Musings on Momentum

design a life you love

Berry Crumble

I have a secret.  I have been selfishly withholding what is possibly the yummiest breakfast dish EVER from you.  I didn’t mean to keep this gem to myself; I have actually been planning on sharing it for months now.  But then June turned into September which turned into December and in the blink of an eye I found myself smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, still clutching this recipe close to my chest.  Ultimately I don’t think the timing could have worked out better because it just so happens that this berry crumble is the perfect breakfast to whip up when you need to dazzle a houseful of guests.

Berry Crumble Graphic Title

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Hearty Kale Stew

I have some very exciting news, it has officially dipped below 80 degrees in Los Angeles!  It only took until November 3…  In honor of this positively chilly weather I am bringing out the knee high boots, bundling up in sweaters and making a big pot of my favorite kale stew for dinner.

I first tried this recipe in the middle of August (which a was completely inappropriate time to be testing stew recipes) and we have been enjoying it on a bi-monthly basis ever since.  This stew is perfect for filling you up, warming you up and leaving you feeling healthy.

kale stew

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Invigorating Grapefruit Feta Salad

I am not generally a huge lover of citrus but for whatever reason I ADORE the refreshing taste of it during fall and winter.  A tart orange or grapefruit feels like a surprisingly fresh jolt of flavor to be experiencing during colder months.  Living in Los Angeles I’m able to get my hands on citrus year round, however growing up in a colder, wetter climate it was harder to come by.  For that reason it still feels like a bit of a special treat to me to be eating it as we move towards winter.

I came up with this simple grapefruit feta salad to compliment the crab stuffed portobello mushrooms that I shared with you last week.  I knew the portobello mushrooms were going to have a smokier taste and therefore wanted to prepare a salad that would offset that and shock the taste buds.  This salad did just that!

Grapefruit feta salad

This grapefruit feta salad is comprised of just a few simple ingredients – most of which you probably have on hand – and produces a truly unique flavor.  The tang of grapefruit combined with the bite of feta and the richness of walnuts thrills the taste buds and perfectly compliments a winter meal.

Grapefruit Feta Salad
grapefruit feta salad
Invigorating Grapefruit Feta Salad
Print Recipe
Stimulating grapefruit combines with the bite of feta and richness of walnuts in this uniquely refreshing grapefruit feta salad!
Servings Prep Time
4 people (as a side) 10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people (as a side) 10 minutes
grapefruit feta salad
Invigorating Grapefruit Feta Salad
Print Recipe
Stimulating grapefruit combines with the bite of feta and richness of walnuts in this uniquely refreshing grapefruit feta salad!
Servings Prep Time
4 people (as a side) 10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people (as a side) 10 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: people (as a side)
Instructions
  1. Peel and section grapefruit over a bowl, squeezing membranes for juice as you go so that you are left with 3 tbsp of grapefruit juice.
  2. Combine reserved grapefruit juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and sugar.
  3. Wash lettuce and separate into servings, sprinkling feta cheese and walnuts over them.
  4. Divide grapefruit equally between servings and drizzle each with dressing.
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Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

To properly celebrate moving into our beautiful new home I wanted to prepare a dinner for us that was a departure from what I normally cook.   In my mind our splendid new home ought to equal a proportionately exquisite feast (at least for one night).  After putting some thought into it (and scouring Pinterest for ideas) I settled on attempting to make crab stuffed portobello mushrooms.

I selected a crab-based recipe because my fiance and I adore seafood.  My love is deep rooted and comes from growing up in Seattle tasting the freshest of the fresh catches available.  This recipe ended up feeling very Pacific Northwest…the rich, almost smoky taste of the portobellos combined with the texture of the crab and fresh organic vegetables lends itself to a quintessential PNW taste.  Eating it even made me, dare I say it, a little homesick.

I took inspiration from several recipes but ultimately created my own based on what I felt would best suit our taste buds.  The end result was a mouthwatering treat of a meal that I immediately wanted to share with all of you!

Crab stuffed portobello mushrooms

The beautiful end result.

portobello mushroom

An elegant portobello

vegetable stuffing

Cooking vegetables for the stuffing

crab stuffed portobello mushrooms

Stuffed portobello mushrooms ready to be topped in parmesan and paprika.

