Mushroom Mozzarella Cheese Tart Recipe

My husband Lulu is addicted to anything with puff pastry dough. Because of the horrible windy weather, I decided to prepare my version of (vegetarian) chicken soup for the soul in the form of individual mushroom and mozzarella tartlets accompanied by a bowl of warm corn chowder. It’s the perfect prescription for this cold, gray day.

This savory tartlet consists of 4 layers. First, I baked the puff pastry shells separately in the oven. I cooked the first layer of soy chorizo along with tomato paste and tomato sauce (you could also add ground beef for extra flavor if you don’t need it to be vegetarian). The second is sautéed large button mushrooms in butter and the last one is thick mozzarella slices. The result is spectacular and is really enhanced pairing it with corn soup and garlic cheese bread. You won't be disappointed!

Mushroom Cheese Tart (Savory Tart Recipe)

Making savory tarts is pretty simple. All you need is a crust, a filling and usually a cheese topping. I pair these tarts with a green salad, which make a healthful, tasty, light meal.

I prepared a vegetarian tart with California Lavash pizza lavash as the pie crust. I put together two layers of lavash for sturdiness. The filling is a combination of caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, marinara sauce and soy chorizo. I garnished the tart with goat cheese topping and shredded Parmesan.

I've really enjoyed cooking with California Lavash breads; check back again tomorrow and see another new recipe using the delicious soft flatbread! And don't forget to enter our giveaway this week. Just click the "like" button below and you’re entered in the contest! At the end of the week, we’ll pick three winners at random who will win two bags of whole wheat, original, spinach and pizza lavash. You’ll l♥ve it!

Stuffed Potato Appetizers (Bolognese Potatoes)

Our family loves potatoes, any kind of potatoes. They're filling and delicious, especially when they're baked. Personally, I love the crunchy exterior and creamy inside. Today, I played with white-fleshed sweet potatoes (Japanese sweet potatoes), purple-fleshed potatoes (Okinawan sweet potatoes) and regular Yukon Gold potatoes, respectively from the sweetest to the least sweet variety.

I wanted to make sure that the entire family could enjoy the trio of bite-sized potato appetizers I made, so I filled them with soy chorizo. If you're a meat lover, you could replace it with ground beef. I topped the potato bites with a cheesy crust. They took some time to assemble, but it literally took half a second for our family to inhale them all!

Chili Non Carne with Kidney Beans (Veggie Chili Recipe)

Lya's school just served vegetarian chili for lunch and she begged me to replicate the meal she had this week. I was more than happy to oblige. To recreate the dish, I used store-bought vegetarian chorizo, red kidney beans, caramelized onions, unsweetened cocoa powder, tomatoes, crumbled firm tofu, roasted red bell peppers and jalapeños. I just mixed them in a crock pot and let the flavors simmer together.

I nested the chili in tortillas, added shredded cheese and secured them with little sticks decorated with cherry tomatoes. It’s not authentic Mexican cuisine, but it’s delicious and incredibly hearty.

Trenne Pasta with Napa Cabbage and Chorizo (Pasta Con Verza Recipe)

Chorizo, cabbage and sage may not be an obvious combination, but they work incredibly well together. The vegetarian chorizo, or "soyrizo", adds a ton of spice and the Vitamin A-packed Napa cabbage imparts a subtle sweetness to any meal.

I just made a batch of vegetarian chorizo today, which is what inspired me to make this dish. There are many good reasons for making your own, but the main reason is that it's much healthier (no cholesterol) than the meat version, without sacrificing flavor.

I paired the chorizo and cabbage mixture with triangle-shaped trenne pasta because it's much more fun for children than "boring" penne pasta. It's also a great way to get fussy kids to eat their cabbage. For all those people out there who think that healthy has to be tasteless, you need to try this dish. It's bursting with flavor without packing on the calories.