*Photo and Recipe Updated December 2012*

Inspiration: These are the kinds of meals that I love to eat when the weather is nice. It has been gorgeous around here for the past few days. We opened up every window in the house last night for the first time this year, just letting the sunshine soak in and the breeze fly through, and this was the perfect, light meal for such a day. The avocados at the store started tasting really, really unbelievably good recently, so I’ve been shoveling them into my cart every week like it’s my job. Avocados are one of my favorite foods, right up there with goat cheese and almond butter and chocolate. I mixed them up here into a chopped guacamole salad for such a great side dish.

What we Loved: We first used the basic idea of the stuffing for this recipe when we made cubanelle peppers stuffed with bison and bacon. Brandon came up with that great flavor combo, and we’ve been using it as a stock recipe for stuffing peppers and mushrooms ever since. Bacon, onions, garlic, salt and pepper, chihuahua cheese, and meat of choice. It’s really an incredibly flavorful, crispy, salty, cheesy combination that we just love. And this recipe was no different. It was hearty and satisfying, and it paired perfectly with the guacamole salad.

Helpful Hints: I really prefer chihuahua cheese as a melting cheese when I’m making dishes like this, because it really has a great, creamy texture when it melts. If you can’t find it, though, pepper jack or monteray jack would be good substitutes for this meal.

Portabella Mushrooms with Sausage and Bacon
Source: Original Recipe

Butter
2 large portabella mushrooms
2 slices bacon, diced
1/3 lb pork sausage
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 oz chihuahua cheese, shredded

1. Clean the mushrooms, and cut off the stems. Chop the stems into small pieces, and set aside.

2. Heat just a pat of butter in a saute pan over medium low heat. Add the two mushroom caps, and cook for 5-6 minutes per side, allowing the moisture to be released from the mushrooms. Place the mushrooms in a baking dish.

3. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan or saute pan, saute the bacon until it’s crispy. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the sausage, onions, and mushroom stems to the pan, and saute until everything is cooked through and starting to brown. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper and turn off the heat. Mix in about 2/3 of the cheese.

4. Fill the mushroom caps with the sausage mixture. Distribute the remaining cheese atop the mushrooms.

6. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, until everything is warmed through and the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Broil for a few minutes at the end if you’d like additional browning on the cheese.