Chorizo Stuffed Mushrooms

Crunch, crunch, crunch. The moment I received the General Mills cereal in the mail I immediately opened all three boxes and had a sample of each one. It was research! Seriously! Okay, okay, so I was immediately transported to my youth, eating breakfast at our round, formica-topped kitchen table with a plastic bowl full of milk with those beautiful little rings of General Mills Cheerios floating on top, and my mother’s seeming daily effort to get my brother and sister and me to finish up so that we wouldn’t miss the school bus. That was a long time ago and things have certainly changed. General Mills is beginning to phase out the use of artificial flavors and colors in their cereal, and I couldn’t be more pleased! We’re all so much more conscious of the quality of the ingredients in our food. Kudos to General Mills!

As for the challenge at hand, I wanted to make something savory with their cereal just to shake things up a bit. So I opted for a Mexican flavor profile in the form of a stuffed mushroom appetizer. I used the GM Golden Grahams in this recipe and it did not disappoint. This recipe makes 12 stuffed mushrooms (just enough to get a small party started).

Chorizo Stuffed Mushrooms
by Maryjo

10 ounces Mexican chorizo
6 cremini mushroom stems, finely chopped
1/4 cup scallion, finely chopped (1 medium scallion)
1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1/3 of a large pepper)
1 serrano pepper, finely chopped (seeds and membranes removed)
2 Tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs
4 Tablespoons Golden Grahams, finely crushed
4 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 dash of Mexican style hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
12 medium-sized cremini mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Brown the chorizo in a skillet for about 5 to 7 minutes, until brown and a little crispy. Drain off any excess fat. Add the chopped cremini mushroom stems, scallion, red bell pepper, and serrano pepper. Sauté for an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the bread crumbs, Golden Grahams crumbs (reserve 1 Tablespoon for topping), Parmesan cheese (reserve 1 Tablespoon for topping), and remaining spices. Mix well. Stuff each mushroom cap with about 1 Tablespoon of stuffing and place in a shallow baking dish that is just large enough to hold all 12 mushrooms. Mix the reserved Golden Grahams crumbs and Parmesan cheese and sprinkle on top of each mushroom. Bake for 45 minutes, until they are brown and crispy on top.