Pushing myself to experiment with textures and flavors was an incredibly rewarding experience.  While I will not be making these crab stuffed portobello mushrooms on a regular basis I am thrilled to have this beautiful, delicious recipe in my arsenal and ready to pull out on special occasions.  Please let me know if you give these a try!

Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
crab stuffed portobello mushrooms
Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Print Recipe
These delicious crab stuffed portobello mushrooms are sure to be a hit as an impressive, flavorful appetizer or as a savory main course!
Servings Prep Time
4 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
crab stuffed portobello mushrooms
Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Print Recipe
These delicious crab stuffed portobello mushrooms are sure to be a hit as an impressive, flavorful appetizer or as a savory main course!
Servings Prep Time
4 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees.
  2. Wipe mushrooms clean, cut off stems, and scoop out gills (set aside stems and gills for later).
  3. Chop orange pepper, celery, green onions, and mushroom stems and gills into small pieces. Chop parsley.
  4. Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan adding in onions and celery. Saute for 3-4 minutes until celery starts to soften.
  5. Add mushroom bits to the pan and heat for another minute. Remove pan from stovetop.
  6. Shred crab meat and mix with thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
  7. Add in sauteed onions, celery, and mushroom along with remaining olive oil, lemon juice, and parsley. Mix well.
  8. Brush stuffed portobello mushrooms in oil.
  9. Place mushrooms in baking dish.
  10. Fill each portobello with 1/4 of mixture.
  11. Top stuffed portobellos with shredded parmasean and a sprinkle of paprika.
  12. Bake for 15 minutes (or until tender and tops have browned)
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Savory Gourmet Tuna Melt

Mendocino Farms gourmet tuna melt

Tuna melts and I go way back.  When I was growing up, my mom would always make them for us on nights when my dad had to work late.  They were a special treat for the two of us because my dad inexplicably despises tuna melts (he’s weird) so we never ate them when he was around.  Fast forward a couple of decades to when my new boyfriend (now fiance) brought a tuna melt from Mendocino Farms on a date to the Hollywood Bowl, forever rekindling my love.

Unfortunately my body’s tendency to reject gluten and dairy briefly put a damper on this tuna melt obsession of mine.  Regardless of how delicious something is, it is difficult to justify consuming a meal that you know will negatively impact every system in your body within an hour or two.  This led to a very dark, tuna melt-less year.  I finally decided that enough was enough, I would not be held back from my one true food love, and created a gluten free, lactose friendly version.  This gourmet tuna melt recipe is based on the one from Mendocino Farms, the tuna melt that is the king of all tuna melts.

Gourmet Tuna Melt

Parsley, green onion and lettuce

Gourmet Tuna Melt

Melting  white cheddar cheese

There are several differences in ingredients between my gourmet tuna melt and the one from Mendocino Farms which I address below, but my taste buds feel (and my fiance’s agree) that this recipe comes pretty close to capturing the magical taste of theirs.

 

Gourmet Tuna Sandwich

I hope you will give this recipe a try and enjoy it as much as we do!

Gourmet Tuna Sandwich
Savory Gourmet Tuna Melt
Print Recipe
This gluten free, lactose friendly version is a delicious zero-regret way to satisfy your tuna melt cravings!
Servings Prep Time
4 10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Gourmet Tuna Sandwich
Savory Gourmet Tuna Melt
Print Recipe
This gluten free, lactose friendly version is a delicious zero-regret way to satisfy your tuna melt cravings!
Servings Prep Time
4 10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Mix together all ingredients in bowl (tuna, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, green onions, garlic powder, paprika, pepper, salt)
  2. Oil or butter the outside of each slice of bread
  3. Place two slices of bread in skillet over medium heat, oil side down
  4. Once bread begins to slightly brown, top one slice with tuna
  5. Top piece of bread with tuna with slice of cheese and add other slice to other piece of bread, allow to melt slightly
  6. Add lettuce to slice of bread with tuna and cheese, then top with other slice of bread, cheese side down
  7. Flip occasionally and cook until cheese has melted and bread is golden brown
Recipe Notes

The Mendocino Farms tuna melt contains tomatoes and pickles and uses red onion instead of green.  I don't like pickles and generally leave out tomatoes, but I'm sure the addition of both would only make this more delicious!

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