12 whole fresh mushrooms

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

 

Preheat the oven to 350* F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off the stems. Chop the stems extremely fine, discarding the tough ends.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Sauté until moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn the garlic. Set aside to cool.

When the garlic-mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in the cream cheese, parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder, and cayenne pepper to taste. The mixture should be very thick. Using a small spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are hot and liquid starts to appear under the caps.

Yield 12