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Mushroom Pairings

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013

Grilled Mushroom Medley Pizza

We’re all familiar with a guide to food pairings for every meal and occasion. Whether it’s wine, chocolate, cheese or produce, there’s always a perfect pairing option. With mushrooms’ natural versatility, variety and distinct qualities, they’re suited to blend into any meal. Take a look at a few of our favorite pairings below to make the most of every fungi variety.

Mushrooms and Eggs

Every variety of mushrooms pairs well with eggs, and a hearty portabella can even serve as a replacement for bread in a classic eggs benedict.  Not only is this a delicious pairing, but a great way to start your day with Vitamin D.

Recipes:

Meaty Mushrooms

Portabellas are well-known as a meatless option for a juicy burger, however, even finely chopped white button, crimini or shitakes can make a tasty addition to a burger. Blend the finely chopped mushrooms with your favorite burger base (ground turkey, chicken or beef).

Recipes:

Mushrooms and Leafy Greens

Salads are not the only way to get in your greens. From pizza to pasta and stir-fries, there are plenty of ways to add a touch of color to your day.

Recipes:

What’s your favorite mushroom pairing?

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Posted in Blendability, Cooking Tips, Editor Post, Fresh Mushrooms | No Comments »

Marinated Grilled Mushrooms

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

Kristen from Dine and Dish shares a recipe for Marinated Grilled Mushrooms that proves the most gourmet meal can be served right in your own home. 

Marinated Mushrooms

When my husband and I first graduated college and got our first jobs, we would live for pay day. Like most new grads, we didn’t have a lot of extra cash so going out to eat then was really special. Once a month on pay day, we would head out to our favorite steak house and enjoy a nice dinner out. Yes, we were excited about a nice, juicy steak but the one thing we would always splurge on was a side of mushrooms.

The mushrooms at our favorite steak house were grilled and were cooked in the most flavorful marinade… it was such a treat and I always knew my husband loved me because he’d always let me have the last one.

Now that we’ve grown and are a little more experienced, our favorite restaurant / steak house is at home. As two people who love to cook, we’ve discovered it’s much more enjoyable to have a nice meal in and to be able to cook what we want and how we want it cooked. One thing I have missed from our monthly date nights out were those amazing marinated grilled mushrooms! Until now…

These marinated mushrooms can be cooked on the grill in a foil packet or can be sautéed on the stove top. This recipe is a great for a side dish to steak, chicken, fish… or even as an appetizer before a meal. Leftovers could even be diced up and blended into your favorite burger, taco or pizza. Simple, delicious and worth the splurge… I hope you’ll enjoy our Marinated Grilled Mushroom recipe!

Marinated Grilled Mushrooms

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon butter, diced
  • 1 8oz packaged fresh whole mushrooms, cleaned and patted dry
  • 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 1/4 cup fresh Romano cheese, grated

Directions:

  1. Whisk together soy sauce, garlic and ginger in a medium bowl. Add mushrooms and stir around. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  2. Prepare a large piece of foil by spraying with cooking spray. Add diced butter.
  3. Remove marinated mushrooms from the bowl with a slotted spoon. Place mushrooms in the foil and fold the packet up and seal tightly.
  4. Grill over medium high heat, turning the foil packet twice, for 7-10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.
  5. Carefully remove from foil packet and top the mushrooms with grated Romano cheese. Serve warm as an appetizer or side dish.
  6. For stovetop method, simply sauté marinated mushrooms in melted butter for 7-10 minutes over medium high heat.

 

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Posted in Cooking Tips, Fresh Mushrooms, Mushroom Recipe of the Week, vegetarian | No Comments »

Introduce Your Friends and Family to the Mushroom Taco this Cinco de Mayo

Friday, April 26th, 2013

Mushrooms have been an authentic part of Mexican cuisine since the pre-Spanish days. Council Representative, Bart Minor, tells us how he’s converted mushroom haters into mushroom lovers with his mushroom blend tacos – just in time for Cinco de Mayo.

We all have a friend that at one time or another, said they don’t like mushrooms. No matter how many times you inform them of the many nutritional benefits, the flavor enhancing properties, and the fact that they are available year round, you are met with a list of many excuses.

The truth is these friends will come around. How you ask? Serve them mushroom blended tacos on Cinco de Mayo. Mushrooms have been an integral and authentic part of Mexican and other Hispanic cuisines since the pre-Spanish days, commonly used for their meaty texture and versatility. The mushrooms natural meatiness allows it to blend seamlessly with ground meat, while boosting flavor and adding a serving of vegetables.

