Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Sweet Potato and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms Topped with Hazelnuts

Appetizers

I love stuffed mushrooms and serve them almost every time we have friends over, but I’ve been wanting to lighten them up for awhile now since the usual cream cheese-filled versions are very heavy. When I was making my Truly Outrageous Baked Sweet Potatoes, I was thinking about what else I could stuff with sweet potatoes and mushrooms immediately came to mind. So, this week I stuffed mushrooms with mashed sweet potatoes, turkey bacon, and caramelized shallots, and then topped them with chopped hazelnuts. I thought the flavors really complimented each other well and these little apps are light enough that you can eat as many as you want without spoiling your dinner! This is also a great way to use up any leftover sweet potatoes you may have from Thanksgiving!

I also have to share pictures of the cake I made for my lab mate’s baby shower today! Raffaella is having a little girl, so I made a Sky High pink strawberry cake with chocolate frosting and tackled making marshmallow fondant for the first time. I followed Annie’s awesome instructions for making decorations and was super proud of how well everything turned out, especially the very cute fondant baby sneakers (made with this template) that topped the cake. I think one of the best things about having a blog is that I’m constantly inspired to challenge myself and try new techniques and recipes that are outside of my comfort zone. The cake was a huge hit and several strangers even complimented it on the subway on my way to work! I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Sweet Potato and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms Topped with Hazelnuts
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
24 mushrooms, stems removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 slices turkey bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 sweet potato, scrubbed
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and place mushrooms on it, cap side down.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a medium nonstick skillet. Sauté chopped turkey bacon for 5 to 7 minutes or until crispy. Remove and drain.

Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to the same skillet; add shallots, reduce heat to medium low, and sauté shallots 15 to 17 minutes, stirring frequently, or until caramelized. Add garlic and sauté one additional minute.

Meanwhile, prick sweet potato several times with a fork and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Remove cooked flesh and place in a medium bowl (my yield was 1 cup).

Mix mashed sweet potatoes with bacon, caramelized shallots, apple cider vinegar, and salt; stuff mushrooms with sweet potato mixture and top evenly with chopped hazelnuts. Bake stuffed mushrooms at 375˚F for 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 152 calories, 9.2g fat, 2.4g fiber, 7.1g protein per serving
Cost: $0.92 per serving

Pizza Onion Rings

A couple months ago, Apolinaras and I spent a long weekend in Chicago. I was scheduled to give a seminar about my lab’s research at the AACR conference at McCormick center, and Apolinaras tagged along to keep me company. Apolinaras and I went to college and grad...

Mediterranean Cucumber Appetizers

I was craving a nice light summer snack the other night while I was reading and really wanted to munch on some of these cucumber hummus appetizers. Unfortunately, there was no hummus in the fridge or chickpeas in the cupboard and I was about to make some boring old...

Mini Bean Black Cups Stuffed with Guacamole

There’s nothing better than sitting outside drinking margaritas and munching on guacamole and chips in the summer! We always order guac when we see it on a restaurant menu and I love to make it at home too since it comes together so quickly. Avocados are part of my...

Plantain Nachos

The Super Bowl is almost here! I love having the excuse to whip up a bunch of fun appetizers and if you’re not in the mood for football chicken cakes, I have the most mouth watering snack for you – plantain nachos! These are my absolute favorite nachos of all time and...

Loaded Sweet Potato Skins

Football season is finally here! Ok, so I admit I actually only know this because I saw a game on while I was browsing through the tv channels on the elliptical at the gym. I’m not actually a huge football fan, and much to my brother’s horror, I’ve never tailgated at...

Cajun Shrimp Rolls

When I was in New Orleans several months ago, I ordered a Crawfish Roll on a whim from one of the food vendors. I didn’t really know what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a yummy eggroll filled with a crawfish/seafood stuffing. It was...

Cranberry Pecan Brie Bites

Party season is finally here! I’ve been getting into the holiday spirit by having hot chocolate after dinner every night and singing along to Christmas carols in the car (I was in chorus in high school and know all the words!). But tomorrow things will get into full...

BBQ Rice Balls Stuffed with Cheddar Cheese

I have a problem – I can’t stop stuffing things with cheese! I recently saw arancini (Italian rice balls) filled with cheese on Lisa is Cooking and Brown Eyed Baker, and immediately started drooling. Of course, I wanted to add my own little twist, so I drew...