We wanted to end the week on a holistically beautiful note. This recipe from Leite’s Culinaria, to us, sounds like the perfect thing to see us through these last clings of winter as we soldier into spring. Hearty but healthy and approved for your Spring Break-friendly menu plan without abandoning great flavor from the bacon- an excellent combination all around. Have a great weekend!

Turkey Veggie Barley Chili from Anne of Fannetastic Food

Mushroom Barley from Catherine of Weelicious

Healthy Mushroom Barley Soup from Christine of Once a Month Mom

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.

We’re a day late for Wordless Wednesday but the Noshery’s Creamy Sage, Sausage and Mushroom Baked Tortellini was too beautiful not to mention.  The perfect dinner for the first week of fall!

As a reminder, there’s another gorgeous fall mushroom recipe that could use your vote over on Tastespotting.  It’s the last week of the Mushroom Masters and Kath Eats is our champion of champignons!

I love fancy food as much as the next hungry person but this? This is what a cozy craving is made of.  Perfect for these transitional days between winter and Spring when I start to crave that sweet crisp pea but am still in hibernation casserole mode. Elly Says Opa! nailed this Chicken, Mushroom, Pea and Stuffing Casserole right on the head.

Soup is another meal category that seems especially perfect for transitions. This selection also speaks to the joy in my heart when bloggers who don’t typically talk about food give us a peek into their palates. Anonymous Midwest also happens to capture the process behind this Mushroom, Leek and Potato Soup beautifully.

To carry through that last point, check out this Spanish Stew recipe from the Reluctant Entertainer’s Napa trip last week!  I included a prep pick so you could see all the fabulous fungi in the mix but click through for the whole shebang and a recipe.

Oh Smitten Kitchen…you never fail to impress.  As I announced to Twitter last night, the combination of mushrooms and hazelnuts is not something I would have ever thought of on my own. Now I can’t get it out of my head.  I’m hosting a brunch tomorrow and this Warm Mushroom Salad with Hazelnuts has just the flavor balance I never knew I was looking for.

Not only is Smitten still coming up with her own inventive mushroom combinations but she’s inspiring other food bloggers to try them out.  Amanda from Cakes and Ale was very happy with how Smitten Kitchen’s Mushroom Bourguignon recipe turned out when she made it at home.

Just another deliciously easy weeknight recipe from a friend to fungi, Rachel from A Southern Fairytale.  And by “just another,” I clearly mean isn’t it nice to have talented friends? With veggies making up more than half of the ingredients, this one is on the light side as well!

Speaking of easy, family-friendly dinners, Stacie from Chowmama threw this together when she was sick. That’s how low-maintenance a health meal can be if you’re just stuffing good things into a portabella cap. Good things like chiles, rice, spinach and onion.

Last but not least, something you could even make for brunch this weekend! Tina from Carrots ‘N’ Cake combined some breakfast classics with an Italian staple to create a delicious take on Breakfast Pizza. As a longtime fan of pizza for breakfast, I think this is a healthier and likely a tastier version of the leftovers I ate cold in college…

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.

I met Shaina from Food for My Family last night after Lori went out of her way to track the two of us down for an introduction.  I’m so glad she did because easy weeknight meals like this Chicken Fried Rice (with mushrooms) are right up my alley so I know this is going to be a regular read.

Let’s take a moment to celebrate the beauty of this Portabella, Granny Smith Apple and Cheddar sandwich. And give props to it’s creator, the lovely Jennifer of Savor the Thyme. I’m a sucker for salty/sweet combos and I think this may be the first time I’ve seen a fruit/mushroom combo in sandwich form. Which only further assures that this one gets a “Please try this at home” label.

I’ve had pierogis on the brain lately.  My neighborhood is rich with great Polish restaurants and winter is when I crave these little dumplings the most.  Pauline from OHMommy posted a great tutorial (so easy even a two year old can do it!) but when I saw Kate’s version with mushrooms on Stolen Moments Cooking, I knew I needed to share it here.  I know it looks like a simple dumpling on the outside but follow the recipe…in this case it really is what’s on the inside that counts!

French Onion Casserole. Made with fresh mushroom and cream of mushroom soup, there’s a lot to like here. Amy from Milk Breath and Margaritas was introduced to me online by Rachel from A Southern Fairytale (a contributor here at The Mushroom Channel from time to time) but I’ve been looking forward to seeing her offline and BlissDom was the perfect opportunity.

That’s my favorite thing about these conferences- seeing everyone in person.  Everybody from Busy Dad to Once a Month Mom to $5 Dinners and Home-Ec 101, it’s a sea of friendly faces.

This just made me quite hungry so I’m off to lunch with some of the food crew!

Red Quinoa and Almond Pilaf with Mixed Mushrooms. That’s one pretty plate and my guess is that leftovers make for happy next-day lunching.  Check out the recipe at The Wright Recipes.

If you follow us on Twitter, you may have noticed this call-out this morning. The combination sounded so good that it’s worth a second look.  Balsamic Roasted Mushroom Risotto.  Just let that sink in a moment with the thought that few things soak up flavor like a mushroom does.  So then you have that rich meaty texture soaked through with the sweet bite of vinegar and finished with fresh, herb-y rosemary.  I can’t wait to take this goodLife {eats} recipe back to my own kitchen!

A big pile of delicious…that’s what this is. Jenna from Food with Kid Appeal is big on including mushrooms in her family meal plan (more about that here).  “Mushrooms are one optimal life food I want my family eating.” We’re glad to hear it!

Just in case you have the rest of dinner sorted out but need a stellar side dish, look no further than Recipe Girl‘s easy peezy Green Beans with Mushrooms and Shallots.  Three items that add a lot of flavor without a lot of fat…you can find the recipe and the nutrition information here.

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.