While I love meat, I really do think that vegetarians very often get the better meal. Just look at this Artichoke Mushroom Lasagna http://bit.ly/2sDulZ0 – doesn’t it just make your mouth water? And forget about it serving 12 – I’d freeze it in slices and eat for weeks! #lasagna #makeahead #vegetarian #filling #artichokes #realmeneatmushrooms

Artichoke Mushroom Lasagna

Serves 12

 

Ingredients

450g sliced Portabellini mushrooms

2tbsp butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

2x400g tins artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped

1 cup Chardonnay or other white wine

¼tsp salt

¼tsp pepper

SAUCE

¼ cup butter, cubed

¼ cup flour

3½ cups skim milk

2½ cups grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup Chardonnay or other white wine

ASSEMBLY

9 fresh lasagna sheets

4 cups grated Mozzarella cheese, divided

 

Method

1 Preheat oven to 175°C. In a large skillet, sauté mushrooms in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Add artichokes, wine, salt and pepper; cook over medium heat until liquid has evaporated.

2 For sauce, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in Parmesan cheese and wine.

3 Spread 1 cup sauce into a greased 33x23cm baking dish. Layer with three lasagna sheets, 1⅔ cups sauce, 1 cup Mozzarella and 1⅓ cups artichoke mixture. Repeat layers twice.

4 Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

From pan to plate in under 30 minutes, this Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff http://bit.ly/2sWRy8A will have you dinner party ready in no time – and without the usual fuss and fluster. It’s also an amazing Banting meal for anyone taking that route! #classic #realmeneatmushrooms #Banting #creamy #meatandmushrooms #maincourse

 

 

 

Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

500g lean beef stir-fry strips

1tsp sweet paprika

1tbsp olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

250g button mushrooms, halved

1 cup (250ml) beef stock

1tbsp Worcestershire sauce

¾ cup (180g) sour cream

200g green beans, trimmed

2tbsp chopped chives

4 slices wholegrain toast, to serve (optional)

salt, to season

 

Method

1 Toss beef in a bowl with paprika and some salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, then brown beef in batches for 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2 Reduce heat to medium, then add onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until soft and light golden. Increase heat to high, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add stock and Worcestershire and bring to the boil. Simmer gently over low heat for 5 minutes or until sauce is reduced slightly. Stir in sour cream, return beef and any juices to pan, then cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened. Meanwhile, steam the green beans for 3 minutes or until tender.

3 Divide the stroganoff and beans among bowls, sprinkle with chives and serve with wholegrain toast, if using.

Making dinner for the wife and kids tonight? Get them eating great-tasting mushrooms loaded with plant protein and immune-boosting selenium! Excellent for your heart and prostate health, too! This hearty Russian Potato Casserole with Minced Meat and Mushrooms http://bit.ly/2sgIn2i will keep the chill out, and you can have it on the table in next to no time! #dudefood #sixpackshortcut #plantbasedprotein #itsinthefood #foodfact #whatmenneed

 

Ingredients

800g potatoes, peeled and cut into disks

2 onions, diced
400g mushrooms, roughly chopped

a few sprigs thyme
500g minced beef
2tbsp tomato paste
250ml cream
salt, pepper, dried red chilli, paprika, to taste

100g grated melting cheese

handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Method

1 Heat oven to 200°C. Cook potatoes in boiling, salted water for 5-6 minutes. Drain.
2 Heat a little oil in a pan and fry the onion until transparent. Add the mushrooms and sauté them well, about 7-8 minutes. Season to taste and stir in a little thyme. Remove from pan and set aside.

