Grilled portobello mushroom caps with balsamic vinaigrette

Last weekend my amazing coworkers got me a grill for a housewarming gift.  So, this weekend I decided to use it for some low carb goodness!  The grill I used is a gas grill, which made the whole process super fast and easy.  I've always used charcoal, but usually with someone else in charge of the grill and the scary fire and the messy clean up.  This time it was all me and it went really well!  

Ingredients:

• 5 portobello mushroom caps, brushed clean
• Balsamic vinaigrette:
• 9 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Mix up marinade with a fork or a whisk until well-combined.
2. Pour marinade over mushroom caps in a pan or bowl, gill side up.  Use a silicone brush if necessary to spread evenly over mushroom caps.  Let soak for 30 minutes or so.
3. Pre-heat grill to medium-high.
4. Place mushrooms on grill, gill side up, for 5-6 minutes, then flip.  Cook on the other side until mushrooms are soft in the middle.

For the last couple of minutes I put a piece of swiss cheese on top of each mushroom cap to allow it to melt.  

Serve with a salad of lettuce, veggies, and bleu cheese dressing.  The salad pictured is romaine, cucumbers, green bell peppers, bleu cheese crumbles, and Ken's bleu cheese dressing.  The drink is a rum and Coke zero :)

Macros:

(Amounts are approximate and may vary with ingredients)

Makes 5 servings, one serving per mushroom cap

Total carbs: 15g Carbs per serving: 3g

Total fat: 125g Fat per serving: 25g

Total protein: 5g Protein per serving: 1g

Pimento Cheese

I haven't posted on here in forever because I've been finding and buying a house!  So now I've got it, and last weekend I had my housewarming party.  I made pimento cheese for the first time and it turned out amazing.  I made a whole bunch of it, so this recipe might be more than you need if you're only having a small dinner party or picnic or something (I was feeding 15 or so people).  Feel free to split it in half, or make the whole thing and just eat it for a while.

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds sharp cheddar cheese, grated 
• The amount of cheese you use depends on how you want the consistency.  More cheese for thicker/chunkier pimento cheese, less if you want it to be more spreadable.
• 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 8 oz diced pimentos, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

This recipe went really easily using my food processor.  It can be done by hand without too much trouble, it just takes a little longer.

1. Grate your cheddar cheese, set aside.
2. Mix together softened cream cheese, mayo, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper.  Blend well.  (I mixed these in my food processor using the paddle instead of the blade.)
3. Mix in pimentos.
4. Mix in cheese, adding it and tasting it until it is the flavor and consistency that you want.
5. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, overnight is best.  Serve with raw veggies like carrots, celery, cucumber, bell peppers, etc.

Macros:

Amounts are approximate and may vary with ingredients
(Amounts vary depending on the amount of cheese, I put in an average)
Makes approximately 20 servings

Total carbs: 41g Carbs per serving: 2g

Total fat: 535g Fat per serving: 27g
Total protein: 170g Protein per serving: 8.5g