YOU-CAN-HAVE-ONLY-ONE STUFFED MUSHROOM

I tasted my first stuffed mushroom at a wedding reception.  It was so delicious I said to the water, "Give me the platter and I'll serve them for you."  Well, by the time I got to the first guest, the mushrooms were gone!  Now whenever I go to a wedding reception (or any reception) I ask, "Are you serving stuffed mushrooms?  Oh you are!  Well I'll be happy to pass the platter for you."

YOU-CAN-HAVE-ONLY-ONE STUFFED MUSHROOM
Makes 12 Appetizer Servings

Prep:  15 minutes
Cook:  2 minutes
Bake:  375* for 15 minutes

12 large whole white mushrooms
Nonstick olive oil, cooking spray
1/4 cup each grated Parmesan cheese and low-fat ricotta-cheese
2 tablespoons each chopped fresh parsley and fresh bread crumbs
1 teaspoon each fresh lemon juice and minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 375*.  Wipe mushrooms clean with damp paper towel.  Twist and pull out stems, leaving cavity for stuffing.  Set mushrooms aside, cavity side up.  Trim ends from stems.  Finely dice stems.  Coat small nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.  Add diced mushroom stems.  Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until lightly browned.

2.  In small bowl mix remaining ingredients.  Add browned mushroom stems and stir to mix thoroughly.

3.  Spoon stuffing mixture into upturned mushroom caps.  Arrange in small baking pan.

4.  Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked and heated through.

NUTRIENT VALUE PER SERVING
26 calories
2 g protein
1 g fat (39% fat)
2 g carbohydrate
100 mg sodium
3 mg cholesterol

LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF FAT, BUT IT ISN'T.
At first glance these look like a fat no-no.  (Remember, you're only having one of these; okay, maybe two if no one is looking, but that's it!)  The percentage of calories from fat is 39 percent -- that's high.  But there's only 1 gram of fat per mushroom -- much less than most low-fat cookies or chips, or even vegetable side dishes tossed with a little sauce.  The calories are very low, too:  25 per mushroom.  Figure it out yet?  Since the calories are low, the ration of grams of fat to calories is high, even though the mushroom itself is a fairly "healthy" morsel.  The lesson here?  Don't stop with just the percentage of calories from fat, also take a look at how many grams of fat and calories a particular food has.

Taken from Richard Simmons Farewell to Fat Cookbook (c) 1996.