Fully Loaded Mushrooms

This Valentine's day was pretty awesome.  Nick and I went upstate New York and spent the holiday skiing, snowshoeing, and curled up by a fire.  We got a huge snowstorm the first day we were there, with almost twenty inches falling and coating everything in a blanket of white.  Check out the view from our window and the mountain we snowshoed up!  It truly was the perfect winter getaway :)

Today I'd like to share with you these fully loaded mushrooms.  They are lightly seasoned and perfectly roasted mushrooms packed with hummus, sun-dried tomatoes, and avocados.  These make a great appetizer because you can grab them with your hand.  I roasted the mushrooms so they are tender, but not mushy, therefore they act as toasted bread for the toppings.  The first time I made these I had plans to share, however I wound up eating all of them myself.  Over a bed of greens, these stuffed mushrooms are hard to resist!   

Fully Loaded Mushrooms
vegan, gluten-free

yield: 6 stuffed mushrooms

6 portobello mushroom sliders*
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup hummus
2 Tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 acovado, diced
baby greens of choice (I used mesclun mix)
fresh lemon slices
salt and pepper

*Feel free to use a different type of mushrooms.  Baby bella, portobello, crimini, or white mushrooms would work here as well.  The cooking time will have to be adjusted according to the size:  with smaller mushrooms reduce the time by 5-10 minutes, and for larger mushrooms add 5-10 minutes.

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 F and line a rimmed baking pan with tin foil.  Rinse mushrooms, dab the excess water with a paper towel, and poke the tops with a fork a few times.

2.  Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and garlic.  Toss mushrooms in the mixture and place on prepared pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

3.  Spread greens over the bottom of a serving platter.  Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the hummus into the bottom of each mushroom and sprinkle with the sun-dried tomatoes and diced avocado.  Arrange the caps on the bed of greens, then squeeze a few lemon slices over the top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.