Easy lunch: Mushroom, spinach and goat cheese rollups

Fact: If I could, I would only eat macaroni and cheese, pb&j sandwiches, greek yogurt, oatmeal, bananas and grapes. I swear I have the taste buds of a 5 year old. I'm not into spices or variety, and certainly not most vegetables. So when I eat veggies they have to be GOOD. So in an effort to eat more spinach I decided to work out an easy lunchtime recipe that has spinach incorporated, and I have to say it's pretty great!

Ingredients

2 whole wheat tortillas

1 tbsp (or less) butter

1 tbsp (or less) olive oil

1/2 cup chopped baby bella or crimini mushrooms

1/2 cup fresh baby spinach

2ish ounces goat cheese

1 tbsp chopped garlic

** As a side note, keep a small jar of minced garlic in your fridge and it will cut down on prep time when you are making solo meals. You probably wont even notice the difference.

Directions

Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium.

Add a little butter and a little olive oil.

Add the chopped garlic and chopped baby bellas. Saute until the mushrooms begin to brown.

Remove the skillet from heat.

Add the baby spinach and stir mix. The residual heat from the skillet will wilt the spinach.

Once the spinach is a beautiful bright green color and still a little firm it's ready to go.

Warm your tortillas in the microwave for 5 seconds, just to get them soft.

Spread goat cheese in the center of the tortillas. You want a pretty good layer because some cheese will melt in the cooking.

Add the spinach and mushroom filling to each tortilla, distributing evenly.

Roll up the tortilla so the cheese, mushrooms and spinach are safely inside.

Heat up a george forman grill to medium.

Lightly butter the outside of the tortillas (not required), and place on grill seam side down.

Grill until lightly toasted. It should still be warm through because of the mushroom/spinach.

Cut in half and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving 1 (2 rollups), Calories 533, Fat 40g, Protein 19g, est ww points 13

Review and Notes

I would definitely give this recipe 5 out of 5 honeybees for ease, taste and texture.

* A note about goat cheese. I really recommend seeking out good quality, local and ethically produced goat cheese. You might pay a little more than the 'national' brands, but the money stays in our community and you can seek out high animal husbandry standards, which I think is worth it. Here in DFW we are lucky to be the home of Latte Da Dairy. They care so much for their goats that they are animal welfare approved, plus their goat cheese is some of the best I've ever tasted! You can catch them at several local farmers markets, Central Market or at one of their open houses all listed on their web site.*

Pasta with caramelized onions, mushrooms and gruyere cheese

This 'recipe' spawned out of a bit of bad luck with some lackluster pasta. I decided to go out on a limb and spend a few extra bucks on some of the new fresh pasta at Central Market, thinking surely it would be better than tried and true barilla... but no, in fact it was not. And then I had a whole package of pasta that needed to be used up in a creative and yummy way. By adding a few extra ingredients that I had on hand I whipped up a really great lunch!

Ingredients

1/2 onion, thinly copped into strips

3-4 sliced crimini mushrooms

1 serving of your favorite (or not so favorite pasta)

1/4 cup freshly grated gruyere cheese

1-2 Tbl olive oil

splash of a good red wine

Directions

Boil water, and cook pasta.

While pasta is cooking, pour olive oil into a skillet on medium heat.

Add onions. When onions start to brown, add mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms are almost caramelized.

Add a splash of red wine, and de-glaze the bottom of skillet. Continue cooking 1-2 minutes until liquid is absorbed. If veggies are not quite finished up, just add more wine and continue cooking.

Remove pasta and plate. Top with onions and mushrooms. Grate fresh gruyere cheese onto pasta.

Notes

I actually highly recommend Barillas mushroom filled pasta, which can be found in most grocery stores in the refrigerated section. Its yummy, quick and easy!

Enjoy!!

Goat cheese medallions

These little snacks are perfect for a nice salad and add an extra little crunch. Plus they're surprisingly easy!

Ingredients

Goat cheese, either flavored or plain but the best you can find

2 eggs

Panko

Directions

Oven to 425.

If goat cheese is in a round, cut log into 1/2 inch thick rounds. If goat cheese is in a tub, use a large spoon to scoop out a small amount and then form into a round about the size of a quarter.

Crack eggs into a bowl. You can use either egg whites only to preserve the white color of the goat cheese, or use the whole egg to add a little color. Prepare the panko for dredging.

Dip each goat cheese round into the eggs, and dredge both sides in panko.

Bake in a single layer for 10 minutes. Put oven on broil and allow to brown. Flip over carefully and brown the other side.

Enjoy!