3 In the same pan, fry the minced meat for 5 minutes, add the tomato paste, cream, salt, pepper, dried red chilli and paprika and mix well. Allow the cream to come to the simmer, then add mushrooms and cook together for a couple of minutes.
4 In a baking dish, layer half the meat and mushrooms, top with potatoes and then remaining meat and mushrooms. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for about 30 minutes, until heated through and cheese is golden and bubbling. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

 

We love a guy in the kitchen, especially when he’s cooking gorgeous fresh mushrooms. They are a delicious plant protein that’s good for your heart, prostate and waistline, and in this amazing Manly Mushroom Strata http://bit.ly/2rdZSBQ, they’ll do wonders for your brunch cooking cred, too! #bacon #cheese #mushrooms #breakfast #onepot #bake #brunch #dudefood #realmeneatmushrooms

 

Manly Mushroom Strata

Ingredients

7 cups ciabatta or other hearty bread, cut into 2,5cm cubes
2tbsp butter or olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
225g Portabellini mushrooms, sliced
cooking spray
1½ cups grated Emmenthaler or Gruyere cheese
8 streaky bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

6 large eggs
3 cups half and half (half full cream milk and half cream) or milk
2tsp chopped fresh thyme
½tsp garlic powder
½tsp ground black pepper
¼tsp salt

 

Method

1 The night before you want to serve this, preheat oven to 175°C. Arrange bread in a single layer on an oven try. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn. Toast another 10 minutes or so. When done, remove from oven and place bread cubes in a large bowl.

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add butter and let it melt. As soon as it’s melted, add onion and mushrooms to pan. Cook for a few minutes, until liquid has evaporated and onions and mushrooms are tender.

2 Pour onion and mushrooms over bread. Toss everything to thoroughly combine.

Coat a 33cm x 22cm pan with cooking spray. Pour half the bread mixture into the dish. Sprinkle over half the cheese and half the bacon. Add the rest of the bread mixture, then top with remaining cheese and bacon.

3 Crack eggs into a large bowl. Use a whisk to break the yolks, then beat them like they stole your remote. Add half and half or milk and beat again. A lot. Add thyme, garlic powder, pepper and salt, and beat one last time. Pour milk and eggs over everything in the baking dish. Cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours).

4 One hour before serving, preheat oven to 175°C. Remove strata from the fridge and let it stand at room temperature while the oven heats up. Bake the strata, still covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

 

We’ve had a family vote on the ultimate burger and the kids won! I was most keen on Ottolenghi’s Turkey & Courgette Burgers with Spring Onion & Cumin http://bit.ly/2qYQ9Og, but Nacho Burgers http://bit.ly/2qS9hib took the prize. The one thing we could all agree on was that every burger recipe needs the mushroom blendability treatment – that means half the “meat” (beef, turkey, fish, beans etc) has to be replaced with delicious fresh mushrooms, finely chopped and cooked with the mince as called for in the recipe. It makes for a much more flavourful, juicy burger with fewer kilojoules! #blendability #umami #burger #fakeaway #mushroommince #makeathome #mouthful

 

 

Nacho Burgers

Makes 3

Ingredients

FOR THE GUACAMOLE AND PICO DE GALLO

1 avocado

2 limes

salt

black pepper

2 tomatoes, diced

¼ red onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

1 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

FOR THE BURGERS

1 flour tortilla, cut into triangles

2tsp extra-virgin olive oil

225g ground beef

225g fresh mushrooms, minced

2tbsp butter

3 slices Cheddar cheese

3 hamburger buns

 

Method

1 For the guacamole and pico de gallo: in a small bowl, mash avocado with juice of 1 lime and season with salt and pepper. In another small bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime. Season with salt and pepper.

2 Preheat oven to 175°C. Coat tortilla triangles with olive oil and season with salt. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes, then set aside.

3 Combine beef and mushrooms and from into three equal-sized patties. Generously season with salt and pepper.

 

4 Melt butter in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add burgers and cook 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and top with Cheddar. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more for medium rare.