My mushroom tacos have successfully converted several of my friends to mushroom lovers… well, at least they love the fact they are lower in fat, lower in calories, and less expensive! Make tacos for your friends this Cinco de Mayo and see if you can’t turn this celebration of Mexican culture and cuisine into a healthier, more delicious, and sustainable lifestyle move for you and your family!

Mushroom and Chorizo Tacos by We Are Not Marthas

Mushroom and Chorizo Tacos
Recipe Courtesy of the Mushroom Council and We Are Not Martha

Put a spin on tacos by blending spicy chorizo and hearty mushrooms for a quick and easy flavor-packed dinner.

Yield: 6 tacos
Serving Size: 1 taco

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)

Directions:

  1. Heat a sauté 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.
  2. Cook, while stirring, for about 4-5 minutes, until ingredients begin to soften and brown up a bit. Mix cumin in.
  3. Serve chorizo mushroom mixture on a lightly toasted whole wheat tortilla. Top with cilantro, cotija, avocado, or absolutely anything you want.

 

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A Day Dedicated to Mushrooms

Tuesday, April 16th, 2013

Portabella Mushroom Love Note

Every day offers a reason to celebrate the food we love, but when there is an official day designated to the mighty mushroom, it’s important to take the celebration up another notch.  April 16 is recognized as the Day of the Mushroom and we’re honoring our favorite fungi in the most delicious way possible – multiple mushroom recipes.

Take a look at a few of the mushroom highlights below and on the full Pinterest board.

 

  • Roasted Portabella Eggs Benedict – April 16 also happens to be National Eggs Benedict Day. Celebrate two occasions in one dish with this tasty brunch or brinner (a.k.a Breakfast for Dinner) treat!
  • Chipotle Mushroom Sub Sandwich with Chunky Pico De Gallo – It’s easy to get stuck in a sandwich rut, but Poor Girl Eats Well brings vibrant flavors to life in this delightful sub, and with the hearty mushrooms you’ll barely notice it’s meatless.
  • Creamy Mushroom and Kale Quesadillas – Simple and delicious with under ten ingredients, this quesadilla from Eat, Live, Run is perfect as an appetizer (but who really wants to share)?
  • Mushroom Tacos with Salsa Verde – Even the kids will get into the mushroom love today when you replace a portion of ground beef with mushrooms in these blended tacos. 

Happy Cooking! If you have a mushroom recipe to highlight leave us some love in the comments or on Twitter and Facebook.

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Posted in Cooking Tips, Editor Post, holidays, Mushroom Recipe of the Week | No Comments »

Mushroom-Meatball Subs

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

Erin Chase from $5 Dinners stretches two meals from one with her recipe for mushroom meatballs that the entire family loves.

Our family loves meatballs. We love them with pasta and we love them on subs. And these mushroom-meatballs are a perfect way to stretch your regular meatball recipe just a little further.

Here’s what I suggest doing with these mushroom meatballs.

  1. Make the subs as directed in the recipe below.
  2. Save the extra meatballs (because there will be extras, unless you plan on serving a crowd!) and freeze them to use later with your favorite pasta noodle.

This recipe will make 14-15 large meatballs, or 26-30 smaller mini meatballs. Since you’ll only need 8 meatballs for the sandwiches (for a family of 4), plan to repurpose the leftovers with pasta…or you could take them for lunch the next day too.

We devoured the mushroom-meatball subs, and we hope you will too!

Mushroom Meatballs

Mushroom- Meatball Sub Sandwiches

Yield – Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. white mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1 ½ pound ground beef
  • 3/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (omit if using seasoned bread crumbs)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ cup spaghetti sauce
  • 4 sub or bollillo rolls
  • 4 slices cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped mushrooms, ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, Italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper. Mix well and then form into meatballs. Place the meatballs into a glass baking dish, and then top with a spoonful of spaghetti sauce on each meatball.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until meatballs cook through. Note that cooking time will vary depending on size of the meatballs. If making mini-meatballs, cook for 15-20 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, split open the rolls or bread lengthwise and scoop out the bread from the bottom half, so the meatballs can rest inside the bottom piece of the roll.  Break a slice of cheese in half, and then place on top of the meatball. Microwave for 30 seconds, or put in the oven for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
  5. Serve Mushroom-Meatball Subs with side of favorite fresh fruit and chips.

 

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Posted in Cooking Tips, Dinner Tonight, Featured Contributor, Fresh Mushrooms, Mushroom Recipe of the Week | No Comments »

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