Coaching Cooking

I love to find quick and easy meals that serve dual purpose. For instance, the other night I made portabella sandwiches with pesto and goat cheese along with caprese salad, which turned into penne with pesto the next day for lunch, with possibilities for variation.

Ingredients to make sure you have on hand:
8 baby portabella mushrooms
balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
garlic
Italian seasoning, ground mustard
ciabatta bread or rolls
a tub of basil
pine nuts or walnuts
parmesan cheese
tomatoes
fresh mozzarella
mixed greens
penne

First thing—make balsamic vinaigrette by blending 1 part vinegar to 2.5 parts oil with minced garlic, 1 t It. seasoning and 1/4 t mustard. Brush some lightly over the mushroom caps and put the rest in the fridge. Grill mushrooms or bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, for the pesto, blend 3 cloves of garlic with a palm full of pine nuts. Grate in the same amount of parm cheese and drizzle in olive oil until moistened, then tear off handfuls of basil and add until the mixture becomes nice and green. Add more oil and season with salt and pepper. To finish up the sandwich, spread pesto over ciabatta and top with crumbled goat cheese, then 2 to 3 of the portabellas, cut into strips. For the caprese, simply toss together chopped basil, tomatoes, mozzarella and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, then finish with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Keep the rest of the items handy for the next day. (post to follow)

portabella sandwich, caprese salad