I’m in vacation prep mode! Also known as that hypervigilant, excited  and stressed out stage of trying to wrap things up prior to leaving for an extended period of time. AKA walking around in circles hoping I get something done.

The end of last week was nice. I did a really good yoga workshop — a Full Moon Yoga session on the rooftop of Hockessin Athletic Club. It was beautiful — not too hot, not too difficult, and really grounding. Friday, during the actual full moon, I enjoyed a nice dinner at a friend’s house, right before the storm came. There was fun, there was wine, and I sprayed a lot of Full Moon Mist on everyone’s heads. Obviously, the last part was the icing on the cake… heh.

I’ve been trying to get the last bit of ideas out of summer cooking before I go into full Fall-Mode. My second job (White House | Black Market) is starting to get their new clothes in, and it HAPPENS to be my favorite color… RED! and then LEOPARD! If y’all only really knew how I love clothes… you’d know that every new season that comes in is like Christmas for us that work there. And then the actual holiday clothes come, and we all get hysterical.

In the spirit of embracing my KSQ roots, this recipe is all about the mushrooms. My personal favorite appetizer bite! I feel like these even go one step further to highlight the strong Latino presence with some spicy chorizo… definitely a crowd pleaser. Bring to your next summer BBQ!

Chorizo-Stuffed Baby Bella Mushroom Bites (Paleo!)

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 25 min

Ingredients

• 2 containers of baby bella mushrooms, rinsed, patted dry; stems and gills removed
• 1 lb of ground chorizo
• 1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, stems and seeds removed and diced
• 1 heaping tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. on a greased cookie sheet (or cookie sheet with wire rack), scatter mushrooms face up. bake for 15 minutes to allow the juices to release.
2. Once semi-cooked, remove from heat, drain any water that has shed from the mushrooms, and set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, as your mushrooms are cooking, heat 1 tbsp of your preferred fat (I like olive oil) in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add your onions and peppers, and sauté until browned, stirring occasionally — about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Leave oven on.
4. Once your onion/pepper mixture is cooled, add to a large mixing bowl with your chorizo and mix thoroughly. Add your parsley and garlic powder, continuing to mix.
5. Once thoroughly mixed, grab a bit of chorizo mixture that matches the size of the mushroom you’re looking to fill — the diameter should be no wider or thicker than your mushroom, so the ratio is even. Press into the mushroom to secure the chorizo mixture, and reshape if need be. Space mushrooms evenly on another greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet.
6. Bake in oven for 25 min, or until chorizo is cooked thoroughly and starts to brown Don’t worry if the mushrooms sweat further — this won’t impact their flavor, and they typically dry out a bit once removed from heat. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

-S