Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms

I'm always searching my cookbook collection for new recipes. I've had this particular book for at least 10 years and for some reason, I never really paid much attention to it. Until now. It's almost a completely new book to me. Don't you love it when that happens? When you discover something great for the second time?
The title of the book is "Secrets of Fat-Free Cooking" by Sandra Woodruff, RD. Early in our marriage, I doubt I would have even considered making this recipe. But over 20 years later, tastes change, people change and I was pleasantly surprised that my husband enjoyed this recipe so much. I love the fact that it's healthy. I made it as a main dish and served it with an Organic Bean Soup that I purchased as a dried mix from my local co-op. The two seemed to go together well. I prepared the soup before I left for work and let it sit in the fridge all day. When we arrived home, I heated up the soup and  prepped the mushrooms. And while they were in the oven, we enjoyed our soup. Timing is everything, as my Grandma continually instructed me. I will never forget the lesson of food timing that she gave me when I was seven. She had me time our entire Thanksgiving meal. It was my job to tell her when to put the turkey in the oven, when to start cooking the mashed potatoes, what time to make the side dishes. It all had to be ready at the same time with nothing burnt or undercooked. It's amazing that I was able to handle that but barely passed algebra in high school.
I did make a small but very good change to this recipe. My husband's said a few times that he doesn't really care for the taste of bell peppers. So, I substituted an Anaheim Chili Pepper. They are fairly mild but with a much more interesting flavor. And while they maintained their crunchiness in this recipe, the flavor seemed to add a lot to the overall taste. I also used parchment paper on my baking sheet rather that cooking spray. It's basically just personal preference. I've always liked the fact that clean up is much easier when using parchment paper. Plus, I'm using even less oil and butter.

Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms

40 medium mushrooms (I used baby portabello's and I ended up with 22 mushrooms)
2 cups soft bread crumbs (I used whole wheat bread)
8 ounces (1 1/2 cups) finely flaked cooked crab meat or imitation crab
1/3 cup nonfat Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped bell pepper (or Anaheim Chili Pepper)
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 cup nonfat mayonnaise

1. Remove and discard the mushroom stems. Wash the mushroom caps and pat dry. Set aside.
2. Combine the bread crumbs, crab meat, cheese, bell peppers, scallions, thyme and black pepper in a medium sized bowl, and stir to mix well. Add the egg whites and mayonnaise and stir gently to blend.
3. Coat a shallow baking pan with nonstick cooking spray (or parchment paper). Place a heaping teaspoonful of stuffing in each mushroom cap, and arrange the mushrooms in the prepared pan.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Transfer the mushrooms to a serving platter.
Makes 40 appetizers if you use medium mushrooms.
Calories: 19 per mushroom