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4/1/2021 0 Comments

Stef’s Go-To Thai Dish

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Ready in 45 minutes
​Serves
6 people

Ingredients
  • 1 lb mixed mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 lb chicken, pork, steak or shrimp (optional), sliced into strips
  • 1 onion
  • 2-3 carrots
  • Bok choy or other green (napa cabbage, tatsoi, chard, spinach)
  • 1T minced garlic
  • 1T minced ginger
  • 1 pint Teriyaki soup or other broth
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • Oil-olive, coconut or peanut are good options
  • Kaffir lime leaves, or other citrus or lemongrass
  • Rice noodles (1 bag) or rice (2 cups cooked)
  • Cilantro and scallions for garnish
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Other options: 
    • Snow peas
    • Soy sauce, Sriracha, lime juice
    • Hot peppers, chopped
    • Turmeric, thai basil, curry
Preparation​
  1. Prepare rice as directed, if using rice.
  2. Slice meat if using, and brown in pan with some oil, salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.
  3. Sautee mushrooms in pan over high heat with a little broth, until they release liquid, then add oil. (I went heavy, like 1/4 cup) Cook until slightly browned.
  4. Add carrots and onions, sautee until slightly tender. 
  5. Add garlic, ginger and hot peppers, stirring until fragrant.
  6. Lower heat. Add broth and lime leaves, deglaze the pan.
  7. Add any additional herbs and browned meat and bring to a simmer.
  8. While this is simmering, prepare rice noodles if using them.
  9. Toss in greens, cover and let sit on low heat until greens wilt.
  10. Add coconut milk, and other optional ingredients such as soy sauce, sriracha, etc.
  11. Remove citrus leaves or lemongrass.
  12. Toss noodles or rice in and incorporate into sauce. You can also just serve it over the rice or noodles.
  13. Garnish with chopped cilantro and scallions.
TipsBruise the citrus leaves with the back of the knife.
I’ve also done this without the rice, because I forgot. It made for a nice stew.

0 Comments

3/21/2021 0 Comments

Mushroom Tacos

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Ready in 20 minutes with a little prep ahead of time!
Ingredients
  • Mushrooms, shredded (¼ lb makes about 3 tacos)
  • Holly Jolly Jams Garlic Pepper Jelly
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 T sugar
  • 1 ½ t salt
  • Cilantro
  • ​Taco Shells
Preparation
  1. Pickled onions. Whisk vinegar, sugar, salt and 1 cup water together.
  2. Place sliced onion in a bowl or jar.
  3. Pour liquid ingredients over onion and let sit at room temperature for an hour, or make ahead of time and refrigerate.
  4. Mushrooms. Shred mushrooms into thin strips
  5. Sautee mushrooms in pan with a little water until mushrooms release their water, then add oil and continue cooking until mushrooms get a little crispy and browned on edges.
  6. Take off heat and add 1-2 t  of jam per ¼ pound mushrooms
  7. Add salt to taste.
  8. Prepare taco shells as desired. We use a cast iron skillet on high heat to lightly brown them on both sides.
  9. Layer mushrooms and onions on shells and garnish with cilantro or any other toppings.​​
Tips
Make the pickled onions ahead of time. Thinly sliced carrots, pineapple or mango could also be added.
Feel free to add some other herbs to the onions.
Other garnish ideas:
Cilantro avocado mayo or sour cream
Avocado
Cotija cheese
Fresh squeezed lime

​
0 Comments

3/13/2021 0 Comments

Shepherd's Pie

This is a great recipe to celebrate St. Patrick's Day , but don't limit yourself to eating this once a year!
​
Ingredients
  • 2.5-3 pounds russet potatoes
  • 12-16oz. Mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 lb ground meat of choice (optional)
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 5 T Butter Me Up Garlic Basil butter
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • ½ cup red wine
  • 2 cups broth/soup base
  • 1 t thyme
  • 1t rosemary
  • 1t basil
  • 2T Worcestershire (optional)
  • 2T balsamic vinegar
  • ½ cup peas (or more)​
  • Milk
  • Salt and pepper
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Ready in 45 minutes
Serves 8 people
Preparation
  1. Boil potatoes in water, until tender, as you would for typical mashed potatoes. We left the skin on. You can peel them if you prefer.
  2. Chop mushrooms by hand or in food processor for smaller, “ground meat” style pieces. Sautee with 2T broth for 3 minutes, then add 1T of the butter.
  3. Add meat, if doing so and begin browning.
  4. When meat is done, or almost done if you’re impatient like me, add chopped onions and carrots. Sautee until slightly tender.
  5. Sprinkle in herbs and peas, stir.
  6. Add broth and wine, bring to a simmer for a few minutes.
  7. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire and balsamic vinegar. Let this sit off heat while you prepare potatoes. We left ours pretty wet, like a stew. 
  8. Preheat oven to 400F
  9. Potatoes. Strain the cooked potatoes and mash them up with remaining 3-4 T butter and milk. We used about ½ cup for a drier version. A wetter version will be easier to spread. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Pour mushroom mixture into a 9x13 inch casserole dish/lasagna pan.
  11. Spread mashed potatoes on top.
  12. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes. Or until top of potatoes start to brown and bottom stew is bubbly. Let cool a few minutes before serving.
  13. Garnish with fresh Parsley if desired.
0 Comments

1/16/2020 1 Comment

Do you have to cook mushrooms???

