Low Carb Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms (Lean & Green)

So simple to make and so tasty to eat!

Ingredients:

olive or avocado oil cooking spray

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

8 ounces white mushrooms

4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature**

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried parsley

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons Optavia Zesty Cheddar & Italian Cruncher crumbs (or other gluten, low carb cracker crumbs)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped leeks

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Method:

Rinse, but do do soak the mushrooms. Set aside on paper towels.

Preheat oven to 400*. Lightly spray a baking dish with cooking oil spray. Sprinkle the lemon juice in the bottom of the pan and set aside.

Carefully remove the stems from the mushrooms. Place the mushroom caps (stem side up) in the prepared pan, allowing space around each cap. Trim the ends off of the stems and discard. Chop 1/2 cup of the remaining portion of the stems and set aside. 

Place the cream cheese, Parmesan, parsley, mustard, crumbs and pepper into a large bowl and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped stems, garlic and leeks. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring constantly. Add the sautéed vegetables to the ingredients in the bowl. Mix until all is well combined. Place a spoonful of the filling onto each mushroom cap. Sprinkle the paprika over all of the mushrooms. Bake for 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are golden brown. Makes 3 servings. (6 mushrooms per servings)

**If you are not following a low fat meal plan, regular cream cheese may be used.

Each serving equals: 1/3 lean, 1 2/3 green, 1 8/10 condiments, 2/3 healthy fat & 1/4 fueling

Nutritional info per (6 mushrooms) serving, approximately: 155.6 calories ~ 9.5 grams fat ~ 11.58 grams carbs ~ 9 grams net carbs ~ 7.7 grams protein.

Note: This low carb stuffed mushroom appetizer is tasty enough to serve to company. (My husband, who doesn't normally eat mushrooms, tried these and liked them.) 😀