Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

We've all been there at one point...you know he's not good for you, but you just can't stay away.  When you're together it's delicious and wonderful.  But afterward, you get that bad feeling in the pit of your stomach.  Well that's where I find myself these days.  And the "he" in my life is......cheese.

I love cheese;  always have.  It started when I was a little kid with that cheese spread that came in a jar (what the heck WAS that?  Cheese in a JAR?).  Then in college I met Velveeta, that yummy, perfectly meltable block of who-knows-what.  I've graduated to  real cheese (hello Cow Girl Creamery!), but my dependence on it has become an issue.

For one, I think it's a culinary cop-out that I add cheese to so many dishes.  "This dish could use a little something. What is it?.....Oh yeah, cheese!" has become an all too familiar sentence in my kitchen. 

Secondly, I recently read The China Study, and it makes a very compelling argument for eliminating dairy from our diets. 

So I've decided to try a cheese-free week.  I know I can't completely break up with cheese forever, but I do think we need to see less of each other.  So let's start with Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, shall we?

Scrape out the gills from two portobellos.  Brush both sides with a little olive oil and either bake or grill them, cut side down for a 3-5 minutes.

While they're cooking, chop some onion, carrot, bell pepper, and celery.  I also added the mushrooms stems, a few extra cremini mushrooms and a couple cloves of garlic.

Saute all the chopped veggies in a little olive oil, add some panko (better than regular breadcrumbs) and smoked paprika.  The smoked paprika is key; it makes everything taste better.  Smoked paprika is going to help me get over my breakup with cheese.

When the veggies are still crisp-tender, fill the portobellos and grill or bake for another 5 minutes.  Make a little salad on the side, and you've got a fantastic vegetarian dinner.

Whoops, did you notice that little bit of Gorgonzola on top?  Shoot! Well, I said that breaking up was hard.  I'll start my cheese free week tomorrow.....