This is not a fancy kind of post. We can definitely dress it up around here (thanks to a phenomenal crew of contributors) but this is,essentially, the “favorite pair of sweatpants” sort of post. I’m talking about making breakfast for dinner. Any other fans out there?

As someone who has been on a personal quest for healthy menu planning in the last six months, I made a discovery this week that I think might make some of you pretty happy as well.  I was looking in my fridge, totally perplexed, one weeknight after work and a workout and had a Eureka! moment.

I, as an adult and mistress of my own menu, can absolutely have scrambled eggs for dinner but in my mind, plain scrambled eggs would be a sacrilege. Eggs are vehicles for other great food in my book. I think you know where this is going.

I had an 8 oz (pink!) till of sliced mushrooms and I wanted all of them. I sauteed that entire package with half of a jalapeno and a little red onion. Once we were good and browned, I added two fresh eggs scrambled with about a tablespoon of water and I turned the heat way down to medium-low, stirring constantly from the bottom.

What I ended up with was a creamy pile of light yellow fluff, filled with an entire container of mushrooms and some heat from that jalapeno. As with anything I intend to eat more than the recommended serving size of, I checked the packaging. The results were significantly more fun to consider than say, an entire pint of Cookies n’ Cream (ahem, not that I have any experience with that…).

I got 3 grams of fiber and a nice selection of nutrients, including well over 100% of my daily vitamin D, for all of 50 calories in mushrooms. This could vary depending on which mushrooms you pick up but raw mushrooms are always a low calorie option. Topped with a pillow of shredded sharp cheddar, it was one of the best dinners of the week and is officially on a regular rotation.

This delicious Columbus Day breakfast is brought to you by Denise Woodward of Chez Us.

Our friend the mushroom is often overlooked when it comes to breakfast;  and it should not be.  Earthy mushrooms really compliment creamy, morning time eggs.  If you are like us, you have a steady supply of mushrooms on hand, you can create last minute dishes that are filling, healthy and satisfying, such as this recipe.

One of our favorite weekend breakfast dishes is a simple scramble made with a medley of mushrooms.  For this particular dish I used brown cremini mushrooms, which are a great staple to have on hand.  Creminis are a smaller portabella mushroom and they add amazing depth to a dish, whether it is a breakfast dish or a savory dinner time meal.  I wanted a lot of flavor to our breakfast eggs, so I added fresh oyster mushrooms to the mix.  Since both mushrooms are really flavorful and can stand on their own, there was not much more that needed to be added to this recipe;  just a little butter, thyme and love.

Mushroom Scramble

Serves 1 hungry mushroom lover but could easily be doubled

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup oyster mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thinly
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• kosher salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

1. In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter, over low heat.
2. Add the cremini mushrooms and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 3 minutes.
3. Add the oyster mushrooms, stir, and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat.
5. Sprinkle in the thyme, and stir.
6. Move the cooked mushrooms into a heat proof pan, and slide it into a warm oven (200) while cooking the eggs.
7. Crack the eggs into a small mixing bowl, using a fork, whip them until well combined.
8. Cut one tablespoon of butter into small pieces, add to the whipped eggs, and stir to combine.
9. In the small frying pan that you used above, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat.
10. Add the eggs.  Using a fork, continue moving the eggs around until they are cooked to your liking.  We like our eggs a little moist but cooked through, which takes about 3 minutes.
11. Season with salt to taste as well as black pepper.  If you season the eggs with salt after cooking, they will not dry out.  Remove from the heat.  Gently stir in the mushrooms.
12. Serve.  Eat.  Enjoy.

The Mushroom Masters is back and we are kicking off National Mushroom Month and our month-long Tastespotting partnership with the most important meal of the day- all of them breakfast!

Team USA is  serving bruschetta for breakfast courtesy of Shutterbean in Week 1- we must really like you guys. If you are inspired by this especially tasty toast, if you’re feeling especially patriotic or both, please do click through to vote for the US and Tracy from Shutterbean over on Tastespotting this week.

A little bit about Tracy:

Tracy Benjamin is obsessed with good food and great photography, both of which are equally evident on her fun and colorful blog, Shutterbean. Completely self-taught, Tracy loves the intimacy and nurturing quality of sharing delicious meals with loved ones. As a busy working mom, she has made it her mission to serve up tasty, home cooked meals, without having to slave for hours in the kitchen.

