your stomach desires.
I love the play on a caprese stuffed meatball.

You take your choice cut of ground beef. I often use 85% 15% fat
for a little fattier juiciness.

Make your caprese filling. Little cubes of block mozzarella cheese, dried basil
and tomatoes diced up small. Drizzle a little olive oil on the mozzarella
while adding the dried basil (1 TBSP)(the dried basil works well in that it adheres
to the cheese well).  You call always add a little fresh basil as a garnish!

Stuff the meatballs (ideally 1.5 - 2 inches in diameter)
and cook them right in your tomato sauce. You only need to cook them
for about 15-20 minutes. (the total time will be based on the size of your meatballs)

Zestfully,  private party chef Yoon