Mushroom & Feta Tart + Weekly Menu

Growing up, my brother was a picky eater. Anything green was out and he hated tomatoes.

BLT’s were bacon and mayonnaise sandwiches. Tacos were meat and cheese in a tortilla shell.

Thank goodness, much of that has changed and he can proudly boast that he now eats lettuce and tomato, and even mushrooms, too. But this many mushrooms, I wasn’t so sure about…

Brothers…you gotta love’em. My brother has been especially loveable lately. He’s had a recent epiphany that family is important (I am going to credit maturity for this) and he has really stepped it up. Until a few weeks ago mom, dad, and I weren’t “cool” enough to register on his radar. Now, I’m kind of like a blinking red dot that gets a little attention. I like it!

He’s made some strides in growing up, that 23-year-old brother of mine.

But, he’s still 23. He lives in a third-story walk-up apartment in Chicago with two other guys and they recently decided they needed to remodel. What need do they have for a dining room table? None, they decided. They wanted the dining room to be converted into a pool hall. With rope as a pullie and a few injuries, the pool table made it up 3 stories and into their apartment. This is one feat he’s ridiculously proud of…right up there with eating lettuce, tomatoes, and yes, even mushrooms.

Even still, I decided not to test his threshold of mushroom acceptance. Wasting or bad-talking baby bellas or cremini mushrooms is unacceptable under my watch. I’ll have none of it!

Instead, I served this to mom, dad, and Kristen. Mr. Prevention, too. Of course there’s nothing not to love about this and Kristen was spotted eating the leftovers cold and straight out of the fridge on several occasions…just like the Baked Lemon Pasta.

Your next brunch or wow’em breakfast, remember this tart. But for now, I need to back away from the puff pastry. That stuff is ridiculously good!

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Mushroom & Feta Tart slightly adapted from Kitchen Wench, as seen on Dough See Dough

1 lb cremini or baby bells mushrooms, sliced
6 oz feta cheese
6 oz low-fat ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 sheets puff pastry (1.1 lbs – 1 box)
chopped chives, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the feta cheese, ricotta cheese, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent and golden.

Add onion and garlic to cheese mixture and stir well to combine.

Lay out one sheet of puff pastry on each baking sheet. Spoon half of the mixture onto each sheet and spread out, leaving a 1 inch border around the edge.

Evenly distribute mushrooms on top of the cheese mixture, then fold the edges up and spray with olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown. Cut each tart into quarters; serve warm with a sprinkle of chives on top.

Yield: 8 servings (1/4th tart each).

Nutrition Information (per serving): 359 calories; 21.6 g. fat; 40 mg. cholesterol; 630 mg. sodium; 27 g. carbohydrate; 2.1 g. fiber; 12.5 g. protein

Result: My family and Kristen thoroughly enjoyed this! I loved how quickly it came together — no wonder puff pastry is so popular 😉 Sadly, the portion size isn’t huge, but with a serving of fruit this is a solid meal which makes the calories and fat easier to justify 😉 Mushroom lovers…enjoy!

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 Weekly Menu: July 22 – 26th

• Sunday: Quinoa Patties with Goat Cheese with Chocolate Raspberry Tofu Pie
• Monday: Blogger’s Choice Recipe Swap Recipe
• Tuesday: Caramelized Cabbage and Onion Pasta with Bread Crumbs
• Wednesday: Summer Barley Risotto
• Thursday: leftovers

Donna is heading back to Ohio and I am working out and getting ready for another work week ahead.

Be well,