Stuffed Mushrooms

16 large white button mushrooms 1 tbsp butter 2 shallots, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 small zucchini, finely chopped 1 cup finely chopped baby spinach leaves, plus a few leaves to serve 1⁄2 cup fresh whole-wheat bread crumbs 1⁄2 cup finely chopped nuts—whatever you have on hand: pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts would all work 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley 1⁄3 cup grated Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped mushroom stems, shallots, garlic and zucchini, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chopped spinach, bread crumbs, nuts, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Place the mushroom caps, hollow side up, in a single layer in a lightly sprayed shallow ovenproof dish or on a lightly sprayed baking tray. Heap some of the shallot & zucchini mixture into each mushroom cap and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top. (The mushrooms can be prepared 2 to 3 hours ahead and kept, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.) Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the cheese has melted, about 15 minutes. Serve warm, on a bed of spinach leaves, if desired. Preparation time 25–30 minutes Cooking time 15 minutes Makes 16 mushrooms Nutritional information Each serving (one mushroom) provides: calories 53, calories from fat 36, fat 4 g, saturated fat 1 g, cholesterol 4 mg, carbohydrate 4 g, fibre 1 g, sugars 1 g, protein 2 g.

Spring Rolls

1 package of spring roll wrappers1 pound ground turkey, ground pork, or ground beef 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 tsp cornstarch 2 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil in pan to cook meat mixture 1/2 green cabbage, napa cabbage, or red cabbage finely sliced, yields approximately 9 cups1 large carrot, shredded or grated 1 scallion or spring onion, finely chopped 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/4 cup water

Combine your ground meat, salt, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a bowl and set aside to prepare your vegetables. Slice and shred your cabbage, carrot, and scallion. Add oil to a large non-stick pan, and cook your meat mixture over medium high heat, breaking up the lumps until the meat becomes opaque in color. Add your veggies, soy sauce and water. Stir and cover. Simmer on medium heat until cabbage is tender. Remove from heat, spread out to cool in a shallow cake pan. Elevate one side of pan to drain liquid. To wrap your spring rolls, separate a sheet carefully and follow the instructions below: Lay one sheet down, point at the top, so you are looking at a diamond shape. Deposit approximately 2 tablespoons of filling just below the center of the diamond. Grasp the bottom point, pulling it up and over your filling, and tucking under. Grasp the left point, pull it over, to the middle and flattening it down. Roll the filling-lump up just slightly. Grasp the right point, pull it over to the middle. Roll the filling-lump up, all the way. Keep the wraps under a damp cloth to prevent drying out. Be sure to roll tightly and neatly. Filling should be dry and not sopping wet or you will have soggy spring rolls that fall apart when frying. Fry spring rolls in about an inch of canola oil on medium heat. Remove when golden, and drain on paper towel line platter. Makes approximately 50 spring rolls. Enjoy with Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce. Soy Ginger Dipping Sauce Combine 1/3 cup soy sauce, 2 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1/8 teaspoon sugar, 1 to 3 teaspoons chile oil, 1 tablespoon finely shredded fresh ginger, & 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic. Mix well and serve.