Buffalo Stuffed Mushrooms

Happy new year everyone! This is such a great time of year, a chance to hit the proverbial reset button and start over with a clean slate. While there's nothing exactly magical about January 1, the idea of a clean slate can be very refreshing. I personally don't believe in New Years' Resolutions, but there are a lot of people who do, and if that works for you, resolve away my friends!

Last night was a little crazy and hectic. I got off work earlier than usual, which allowed me time to make several new recipes. I'd done a little web surfing to find some fun appetizers I could make, but I already had an idea of what I wanted to do and couldn't really find any recipes that matched. I've tweaked enough recipes that I'm starting to learn what works.

Stuffed mushrooms are a lot of work, but they're totally worth it. The most laborious part is prepping them. Make sure you get mushrooms big enough to hold plenty of the delicious filling. :) I buy mine in the bulk from the produce section rather than from those cellophane wrapped packages because I can be picky and pull out the biggest ones. When I went shopping this time there weren't a ton of big ones, but I didn't end up with any really small ones, either. All in all, this recipe went over well.

You will notice here that I list olive oil and not a specific amount. I keep my olive oil in a plastic squeeze bottle with a small opening - a ketchup picnic bottle to be exact. I just drizzle the oil in until the sauce reaches the consistency I want. It's probably in the neighborhood of 1/4 to 1/3 cup for the recipe, but just drizzle it in until it's thick enough. 

Ingredients:
24 baby portabello mushrooms (you can use white, but the baby bellas are tastier)
1 lb ground turkey
2 T. dried onion flakes
1 T. chili powder
3 egg yolks (reserve whites for another recipe)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 T. lemon juice
Salt & black pepper
Olive oil
50-70 dashes Frank's Red Hot
5 dashes liquid smoke
1 T. chili powder
1 squirt Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with foil, spray lightly with cooking spray, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove stems from mushrooms. Use a spoon to scoop out the gills (the little brown frilly things on the inside). Wipe caps of mushrooms with a wet paper towel to remove any dirt. Arrange mushroom caps stem side up on baking sheet.

Crumble turkey in a large skillet over medium heat. Add dried onion flakes and cook until no longer pink. Stir in 1 tablespoon chili powder. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the sauce, combine egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper in the beaker of an immersion blender. Process for 30 seconds or so until mixture becomes frothy. With the immersion blender running, start drizzling olive oil, a few drops at a time to start, until mixture starts to thicken. Continue blending and adding olive oil until a thick (but not too thick) consistency is reached.

Use a rubber spatula to remove sauce from beaker and into a small mixing bowl. Add Frank's, liquid smoke, 1 tablespoon chili powder and Bragg's. Whisk well, adjusting seasonings if necessary. Pour sauce into turkey and stir well.

Stuff mushroom caps with turkey mixture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are just starting to brown and they are heated through. Let cool slightly before serving.