And what you’ve all been waiting for…the recipe:

Caramelized Mushroom & Shallot Bruschetta

Makes 20-22 bruschette

For the caramelized shallots
-3 medium shallots, thinly sliced in rings (about 1 cup)
-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
-1 teaspoon light brown sugar

For the mushrooms
-1 ½ cups crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
-1 ½ cups white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
-3 tablespoons salted butter
-3 tablespoons dry sherry
-kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper
-red pepper flakes
-4-5 sprigs fresh thyme

For the crostini
-1 sourdough baguette, cut into ½ slices on the diagonal (about 20-22 total)
-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1 clove garlic
-4 oz. goat cheese, at room temperature
-aged balsamic vinegar

To make the caramelized shallots, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add shallots. Saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of water and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and continue to cook until shallots are browned and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Set shallots aside in a small bowl.

Heat 3 tablespoons butter in the same saucepan. Add the mushrooms and cook on medium- high heat to soften, stirring occasionally. After about 8 minutes, add sherry, salt, black pepper, a pinch of red pepper flakes and 3 sprigs thyme. Continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until mushrooms are slightly caramelized and soft. Add the shallots to the mushroom mixture and set aside.

To make the crostini, put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Put bread slices on a baking sheet and brush slices with oil on both sides. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then bake until pale golden, about 10-15 minutes. If you are grilling the crostini, heat over medium high heat and grill each side for 3-4 minutes. When crostini are cool to touch, rub a clove of garlic on the top of each crostini.

To assemble bruschette, spread 1 tablespoon of goat cheese on top, spoon the slightly warm mushroom mixture on top of goat cheese. Repeat until all crostini are topped. Plate the bruschette and sprinkle tops with reserved thyme leaves, a pinch of salt, and drizzle each bruschetta lightly with aged balsamic vinegar.

Another note: Your friendly Mushroom Channel editor tried this recipe with scrambled eggs incorporated this weekend and it was a hit- consider breakfast tacos!

While I could, of course, happily add mushrooms to most any dish you could imagine (except maybe ice cream… But maybe? Mushroom ice cream? Why not? I’m game), I’m fully aware that they’re consistently ignored in some major food groups. I consider Mexican food a major food group of mine and have recently realized that I rarely ever incorporate mushrooms into Mexican cuisine. Perhaps I’ll add them in a veggie quesadilla, but otherwise, I’m always leaving them out. How rude. So, I’m making a concerted effort to change that. Call it a movement, if you will.

I was inspired by Rick Bayless and his recipe for chorizo, mushroom, and potato tacos. The idea of mushrooms in tacos is basically a dream come true, especially when you mix them up with lots of spicy flavor-packed chorizo. You’ll never want a “typical” taco again. The other awesome thing about these tacos is that they’re super quick and easy. Just a tad bit of chopping, throwing everything in a pan, and serving it on a tortilla. And adding lots of delicious toppings, too, obviously. The addition of potatoes make it almost like a Mexican hash. With mushrooms. In a tortilla. Heaven has been found.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. Mexican chorizo, casings removed and crumbled
• 1/2 C onion, chopped
• 6 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 1 medium potato, cut into small cubes
• 1 habanero pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 t cumin
• Whole wheat tortillas, lightly toasted
• 1/4 C cilantro, finely chopped (for topping)
• 2 oz. cotija cheese (for topping)
• 1 avocado, diced (for topping)

Instructions:

Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add crumbled chorizo. Cook until mostly heated through (or mostly cooked through if chorizo was uncooked) and then add chopped onion, mushrooms, potatoes, and habanero. Cook, while stirring, for about 4-5 minutes, until ingredients begin to soften and brown up a bit. Mix cumin in.

Serve chorizo mushroom mixture on a lightly toasted whole wheat tortilla. Top with cilantro, cotija, avocado, or absolutely anything you want.

I happen to think a Strata is a perfect summertime food, assemble in the cool of the evening, refrigerate and then bake in the morning before it gets hot. A perfect solution to summer heat woes and the hot kitchen. If you enjoy breakfast parties this is the ultimate in easy entertaining, make ahead then relax before your guests arrive. Three different mushrooms give this super delicious dish a deep and earthy flavor everyone will enjoy.

