Portobello Pockets

Oh Lord!! This is Heaven in a Pita!! I absolutely LOVE Portobello mushrooms! They are so meaty and rich, you don't even miss the "meat" in these!  After 30 minutes of prep time and marinating these overnight, Tomorrow's lunch will be fantastic! And to make it even better.... You can have TWO of these bad boys for only 272 calories!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup water 
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons canola oil 
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 
• 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried celery flakes 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper 
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1 pound sliced baby portobello mushrooms 
• 1 each medium sweet yellow and red pepper, thinly sliced 
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced 
• 2 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices 
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend 
• 8 pita breads (6 inches), cut in half 

Directions: In a large resealable bag, combine the first 11 ingredients. Add the mushrooms, peppers, onion and zucchini; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook and stir the vegetable mixture over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in cheese; cook 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Stuff each pita half with 1/2 cup vegetable-cheese mixture. - recipe makes 8 pitas - well probably 4 the way I stuff them!!

Nutritional Facts 2 stuffed pita halves equals 272 calories, 8 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 500 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 12 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 medium-fat meat, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat.

 Originally published as Portobello Pockets in Light & Tasty October/November 2006, p47