If you’re looking for a simple and scrumptious meatless meal option, you can’t go wrong with this vegetarian mushroom, spinach and roasted red pepper wrap. In less than 10 minutes you can have this on your plate and on its way into your belly!

A secret weapon in my fridge is flour tortillas. You can add just about anything to them, roll them up and ,voila, you have a meal in ready minutes. They also double as an easy peasy appetizer! I’m a big fan of easy and effortless entertaining, so these are a staple when I’m playing host.

This vegetarian wrap is “meaty” without the meat. The mushrooms are gently kissed with butter, added to silky smooth roasted peppers and given a little texture with the fresh spinach leave.  They’re then enveloped by a soft, warm tortilla to complete the dish.

It’s refreshing, delicious and EASY.

Sauteed Mushroom, Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Wrap (Serves 4)

What you’ll need:
6 ounces button mushrooms – sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt/pepper
1 loosely packed cup fresh spinach
1 roasted red bell pepper – sliced
4 flour tortillas – warmed

What to do:
1. Into a medium sauté pan over medium  heat add butter. Melt. Add mushroom and sauté for approximately 4-5 minutes until cooked through. Season with salt/ pepper. Turn off heat.

2. To assemble:  Equally distribute spinach, bell pepper and mushrooms between each tortilla.

3. Wrap each like you would a burrito (or you could also simply fold in half and enjoy soft taco style).

The other evening we had some friends stopping by, and we wanted to put out a few little nibbles to serve alongside a glass of wine. I don’t know about you, but I get tired of serving the same old cheese plate, and I am sure my guests are tired of eating the same old cheese plate! I am always on the lookout for a couple new and exciting go-to appetizer recipes for impromptu dinner parties.

This recipe is easily made at the drop of a hat when mushrooms, as well as baguettes, are a staple in your house. I had a portobella and oyster mushrooms left over from an earlier brunch recipe, so I decided to use them. I like the earthy texture of the portobello and the delicate texture of small oyster mushrooms, and thought the two would be perfect together.

Shallots and garlic are quickly sauteed with mushrooms to make this easy topping. I wanted the flavor of the mushrooms to come through, so I kept the seasonings simple, with just a sprinkle of black pepper and fresh thyme. Once the mushrooms were cooked, I deglazed the pan with a high quality balsamic, and then tossed the mushrooms with the rich reduction. Simply serve on the toasted baguette.

With the holidays upon us, it is nice to have something simple to make. This recipe is very easy to make and can be presented elegantly or a bit rustic as I did here. Enjoy!

Mushroom Bruschetta

1 portobello mushroom, stem removed, and cut into small pieces
handful of oyster mushrooms, on the smaller side, or slice larger ones into stems
2 small garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup high quality balsamic vinegar
1 baguette sliced thinly
olive oil
1 large garlic clove

Heat oven to broil.  Rub each slice of baguette with the large piece of garlic.  Using a pastry brush lightly coat each slice with some olive oil.  Toast in the oven until golden.  Remove and set aside.  Gently heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over low heat, add the shallots and minced garlic, slowly cook until caramelized in color;  about 10 minutes.  Add the portobello mushroom, and cook until lightly browned;  about 5 minutes.  Add the oyster mushrooms, stir, and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the thyme and season with some black pepper.  Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside in a bowl.  Add the balsamic vinegar to the frying pan, and bring to medium heat.  Using a wooden spoon, keep stirring until reduced in half, about 4 minutes.  Lower the heat, and stir the mushrooms and their juices into the reduction.  Serve on the slices of toasted baguette.

Mini Mushroom Quiche Caps

Many mushroom apps are easy to prepare, and they can be and budget-friendly, too.  Plus, they allow you to offer crowd-pleasing bites with different colors, flavors and textures. Serve ‘em on cocktail napkins for an easy clean up!

Stumped for ideas? Well, we’ve made a list and checked it twice. Serve one of these scrumptious ‘shroomy apps to bring holiday joy to all!

Stuffed Shrooms (Gluten-Free and Vegan) from Sassy Kitchen

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom & Gruyere Tartlets from Brown Eyed Baker

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Phyllo Bites from Kitchen Confidante

Caramelized Mushroom & Shallot Bruschetta from Shutterbean

When it comes to croissants, I tend to think of buttery, golden browned, flaky pastry treats, warm out of the oven. Perfection. And while there’s no need to mess with a good thing, I thought I’d take croissants to the next level by adding some mushrooms into the mix.