Triple Mushroom and Cheese Strata*

*needs to refrigerate over night

• 2 TBSP butter
• 2 portabella mushrooms-cleaned
• 1/2 pound of shitake mushrooms-cleaned
• 1/2 pound white button mushrooms-cleaned
• loaf of french bread
• soft butter amount will vary as to your particular buttering style I went light
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheese
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk or half n half

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat
2. Remove the stems from all the mushrooms and slice into strips
3. When the butter is melted reduce heat to medium low, add the portabella mushrooms and cook for a few minutes
4. Add the rest of the mushrooms and slowly cook until they are soft and their liquid has been cooked out, around 10 minutes
5. Trim all the crust off the loaf of bread
6. cut in slices and butter each slice before cubing
7. Place a layer of cubes in a 3 quart oven-safe pan
8. Cover with 1/2 the cheese
9. Sprinkle on half the cooked mushrooms
10. Repeat layers
11. Mix the eggs and milk together
12. Pour over other ingredients
13. Cover and refrigerate over night
14. Bake for 35-45 minutes in a 350 degree oven

Shiitake and Egg Breakfast Pizza courtesy of Chef Todd Humphries, Kitchen Door, Napa

We’re fresh from the studio, following our annual foodservice photo shoot of marvelous mushroom dishes from some of our favorite chefs.

To prepare for the shoot, we perused menus from top restaurants and college campuses across the country and selected the best mushroom entrees. After all that hard work tracking down awesome recipes, we got to have a little fun at the photo shoot.

Mushroom Bulgogi Tacos courtesy of Chef Robery Mayberry, University of Texas, Austin

A lot more goes on behind the scenes than you would think (a testament to our talented photogs, prop stylists and chefs)! From the slicing and dicing to the cooking and assembly, these plates had more prepping and primping than we do, all to ensure that our mushrooms looked porto-bellisimo! (you know, Italian-mushroom speak for “lovely.”)

It was like Goldilocks and the many mushrooms—we had to make sure that the size, shape, colors and props were just right. What can we say, all part of a day’s work here at the Channel. Though, staying focused is a challenge when the workplace is filled with one delicious aroma after another. While each dish was in front of the lens, our on-site chefs manned the kitchen cooking up the next shot. With this crowd of mushroom fans, it’s hard to believe any of these dishes made it from the stove to the set. Test out the recipes for yourselves!

I love that Pam made this recipe for poached eggs with roasted tomatoes, caramelized mushrooms and shaved Parmesan because she couldn’t get a picture out of her mind. We officially know the feeling.

For breakfast most mornings I make hot oatmeal or miso soup for the girls and I. But a couple of days ago I woke up in the mood for a change. As I was peering inside the refrigerator, hoping for inspiration to hit, Bug ambled up behind me and took her own peak into the refrigerator. She spotted some Portobello mushrooms that I had picked up at the supermarket the day before and became really excited. So I pulled them out and looked at them for a moment, handing her one to examine.

As she turned the mushroom over in her hands, stroking the soft gills inside, and then putting the mushroom to her nose to smell, I thought about what I could do with the rest of them for breakfast. Then a package of pancetta caught my eye and inspiration struck: Portobello Mushroom, Egg, & Pancetta Breakfast “Pizzas.”

I removed the stems and then used a spoon to gently scrape out the gills. Then I brushed them with a bit of olive oil and put them in the oven to roast. While they were roasting I chopped the pancetta into small cubes, fried it until it was nice and crispy, scrambled some eggs, and then folded the fried pancetta into the scrambled eggs. Just as I was finishing scrambling the eggs, the mushrooms finished roasting. I pulled them out of the oven and gently blotted off the extra moisture. Then I topped each mushroom with scrambled eggs and sprinkled the eggs with a healthy dose of finely grated Gruyère cheese.

The juicy roasted Portobellos made wonderful “crusts” and tasted delicious paired with the fluffy scrambled eggs, salty pancetta, and the slightly earthy flavor of the Gruyère cheese. The girls each happily devoured half of a “pizza” and I ate a whole one and was pleasantly full.

The pizzas were quick and easy to make, only taking a total of about 20 minutes, and made for a nice change to our usual breakfast routine. You could always substitute your favorite cheese instead of using Gruyère, or use bacon rather than pancetta. I like to hand pick my mushrooms out of baskets of mushrooms that supermarkets often have, rather than buy pre-packaged Portobellos. This allows me to examine them and make sure that they are fresh. When you are picking your mushrooms, avoid any that look limp, dried out, or slippery (which indicates that they are past their prime). The mushroom should be firm and plump with a nice earthy smell.

