Thursday, March 1, 2012

Exploring New Foods

I wrote about being stuck the other day and one of my goals was to try some different foods.  Well, I decided to go ahead and try something that has always totally grossed me out... MUSHROOMS.

I find the thought of mushrooms quite nasty (they're a fungus, enough said) and I honestly had to force myself not to really look at them when I was preparing them but I kept reminding myself that I want to change the way I eat and I NEED to rethink food.  So, I gave it a go!

I sauteed them with a little oil and some onion.  The smell in my kitchen was AMAZING!  I made a tweaked version of pizza (my all time favorite food).  Here's the recipe, originally from Taste of Home, which I adjusted a little bit to make 2 servings.  I also left out the salt and Italian seasoning as well as the fresh basil since I didn't have any.  This was my version:
Photo Credit:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Tomato-Baguette-Pizza

Ingredients:
A handful of mushrooms
1 quarter of an onion
Olive Oil
1 clove of Garlic
1/3 of a french baguette
6 Tomato Slices 
1/2 Cup Mozzarella cheese
Basil for seasoning

Directions:
Sautee mushrooms and onion in olive oil.  Once they are tender, add garlic (I buy the container so it's already minced to save time) and cook for another minute.
Slice bread in half and add half the mixture to each.  Top each with 3 tomato slices and 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.  Season with basil.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until melted.

Simple right?  And delish!  I am seriously shocked that I like mushrooms because I have spent my entire life picking them out of every thing I eat.  Not only are they yummy but the health benefits are amazing.  I've read that they lower bad cholesterol, help with losing weight since they are a lean protein, help regulate diabetes, boost your immune system and could possibly be cancer fighters!  Fungus is awesome!

I'd love to hear some foods you have discovered on your weight loss journey!