PictureIs this really necessary?
It's a question I get often at the store and markets. Some raw mushrooms might be ok for you, but some might not be ok for your neighbor, some raw mushrooms might make you sick, some might really hurt you or worse. 
Most people have lived their entire life eating those white button mushrooms raw on a salad or with dip. Most people have had no problem from doing so. I'm included. I've also eaten some other mushrooms raw, just to taste it and see what it was like. Never a problem there either. I love some aspects of a raw food diet. Some. It just doesn't work for everything all the time. Here are some reasons why you might want to think twice about eating raw mushrooms. 
1. Cooking helps to eliminate germs.
Have you ever watched how people behave in the supermarket? All those fingers touching, squeezing, holding the produce to inspect it. Do you think they just washed their hands? Sure, some of the mushrooms are pre-packaged. But someone had to touch them at some point. I know, I sound like a germaphobe. I'm not. Coming in contact with germs is how you build a stronger immune system. Some vegetables, or fungi are not easy to clean. Have you ever tried to scrub every nook and cranny of broccoli or lion's mane mushroom? It's not easy. Ok, I've never bothered. Raw broccoli contains all sorts of vitamins that are beneficial to your immune system helping you to fight germs. Cooking will also help to eliminate these germs, but might also eliminate some of those vitamins. Eating raw lion's mane, or any other mushroom for that matter will not do anything for your immune system because of chitin.

Picturehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitin
2. Cooking breaks down chitin.
What is chitin you ask? Chitin is a fibrous substance consisting of polysaccharides (sugar) and forming the major constituent in the exo-skeleton of arthropods and the cell walls of fungi. It is similar to keratin which is the protein that helps form your hair and nails. Both are polymers whose function is to protect the soft tissues inside of cells. Chitin is beneficial and a great source of fiber, prebiotics and antioxidants. The problem is, humans do not have the ability to break down chitin. So, if we can't break down chitin, how can we get to all the goodies inside the cells that the chitin is trying to protect? Well, in the case of mushrooms, it can be broken down by adding heat, or cooking them.
3. Cooking helps bring out the flavor of mushrooms.
Now that the chitin is broken down, the vitamins, and other stuffs that make up mushrooms are able to be released. Some of those stuffs are flavor compounds. I've found that the texture improves too. The raw mushrooms I've eaten tend to be fibrous, leaving things stuck all over your teeth and throat. Can you overcook mushrooms? And won't the nutrients get cooked off? It's hard to overcook mushrooms, unless of course you burn them. Sometimes they can become tough when cooked too long, but your eyes will probably tell you their done before that point. Vitamin C is the only nutrient that will be cooked off. Just go eat an orange, you'll be ok.
4. Wild mushrooms.
When it comes to wild foraged mushrooms, there are many reasons to cook them. These mushrooms were out in the wild, with all kinds of other wild things. Wild things that have a different idea of cleanliness and life. Bladder control and the idea of not shitting where you eat is not a priority. See above, #1... ​

PictureDefinitely cook this Morel!
Some wild mushrooms contain mildly toxic substances that are destroyed by cooking them. Morels being one of them. You may have heard the story a year ago where some people were poisoned at a high end restaurant in Spain. It's hard to say what the cause was. It could have been an undercooked mushroom. They were eating morels, which contain hydrazine toxins which are broken down with heat. Or it could have been a mistaken identity. Morels can often be confused with False Morels which contain gyromitrin, a liver damaging toxin. One woman died, her family survived with only gastric upset, as did 18 other diners. Individual sensitivities play a large roll.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria
Then there is the Amanita muscaria mushroom. That iconic red mushroom with the white spots on the cap. This is not a mushroom I bother eating. These mushrooms need to be boiled and the water changed in order to break down the chemicals ibotenic acid and muscimol, which are water soluble. That seems a bit risky and a lot of work with room for error. There are so many other delicious mushrooms out there, I'd rather enjoy!
Many mushrooms in the Agaricus family (white buttons, portabellos, cremini,  contain agaritine. Agaritine is a weak carcinogen. By weak, I mean that you have to eat A LOT of mushrooms. It also is broken down very easily through oxidation, cooking or freezing. The verdict is still out on whether or not we should worry about this. Much of the testing has been in labs with very large amounts in a short period of time.
Some mushrooms such as boletes, chanterelles and honeys will likely lead to gastrointestinal irritation if you eat them raw.  I've also found research that shiitakes can cause allergic dermatitis in some people if eaten raw. 
​​
1 Comment

    Author

    We're a couple of mushroom fans. We grow mushrooms. We cook mushrooms. We create mushroom snacks. We forage mushrooms. We sell mushrooms to chefs. We sell mushrooms to the public. We study mushrooms. Amateur mycologists. 
    We also love growing other foods and have chickens for eggs.

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​Long Branch, NJ 07740
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