5 Toast buns and build burgers by layering guacamole, patty, tortillas, and pico de gallo.

There’s something about warm, saucy food and mash that makes all your winter worries just disappear. This Lentil and Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie http://bit.ly/2qUuTMi is absolutely the ticket when things are icy outdoors. It’s vegan, but you can use ordinary dairy products if you prefer. #pie #lentils #vegan #vegetarian #familyandfriends #warm

 

Lentil and Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie

 

 

 

Ingredients

8 large potatoes

2tbsp vegan butter

½ cup rice milk

salt to taste

2tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

170g Portabellini mushrooms, sliced

2x400g cans lentils, lightly drained

2tbsp dry red wine, optional

1-2tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

2-3tbsp all-purpose seasoning blend

½tsp dried thyme

freshly ground pepper to taste

3tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot

200g baby spinach or rocket leaves

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

 

Method

1 Peel and dice the potatoes. Place in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a small mixing bowl.

2 Stir the vegan butter into the potatoes until melted, then add the rice milk and mash until fluffy. Season with salt, cover, and set aside until needed. Heat the oven to 200ºC.

3 While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to sauté until the onion is golden.

4 Add the lentils and their liquid and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the optional wine, soy sauce, seasoning blend, thyme and pepper. Cook gently for 5 minutes. Combine the cornstarch with just enough water to dissolve in a small container. Stir into the lentil mixture.

5 Add the spinach, a little at a time, cooking just until it’s all wilted down. Remove from the heat; taste to adjust seasonings to your liking.

6 Lightly oil a 2-litre (preferably round) casserole dish, or two deep-dish pie plates. Scatter the breadcrumbs evenly over the bottom. Pour in the lentil mixture, then top with spinach and spread the potatoes evenly over the top. If using two pie plates, divide each mixture evenly between them.

7 Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to turn golden and slightly crusty. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, then cut into wedges to serve.

Winter’s really settling in, meaning everyone’s in need of a little mothering. This highly nutritious Mushroom Barley Soup http://bit.ly/2q3zUQN is full of flavour and should definitely do the trick! #soup #barley #seaweed #Portabellini

Mushroom Barley Soup

Serves 8

 

Ingredients

1¼ cups hulled barley, soaked overnight

3 bay leaves

5cm piece kombu seaweed

3tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 large onion, diced

sea salt

5 large cloves garlic, minced

1tbsp minced fresh thyme

1½tbsp minced fresh rosemary

2 large carrots, cut in 1cm dice

2 stalks celery, cut in 1cm dice

2 cups cubed butternut (1cm cube)

1 cup diced cabbage (1cm dice)

450g Portabellini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

5 medium Portobello mushrooms, stemmed, halved and sliced

black pepper

2tsp barley or brown rice miso (optional)

naturally fermented tamari or soy sauce

chopped parsley to garnish

 

Method

1 Drain barley, rinse and place in a medium sized pot with bay leaves and kombu. Add 6 cups of filtered water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pot, lower heat and simmer for 2 hours or until grains are soft and open. Remove kombu and set aside.

2 Warm half the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onions. Sauté for a couple of minutes, add a pinch of salt and the garlic, and continue cooking for a couple more minutes. Stir in the thyme and rosemary. Add the carrots, celery, butternut and cabbage. Cook for a few minutes then add the barley and cooking liquid, plus 2 cups of water. Raise heat and bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

3 Warm the remaining olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. (If you don’t have a large enough skillet, you can cook them in a couple of batches). Sauté, stirring constantly, for a few minutes. Lower heat to medium and cook until softened and starting to brown. Stir mushrooms into the barley and vegetables, adding a cup of water if soup is too thick. Simmer for 15 minutes or longer to allow flavours to marry.

4 Dissolve miso in a small bowl with a little broth from the soup and stir back into pot. Add black pepper and tamari or soy sauce to taste. Remove from heat and serve with chopped parsley.