Usually I top my croissants with a light dollop of fruit jam, but making the switch from sweet topping to savory filling was a delicious change. Of course, I love anything with mushrooms, but wasn’t sure how well they’d be received with others. I brought over a batch of just-out-of-the-oven Mushroom Sage Croissants to our friends’ house for a football watching party and they were gobbled up in no time. They made the perfect game-watching finger food, and would be a hit at any holiday party or as an accompaniment to a savory breakfast spread.

Ingredients:

[Makes 8 croissants]

• 1 8-ounce container sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 8-ounce tube of refrigerated ready to use croissant rolls
• 10 fresh sage leaves, cut into thin strips
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• Salt to taste

Heat oil in a skillet. Sautee mushrooms and sage over medium-high heat for about ten minutes, stirring regularly. Add salt to taste.

Drop about a tablespoon of mushrooms on the widest part of the rolled out croissant top. Roll croissant from wide part down to fold mushroom mixture into the croissant.

Bake croissants on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet according to package directions until they turn golden brown. Let cool slightly before eating.

Our friend and fellow fun-guy Mr. Food recently traveled to the Mushroom Capital of the World, Kennett Square, PA., to celebrate National Mushroom Month. After a couple days in town soaking up local inspiration, he whipped up two new easy-to-make mushroom recipes: Mushroom Lovers’ Chicken and Overstuffed Portabellas. Try your hand at them this month, and tell us what you think!

Also, check out Mr. Food’s blog detailing his mushroom-centric travels. Have you got any trips on the books for National Mushroom Month?

We’ve made it through winter, and it’s time to grill!

Too often vegetarians get neglected when it comes to summer cookouts, relegated to the cold salad table. But cooking for multiple palates and dietary needs is sometimes hard when factoring in our already busy lives.

These stuffed mushrooms come together in a snap and can stand in for a main dish, side, or even a pre-party nibble. I like to top them with panko, Japanese bread crumbs, to add crunch, but they are just as delicious without for a gluten-free meal.

Stuffed Mushrooms

• 1 pound button or baby portabella mushrooms
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 small avocado
• 1/8 cup chopped jalapeno
• Lemon juice
• Panko bread crumbs

If grilling, prepare wooden skewers by soaking in a dish of water as you assemble the mushrooms. This will prevent the wood from scorching on the fire.

Gently dust any dirt off your mushrooms with a clean cloth or a mushroom brush. Remove stem by slightly twisting. Discard stems or save for another recipe.

Halve avocado, remove pit, and mash in a bowl. Add cream cheese, jalapeno, and a dash of lemon juice, and stir until well blended. Pour panko into a bowl or rimmed plate.

Fill mushroom tops with the avocado mixture and level off. Dip each mushroom in the panko and continue with the rest of the mushrooms.

Once all are assembled, carefully slide the mushrooms onto the skewers. If baking in the oven, arrange in a casserole dish.

Grill for 10-15 minutes or bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

As a child, there were only a few things I would not eat, and one of them was mushrooms.

This caused my mycophilic parents great anxiety. Mushrooms featured heavily in the family lore, as they were on the menu the first time my father ever cooked dinner for my mother (sautéed with an entire stick of butter.  My dad knew how to woo the ladies), and my folks simply could not understand how I could miss out on the joys that are mushrooms.  They tried everything they could to make me see the light, offering sliced raw mushrooms in salad, mushrooms baked into macaroni and cheese and, for the win, as the pizza topping of choice.

However, despite their most earnest entreaties, I remained steadfast in my dislike of mushrooms, eating around them in the mac and cheese, turning up my nose at the salads, and picking them off my pizza, one by one.

What my otherwise loving and wise parents did not understand was that my objection to mushrooms was all in my mind.  My eight year old self knew they were fungi, and the slippery texture of the cooked mushrooms my parents plied me with did nothing to distract me from that knowledge.

My conversion from a mushroom hater to a mushroom lover had to come in another form, where the texture of the mushrooms became secondary to that woodsy, earthy, haunting flavor that the best mushrooms offer.  Fortunately for my culinary education, a mushroom pate offered just that – a distillation of the flavor of mushrooms, with a texture closer to the finest country terrine.  I was offered a pate like this one, happily ate it up, and promptly decided that maybe mushrooms weren’t so bad after all.

