Portobello Pizza!

I love pizza - LOVE IT!  But alas, I need a dairy, egg and gluten free version.

I was told to do this a million times, use a portobello mushroom cap as a crust, and I thought it would be just yucky - but OMG!  I was wrong!  Using a portobello mushroom cap as a pizza crust tastes great AND you can have 2 with no guilt!  So here is my recipe - you can put whatever you want on it and if you don't have dairy issues, please fee free to use real cheese.

Ingredients:
2 large portobello mushroom caps - cut the stem off and then take a spoon and scrape away the accordion looking things on the inside
1 medium tomato - seeded and diced (this is not as hard as it sounds)
1/4lb lean ground turkey
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach
1t garlic powder (or 1 chopped clove fresh garlic)
11 onion powder (or 1/4 of an onion chopped)
2T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1t dried thyme
1/4 - 1/2C Daiya mozzarella flavored shreds (or if you can have real cheese then use real)

Instructions:
In a medium sauté pan put 1T of olive oil, garlic, onion, thyme and the turkey - brown until all the pink is gone.  Then add the tomatoes & spinach.  Cook until soft - about 5-8minutes.  Set aside.

On a non-stick cookie sheet or one lined with parchment paper, put your mushroom caps.  Drissel olive oil on each and salt & pepper them.  Broil on low for 4-5 minutes.  Flip them over and do the same to the other side and broil for 4-5minutes - this will make them tender.  Then, with the mushroom caps top down, divide the turkey mixture in half and spoon half into one mushroom cap and half into the other.  Top with shredded mozzerella cheese (or non-dairy cheese substitute - such as Daiya) and put back under the broiler for 2-3minutes.

Serve!  You can eat both for under 550 calories!  So if you intend to make this for 2 - you best double the recipe.

A Sunday Dinner at Bella Napoli - My 1st Restaurant Review!

Not from Nashville but want a good spot for a bite that the locals go to?  A local looking for a new cool place that is yummy, great atmosphere and not too pricey – even worthy of a date night for the frugal couple – heck any couple??  

Well, tucked away in the old White Way Cleaners complex on Villa Street between 17th and 18th Avenue just up from Music Row is Bella Napoli.  This locale is totally perfect for this Neapolitan brick oven pizza joint.  Being a former NYer and current Italian, one of the great things about NY I miss are really great pizza and all the little tucked away places in the brick buildings with internal courtyards to grab a bite to eat.  You get both here and more.

The menu has something for everyone, several gourmet pizzas as well as salads, pasta entrees, yummy desserts and a nice wine list.  Don't worry if you are not a wine aficionado because each menu item has a suggested wine pairing that you can totally count on to compliment your entree or pizza perfectly.

I had the Capricciosa pizza (I only could eat half b/c it was SO big with so much stuff on it!).  This pizza comes nicely appointed with imported baked ham, Genoa salami, marinated artichokes black kalamata olives, mushrooms and fresh mozzarella.  It was perfecto!  Such a great savory with a little spice flavor.  Totally topped it off when paired with the house chianti, which is a Ruffino Chianti –  very nice.

Darren, my man, is a purist so he stuck with the Margherita with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil on top of a lovely schmeer of tomato sauce.  He ate the whole thing SO FAST I think I was still on my first 3 bites of mine.  That's how you know it's good.

I highly recommend this place – it would even make a great spot for a Valentine's Day dinner.


...from one tomato to another – Bella Napoli XOXO - Ti amo!

Want more info before visiting – Check out their website:

http://www.bellanapolipizzeria.com/index.php?pg=home