Stuffed Portobellos on Creamed Millet

I had a dish similar to this when I was at a wonderful seaside restaurant - in Croatia. The food would have tasted wonderful wherever it was served, but from where I sat, it tasted just as spectacular as the view. Many dishes in the area are "creamed" or "creamy", but almost none of them use cream. Instead, the term refers to using a blender to make the dish smooth. In this case, I used both stock and coconut milk to help smooth the millet, turning it into a creamy porridge to set off the savory mushroom on top. The restaurant was called The Botanist, located in Zadar, and it's a vegan restaurant. I took some liberties with my interpretation, and used an egg and some chicken stock in this dish. I've added notes to make it vegan.  

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup millet

1 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup light coconut milk

2 portobello mushrooms

1/2 cup breadcrumbs or gluten free breadcrumbs

2 Tbs minced onion

2 Tbs finely chopped red pepper

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp sea salt

several grinds of pepper

1 egg (or 1/4 cup stock)

1 Tbs Parmesan (can use vegan Parmesan)

1 pinch paprika

1 pinch pink sea salt

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400F. Remove the stems and gills from the mushrooms. Combine the bread crumbs through the egg or stock in a large bowl. Use your hands to lightly mix them together. Divide the bread crumb filling between the mushrooms. Top each mushroom with the Parmesan. Place the mushrooms on a nonstick ovenproof pan and cook for 30 minutes. Make the creamed millet while the mushrooms are cooking. Combine the millet and the liquids in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Use an immersion blender to make the mixture smooth. Taste the creamy millet, and add salt to taste. 

Divide the millet between two plates. Top each with one of the mushrooms. Sprinkle some of the Paprika and sea salt over each serving. 

Serves 2

Stealthy Cooking Tip: It gets a little easier to make dishes vegan all the time. Vegetable stock makes a good substitute for chicken stock. There are several brands of vegan Parmesan available as well. While the egg helps to hold the filling together, it isn't necessary. Vegetable stock will do the job just fine! I've included both methods. Aren't options fun!