Now, as an adult, I can say with all honesty that I love the slippery little buggers, and I am more than happy to top a salad of spring mache with a sauté of delicate chanterelles, or add some earthy portobellos to my pizza.  And my daughter shows no sign of my childhood proclivities – she will happily gobble silky shiitakes in a stir fry, or chow on a pungent porcini pasta.  But then again, she’s only two, and the opinions about texture might just come later.  So I’ve created this recipe for mushroom pate, sweetened with hazelnuts, brightened with lemon, and almost meaty with cremini mushrooms, sautéed in butter.  Just in case.  After all, we wouldn’t want her to miss out on the joys that are mushrooms.

Mushroom Pate

Adapted from Sunset

• ½ ounce mixed wild dried mushrooms (my daughter often throws these in the shopping cart – the one I use is a blend of dried shiitake, porcini, oyster and wood ear mushrooms)
• 1/ 4 c. boiling water
• 1 lb cremini mushrooms
• 2 large or 3 small shallots
• 3 T butter
• 1 c. whole hazelnuts
• 2 T olive oil
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste

1) Rehydrate the dried mushrooms by soaking them in a bowl with the boiling water until the mushrooms are plump and soft.

2) Wash the cremini mushrooms by passing them under running water (contrary to myth, this won’t make them spongy.  But it will make them clean), and remove the stems.

3) In a food processor, combine the rehydrated mushrooms with the water they soaked in, the cremini mushroom caps, and the shallots (peeled).  Pulse until everything is finely chopped.

4) In a large skillet, melt the butter, add the mushroom mixture and a large pinch of salt, and sauté over low heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms are golden brown  and any liquid that has been released during cooking has evaporated.

5) Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts and remove the skins (rubbing them in a mesh bag that originally held onions or garlic works wonderfully).

6) In the food processor (you don’t have to clean it thoroughly; it’s OK if there are still bits of mushrooms in there for this step), process the nuts until finely chopped and start to form a paste.  With the mixer running, pour the olive oil through the tube and process until the nuts are smooth.  Add the mushroom mixture and continue to process until the mixture is homogeneous and resembles a loose pate.  Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt to taste.

7) Put the mushroom pate into a jar or crock and chill before serving.  Serve with good crusty bread or crackers to mushroom lovers and picky children.

I feel like I beg for fantastic restaurant dishes on Twitter at least once a week.  And while I never expect glamour shots (ahem…see above), it is nice to see them.  I was particularly taken aback that this was an at-home re-creation of Barcelona’s famous mushrooms.  Nice work, Ninette!

Did anyone else ever get a thrill from adding great fixings to standard grilled cheese sandwiches?  You can put just about anything in between thick bread with some cheese and I will love it but mushroom and tomatoes have been my favorite combination since college. Apparently I share that choice with Poor Girl Eats Well because I saw this sandwich come through my reader and my stomach growled. Loudly.

My first thought when I saw this recipe was of Mushroom Taco Mac.  Much like teachers and students, we at the Mushroom Channel would never officially tell you that we have favorites among our official recipes. So I am not officially telling you now that the recipe is spoken of with deep sighs and goofy hunger-induced grins. The mushroom’s ability to soak up flavor works especially well with Mexican spices for me.  But this salad is its own good thing and I want to recognize The Comfort Food Is Always Here properly.  With only a few ingredients, my thought leans toward serving this over mixed greens with a little extra chipotle sauce.

If you have ever aspired to be the kind of person who has an elegant snack or two at the ready when friends drop by, this is the recipe for you. The filo cups required for these are wonderfully easy and I’ve seen mushrooms work into them in some truly lovely ways (all simple as simple comes).  For the Love of Cooking has posted a version that involves filo cups, caramelized mushrooms and brie. All things that make for a happily stocked refrigerator.

If you feel similarly then today is the ROW of your dreams because we’ve got something for everyone!

The Kitchn has a hot list of soups to make with your turkey stock  and other Thanksgiving leftovers.  You’ll notice that the vast majority of them have mushrooms including Hot and Sour Mushroom, Cabbage and Rice Soup, Mushroom Soup and traditional Hot and Sour Soup.  If you’ve never made turkey stock, here is a great instructional post. You will thank yourself later.

If you’ve got more leftovers than some straightforward stock, check out the recipe for Turkey Fricassee with Mushrooms at Serious Eats. Leftover meat, with fresh herbs, mushrooms and wine cooked with a rich broth > potpurri.

