Mexican rice and pepper stuffed portabella mushrooms recipe

After a brief hiatus from stuffing a variety of vegetables, I'm back at it! My love for mushrooms has developed in the last few years. Unlike most of my friends who despise mushrooms, I never had an issue with them, but I didn't seek them out. I remember my mom raving over a portabella burger when I was in high school, and I didn't get the point. Why not go for the beef or one of those fake veggie burger concoctions? Things have changed, and I now appreciate mushrooms to the point that I will go out of my way to put them on pizza, salads, sandwiches, or anything else that is fungus-friendly. But then comes the important question: how do you spell the name of the large ones?? I've seen portabella and portobello, but I'm going to listen to the Mushroom Council and go with portabella (you get extra points if you realized that a Mushroom Council exists).

When I discovered a stuffed portabella recipe in this month's cookbook of the month, I knew I would be trying it. This is easily one of my new favorite dishes! I really liked the addition of rice (which wasn't in the original recipe), and I finally learned my lesson about using just the right amount of chipotle peppers. They make a filling side dish, but would also work for a meal. They're hard to eat neatly, but I'm convinced that messy foods taste better. It's good to be back to my stuffed vegetables (even though mushrooms aren't really vegetables... shhh!).

Mexican rice and pepper stuffed portabella mushrooms (adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health)

(Printable version)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bell pepper (I used yellow), diced
1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
2 small tomatoes, diced
3/4 cup freshly shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
4 portabella mushroom caps, stems removed

Heat oil over medium heat in a medium skillet.  Add onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes, until onion begins to get tender.  Then add bell pepper, chipotle pepper, cumin, cardamom, and paprika, and continue to cook until bell pepper is tender.  Taste and season with salt and pepper, and then stir in rice, tomatoes, half of cheese, and cilantro.  Place the mushroom caps in a large baking dish upside down, and mound the filling on top of each cap.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, cover the dish with foil, and bake at 350 for 30 min.  Then remove the foil and bake for another 10 min.  Serves 4.