Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Herbed Chickpeas

This is one of those weeks when I just feel overwhelmed with all the stuff I normally juggle pretty simply.  Today I went straight home after work (after getting the dogs of course) and took a nap (not like me!) and I feel a little better.  I have laundry to do and a dishwasher to empty and homework to do and bills to pay (oy), but to make life feel normal, first, I need to share some wonderful stuffed portobellos.  In fact, I consider this the ultimate comfort food, so if you wanted to really help me de-stress today, you'd show up with these beauties!

Besides being pretty, these stuffed mushrooms were so, so good.  I happily brought the leftovers to work until they were gone.  The filling was super filling with mashed chickpeas, carrots, red onion, scallions, and cashews.  It's flavored with garlic powder, smoked paprika, Italian herbs, and tahini.  They're also way quicker than you would expect, because the filling doesn't have to be pre-cooked.  Mix the filling up, stuff the mushrooms, and bake.  Voila: dinner.  Serve them with something green (don't serve them with years-old peas like I did... apparently even frozen peas have their limits) and you won;t be hungry for hours.  I even got carnivores to admit that these were delicious!

Recipe:

portobello mushrooms stuffed with herbed chickpeas
from Vegan Richa (I think I got the recipe from a book and I can't find which one... but this is the same recipe I used)
serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:
1 15-ounce can chickpeas or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup small chopped carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3 - 4 scallions, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian herb blend (thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil, marjoram)
2 tablespoons tahini
black pepper to taste
1/4 cup raw cashew halves
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
4 - 6 portobello mushrooms, stems removed
1 tomato, sliced

Instructions:

1) Wash and scrub the mushrooms.  Pat dry.  Brush olive oil all over and place with tops down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) In a bowl, add chickpeas and mash well.  Add all ingredients up to black pepper and mix well.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  When ready to stuff, add the cashews, bread crumbs, and oil, and mix well.  Add a few teaspoons of water if the mixture feels too crumbly.  Stuff mushrooms and top with tomato slices.  Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until mushrooms are well done and stuffing is golden.