Nothing like a curry to stave off the here-comes-winter-blues! Mushrooms in Spicy Mustard Curry (Odia Chatu Besara) http://bit.ly/2owFYln is one of our favourites! #curry #India #mustard #spicy #rice

Mushrooms in Spicy Mustard Curry (Odia Chatu Besara)

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

400g button mushrooms

1 potato

2tbsp cooking oil

2 tomatoes

½tsp turmeric powder

salt, to taste

coriander leaves, as required, for garnishing

MUSTARD PASTE

1-½tbsp mustard seeds

1tsp cumin seeds

5tsp coriander seeds

5 dry red chillies

 

Method

1 Clean the mushrooms thoroughly under running water. Cut them into halves and keep aside.

2 Peel the potato and chop it into small pieces and keep it in a bowl of water until it is needed. Setting chopped potatoes aside in water helps retain their colour.

3 Next, prepare the mustard paste. Place all the ingredients into a blender and grind to a fine but thick paste. Add a little water to thin it out – the paste should be thick, not runny.

4 For the curry, add about 2tbsp oil into a kadai or a heavy bottomed pan on a medium heat.

5 Add the potatoes, sprinkle some salt and sauté until they are almost cooked and a light brown colour. Once the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Keep aside.

6 In the same kadai, add the chopped tomatoes and toss them for a minute. Next, add the chopped mushrooms. Sauté these on high heat for 6-8 minutes, until the mushrooms are half cooked. Add the fried potatoes and turmeric powder and toss together for another couple of minutes.

7 To this, add the prepared mustard paste, mix well and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add salt and enough water to the gravy to get the consistency you desire. Allow the curry to come to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer the Odia Chatu Besara for about 5 minutes.

8 Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.

While I like a nice green bean, I suspect the real reason Food Network’s Alton Brown called this his Best Ever Green Bean Casserole http://bit.ly/2n6Ez4E is because it’s packed with tasty fresh mushrooms, too! Has to be? #beans #casserole #garlic #Panko #AltonBrown

 

 

Best Ever Green Bean Casserole

Serves 4-6

 

Ingredients

TOPPING

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2tbsp Panko breadcrumbs

1tsp kosher salt

non-stick cooking spray

BEANS AND SAUCE

2tbsp plus 1tsp kosher salt, divided

450g fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved

2tbsp unsalted butter

340g mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1,5cm pieces

½tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼tsp freshly ground nutmeg

2tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup half-and-half (make your own by mixing half cream and half full cream milk)

 

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 245°C.

2 Combine the onions, flour, Panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2-3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 200°C.

3 While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring 4 litres of water and 2tbsp of salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

4 Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1tsp salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half.

5 Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6-8 minutes.

6 Remove from the heat and stir in ¼ of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

 

Blisteringly good for scooping up curry or making a salad wrap, but these Quick and Easy Mushroom Flatbreads http://bit.ly/2laWum9 really are good enough to just eat on their own. #flatbread #quickandeasy #homemade #curry

 

Quick and Easy Mushroom Flatbread

Makes 10

 

Ingredients

FLATBREAD

1 cup Greek-style natural yoghurt

2½ cups plain flour

1tsp sea salt flakes, crushed

2-3tsp cold water

300g button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1tbsp olive oil

THYME SALT

1tsp sea salt flakes, crushed

1tsp fresh thyme leaves

 

Method

1 For the flatbread, combine the yoghurt, flour and salt in a bowl, mix until combined, adding water if needed to bring dough together.

2 Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth (it will take about 5 minutes).

3 Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 15 minutes or you can refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

4 Divide the dough into 10 pieces (each about 60g or ¼ cup). Shape into balls and then roll out on baking paper until 15cm in diameter.

5 Top each with sliced mushrooms and use your palm to press into the dough, then roll over the dough to secure.

6 Layer the pieces of flatbread between sheets of baking paper until ready to cook.

7 Preheat a griddle or frying pan on high until hot.

8 Brush both sides of dough with oil and cook, mushroom side-down first, for about 1 minute, or until bubbled up and charred, then turn and cook for a further 45-60 seconds.

9 For the thyme salt, combine salt and thyme. To serve, brush warm bread lightly with oil and sprinkle with thyme salt.