If you’re done with turkey but not the cold weather comfort food, Coconut Lime has a divine Chicken and Mushroom bake with your name on it. She has a great trick using fresh mushrooms and evaporated milk that cuts down on the fat in standard cream-based soups.

Jennifer Perrillo has quickly become a favorite read around here…in all of her various nooks including her personal blog, Gourmet Unbound, and Food 52. She has a new project called The Family Table focused on healthy, delicious eating for parents and kids alike. Not only do we love the idea but we already love the approach- she leads with Mushroom Bolognese and great advice on helping kids get used to new ingredients…like mushrooms.

Speaking of family-friendly, that’s my hunch for Cooking Light’s Pesto, Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna as executed by Pink Parsley.  That is a slew of my favorite things in one place and I’ve had a number of great experiences with Cooking Light’s recipes. Experiences that leave me full but feeling svelte nonetheless.

Last but not least, there are those of you out there who barely saw the last guest’s taillight turning the corner before you started planning the next gathering. For those of you in this camp, consider Evil Shenanigans and her Bacon Jalapeno Stuffed Mushrooms. This essentially combines my two very favorite Pioneer Woman appetizers and somehow  manages to improve on the fat factor (these still aren’t light, but improved). The lovechild of bacon wrapped jalapenos and brie stuffed mushrooms? Don’t mind if I do.

]]> http://mushroominfo.com/mushroomchannel/2009/12/02/recipes-of-the-week-holidays-are-here/feed/ 0 http://mushroominfo.com/mushroomchannel/2009/11/05/mushroom-recipes-of-the-week/ http://mushroominfo.com/mushroomchannel/2009/11/05/mushroom-recipes-of-the-week/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:49:49 +0000 MushroomChannel http://www.themushroomchannel.com/?p=352 You have been busy. And yes, I mean “you” in the collective sense.  We have also been busy.  Busy reporting back on two of the big adventures we took in October (FNCE and IFEC). My oh my though, we missed one week of Recipe of the Week posts and suddenly your delicious (and might I say attractive?) posts have popped up like…well, like mushrooms.

With that in mind, it’s time to dig in because there’s a lot of appetite to get through today!

First up we have Burgundy Buttons from Heather at Home Ec 101. For something that’s relatively easy to put together, this is a versatile one.  Served on steaks, in baked potatoes or even on pasta, this is four ingredients to a relative umami bomb. One of our featured contributors, Rachel,  pointed these out to us and then made them for her own family that same night!

Next up we have a new face in the crowd. I was combing through food blogs tonight (favorite pasttime, don’t you know) when I came across this beautiful site.  I thought I had my post all sealed up but when I saw this photo series, the recipe looked too good not to feature. Go say hello to Sprouted Kitchen and her Stuffed Portabellas with Herb Sauce.  Your eyes will be glad you did. Though you may need to answer to your appetite later.

Do you see the picture above? Of course you do. And you saw the one before it? This is us proving a point. When you’ve seen one stuffed portabella, you’ve not seen them all. Not even close.  Aside from being an all-around gorgeous shot, this is everything I want in my dinner tonight. It’s hard for me to believe but I already have everything in this masterpiece on hand and there’s a good chance you do too. Frozen spinach, can of artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, an onion and a portabella mushroom…the things happy kitchens are made of. This Stuffed Portabella with Balsamic Reduction from Love and Olive Oil is most certainly what a happy kitchen is made of.

Next up we have Stuffed Mushrooms with Sundried Tomatoes from That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles.  Now to be fair, this was originally posted a couple weeks ago but we’re officially past Halloween now and into the high season of party-planning and I don’t think these could be more perfect.  Elegant, appealing and can be assembled ahead of time- the ideal passed poppable. And just to keep things current (and because, when asked to choose between things I like,  I prefer “both” ), I encourage you to check out her Pumpkin Porcini Soup as well.

Last but most certainly not least, we have our favorite rancher to bring this week’s highlights home. We love The Pioneer Woman and not just because she loves us back.  Because she very simply loves food and loves to share it. Photos like this don’t hurt the cause but I can’t imagine many folks hear mushrooms, brie and garlic in a recipe without taking a look. This is another great candidate for party poppables although a completely different flavor profile. Mushrooms Stuffed with Brie from The Pioneer Woman, because it sounds like a good idea and it is.