Portobello Mushroom, Egg, & Pancetta Breakfast “Pizzas”

Makes 4 “pizzas” (4 — 6 servings)

4 Portobello mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 — 5 ounces pancetta, cut into small cubes (you can substitute bacon)
4 ounces finely grated Gruyère cheese (you can substitute your favorite cheese)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Use a kitchen towel to lightly brush off any remaining dirt on the mushrooms.  Remove the stem and then use a spoon to gently scrape out the gills inside the mushroom.  Brush the mushrooms lightly with olive oil and place them in a baking dish cap sides up.  Roast the mushrooms for 15 minutes (or 20 if your mushrooms are larger and thicker).

3. While the mushrooms are roasting, fry the pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy.  Drain the pancetta on paper towels and set aside.

4. About 5 minutes before the mushrooms are done roasting, whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl just until the whites and yolks are blended.  Put the butter in a large heavy nonstick pan over medium heat.  When the butter is melted, swirl the pan to cover the bottom and sides.  Reserve 2 tablespoons of the beaten egg mixture, and then pour the rest of the egg mixture into the pan and turn the heat down to medium low.  Star slowly scraping the eggs from the bottom of the pan.  They will very gradually coagulate into soft curds over several minutes.  When they have thickened to your taste, remove the pan from the heat and fold in the reserved 2 tablespoons of egg mixture (to stop the cooking and cream the eggs).  Taste and season if needed.  Fold the fried pancetta into the just-scrambled eggs.

5. To assemble the breakfast “pizzas”: When the mushrooms have finished roasting, remove them from the oven and blot away any excess juices.  Spoon 1/4 of the scrambled eggs on top of each mushroom.  Top the eggs with 1/4 (1 ounces) of the finely shredded gruyère cheese and serve the pizzas immediately.

Breakfast: Portabella Eggs Benedict with Roasted Tomatoes and Pesto, brought to you by Healthy-ish

Lunch: Wild Mushroom and Cornbread Panzanella Salad, brought to you by Cookin’ Canuck

Dinner: Chicken Tetrazzini, brought to you by Poco-Cocoa

There are nights when only comfort food will do. In my house, these nights typically follow days like this:

• Wake up before dawn.
• Get two boys fed and into the carpool with their lunches, backpacks, completed homework, assorted permission slips, musical instruments and the like.
• Get to the office to find that more than 100 emails have accumulated while you were sleeping.
• Go from meeting to meeting, inhaling lunch (maybe) while dealing with the additional emails that have piled up during said meetings.
• Arrive home and realize that if dinner is not on the table in half an hour, there will be major meltdowns – and they won’t all be coming from the kids.

Comfort food means different things to different people, but for me it’s got to be hot, creamy, salty, and on the table fast. That’s why mushrooms often figure into my comfort dishes – they’re hearty, satisfying, and quick to prepare. We buy two-pound containers of Baby Bellas at our local Costco, and on a comfort food night, they’re the first ingredient I reach for.

This mushroom beef gravy is a cross between a stroganoff and creamed chipped beef, which, inexplicably, is what I was craving that night. It took just a few minutes to prepare; I served it over biscuits, but it would be equally good served over thick slices of toasted country bread if time is really tight.

Mushroom beef gravy

• 2 lbs Baby  Bella mushrooms, cleaned
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup beef broth (or water plus 1 packet  Savory Choice liquid beef broth concentrate)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Separate the stems from the caps of the Baby Bella mushrooms. Slice the caps. Put the stems into a food processor and chop finely.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the onion and the chopped mushroom stems and cook about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft. Pour in the sherry and stir until most of the liquid has boiled off.

Sprinkle the flour over the mushroom mixture and stir for a minute or two until it is well incorporated. Add the milk and broth, bring the mixture back to a boil, and turn the heat down. Simmer the mushroom gravy about 5 minutes more, or until the gravy has thickened and is creamy. If it’s too dry, add a little more broth or milk.

Season with salt and pepper to taste – if the broth was salty, you’ll probably want very little additional salt, and in any case you’ll want a good dose of pepper. Serve over warm biscuits or thick slices of toasted country bread.