It's "Tasty Tuesday", where every week we bring you new, fresh, local, healthy recipes and food tips. Find out what is in season, and what will keep you fuelled during and after your work outs!
I modified this from the recipe my mom uses, so that it was dairy free! (Thanks mom!)
These mussels are delicious, and great as an appy for a party (hello BC Day Long Weekend!). They're a little time consuming, but so worth it.
Make Your Meal Even Healthier Tip:
Get these mussels fresh from a fish monger (like on Granville Island) and use them the same day you buy them! You can make this gluten free by using gluten-free bread crumbs, like I did.
Click through for recipe!...
Make Approx. 50 (depends on size
INGREDIENTS:
- 2.5 lbs of fresh mussels
- 300g of frozen spinach, thawed
- 125g of dairy free PLAIN cream cheese (I used Daiya), brought to room temp.
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 green onions, chopped (green parts only)
- 1/2 tsp tabasco
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
- 1 cup (approx) bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp melted vegan butter
INSTRUCTIONS:
Scrub the mussels and remove the beards, discarding any that are not alive. To determine this, tap them and wait for them to close.
Pour an inch of water into a large pot, add the mussels, cover and cook, stirring at least once, over med-high heat until mussels open, approx 8-9 mins, watching carefully.
Remove them from heat and drain, discard any that do not open!
Carefully break the shells open/in half, removing the mussels, and placing them into a bowl. Keep the largest of the shells.
Cover a baking sheet in foil, or place a slipat down, and place the chosen mussel shells on the baking sheet, and place a mussel in each (possibly two if there are small ones). Then place in the fridge while you make the topping.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Drain the thawed spinach, squeezing it with your hands until the liquid is removed (and chop if not already chopped).
In a bowl stir together the room temp cream cheese, vegan parm, garlic, chopped green onions, tabasco, and salt and pepper. Stir in spinach and then set aside.
In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs with the melted vegan butter.
Cradle the mussel shell in your hand, and place about 1 tbsp of the spinach and cheese mixture on top, spreading it until it covers the whole shell (you may need more or less depending on the size of the shell).
Do this until all of the shells are covered, and then go back and sprinkle them all with the bread crumb mixture, patting it into the topping slightly.
(*at this point you can cover them and refrigerated them for a few hours if needed*)
Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, maybe longer if they've been in the fridge for a while, and then serve immediately.
ENJOY!
Let us know if you make this recipe by posting it on instagram or twitter and using the #LiveBarreLife hashtag! And if there are any specific meals, fruits, veggies, or meats, you'd like to see on the blog!
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photos and recipe by: Christine McAvoy
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