Rawsome! Mushroom Loaf

My 6-day fast has come to an end. I have plenty of energy and have dropped 7 pounds. I feel great and I want to stay feeling that way. So, I'm following up by transitioning to more of a raw foods diet.

Raw food. Not only does this raw mushroom and nut loaf make for a great family dinner entree, but it is a big success with guests during the holidays. I served it at our raw foods potluck and party last December; everyone was amazed how good it was. I'm serving it on Valentine's Day, too.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups almonds, soaked overnight, then rinsed
1-1/2 cups pecans, soaked overnight, rinsed, then dehydrated until crunchy - about 12 hours
1 cup chopped fresh shiitake mushrooms (if dried, soak for 2 hours first)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon of herb mixture: 1 tablespoon each of dried: sage, thyme, rosemary and parsley
1/2-3/4 cup water
4 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 tablespoons flaxseeds, soaked in 6 tablespoons water for 15 minutes

Directions:

1. Puree all of the ingredients in a food processor until well ground, except the celery, onion, bell pepper and soaked flaxseeds.
2. In a large bowl, combine the celery, onion and hydrated flaxseeds with the rest of the ground ingredients and mix well.
3. Shape the mixture into a shallow loaf on a solid dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for 12 hours.

Serves 8

Recipe adapted from Rawsome! - Maximizing Health, Energy, and Culinary Delight with the Raw Foods Diet by Brigitte Mars. Page 202.

Rawsome! Vegetable Kabobs

So, I'm experimenting with our new dehydrator and recipes from Rawsome! - Maximzing Health, Energy, and Culinary Delight with the Raw Foods Diet by Brigitte Mars.

Twenty Vegetable Kebobs and twelve hours later, we successfully marinated and dehydrated our entree for lunch for three this afternoon, this evening's meal for two with leftovers for another lunch for one. The cookbook author claims that her kebobs are " So delicious - the mushrooms will satisfy even a meat-eater's cravings" (page 210). I have to agree. The marinated, dehydrated kebobs, especially the mushrooms, are "meaty," tasty and filling.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, peeled and cubed
2 small zucchini, cubed (I sliced into rounds)
1 box of 36 cherry tomatoes (I cut up red bell peppers)
24 shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Nama Shoyu (I used gluten-free tamarind)
3 dates, soaked for 20 minutes
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh rosemary

Directions:

1. Place the vegetables in a shallow glass pan.
2. Combine the oil, tamari and dates in a blender until mixed.
3. Stir the rosemary into the mixture.
4. Pour the sauce over the medley of vegetables and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
5. Thread the vegetables on skewers and set them on solid dehydrator sheets.
6. Pour the leftover marinade over the skewered vegetables and dehydrate for 12 hours at 125-degrees (according to dehydrator directions).

Yields: 20 Kebobs

Serve with rice.

Despite the fact that we didn't have solid dehydrator sheets on hand, therefore unable to pour the extra marinade over the skewered vegetables, the kebobs were chewy and flavorful. I think they would have turned out even better if we had been able to use the extra marinade. Next time. To serve the kebobs right away, I would suggest only dehydrating for 8-10 hours, so they are more plump.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, but using a tab of butter and the last of the chanterelle mushrooms from our most recent local foraging excursion in nearby woods, I added oyster mushrooms from the market to the saute pan and folded them into the risotto just before serving.

Near the end of cooking the risotto as I was stirring in the vegetable stock by the ladle full, it dawned on me that I can actually video tape some of my cooking adventures... only after two months into blogging did I think of this. The "duh!" factor in my life can be stunning at times.

Here is a rather primitive first-attempt at recording myself as I 'm cookin' in the kitchen, quickly discovering how challenging it is to stir food and talk at the same time, followed by a list of the ingredients and the directions for making wild mushroom risotto:

Ingredients:

2 cups of wild mushrooms, sliced or coarsely chopped or 2 packages of dried mushrooms, hydrated
1 quart vegetable or chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped4 celery stalks finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
1-3/4 cups Arborio rice (risotto)
1-1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. If the mushrooms are dry, put them in a glass or ceramic bowl and cover with 2 cups of hot water.
2. While the mushroom hydrate, pour the stock into a medium saucepan and warm on low heat.
3. When cleaning fresh mushrooms, wipe away any particles with a soft cloth or a soft bristle brush used for basting or painting.
   
4. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the garlic, onion and celery until soft.
5. Turn up the heat and add the rice to toast for about 1-2 minutes.
   
6. Add the wine and stir the rice until the wine is nearly evaporated.
7. Add the stock by the ladle full (about 1/3 cup)
   
8. Continually stir the risotto; do not leave it alone to cook.
9. As you stir and the liquid and it evaporates, continue to add the stock until all is absorbed.
   
10. After 15-20 minutes, taste the risotto to see if it is completely cooked.
11. If the risotto needs more liquid and time, add more stock or water (use the water dry mushrooms soaked in).
12. When the risotto is fully cooked, it is slightly al dente. 
13. After you remove the risotto from the heat, you can stir in the raw or lightly sauteed mushrooms and butter.
14. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
15. Spoon into bowls or as a side dish on a dinner plate, garnished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4-6

You can make an infinite variety of main entrees and side dishes with risotto, based on what ingredients are seasonally available and your choice of herbs and spices. For tips, listen to Taking The Risk Out Of Risotto by Susan Russo on NPR.

I received my Slow Food Eugene e-newsletter today. Tom Barkin writes, "We came across a delightful Thanksgiving piece, Back to the Land - The Pursuit Of Happiness Blog by Maira Kalman in the New York Times. Although we are already looking forward to the winter holiday season, it is worth taking a moment to read." Delightful read; great photos, too.

Fall Harvest Cream of Chanterelle Soup

This is not your conventional cream of mushroom soup. Made with chanterelles picked in the wild, sautéed with lemon and thyme, slow-cooked in vegetable broth and cream, this soup is rich and unique in flavor and texture.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of chanterelle mushrooms or a mix of wild mushrooms
• 3 medium-sized shallots – finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 5-6 thyme sprigs or a tablespoon of dried
• 2 bay leaves
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2-3 cups vegetable broth (depends on how thick you want your soup)
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups cream (light or heavy or both)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper (black or cayenne)
• Parsley, chopped for garnish (optional)

Preparing the Chanterelles:

If your chanterelles are not clean. Sweep away any debris and dirt with a soft-bristled basting brush; use a small paring knife to cut away any unwanted portion; if necessary very lightly rinse and gently pat dry. Finely chop the chanterelles either with a knife or dice with a food processor (avoid over-processing).

Directions:

In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat; adding in the shallots, cook for 4-5 minutes or until translucent.  Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaves and chanterelle mushrooms and continue to cook over medium-low heat.  Salt the ingredients to help release the moisture.  Continue to cook them until all of this moisture has cooked off; perhaps another 10-15 minutes.  When the moisture is gone, add in the vegetable stock, cream, lemon zest, pepper and a pinch more salt.  Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook for another 15-20 minutes.  Add in the remaining lemon juice and stir.  Taste the soup and adjust the salt levels as needed for your tastes.  If the soup is too thin, continue to cook and if it is too thick, add a little more vegetable stock. Top with chopped parsley. I garnished our servings with shelled hemp seeds by Nutiva.

Serves 4

Quiching in the Dark

Everything went black. It had been a cold and blustery evening. Maybe the wind caused a tree to fall across our power line; no one knows for sure. While the quiches were waiting for the wall-oven to come up to temperature, the whole house went pitch black. So black that we had to grope our way around the room to find the drawer with the lighter and the door to the laundry pantry where our candles and lanterns were shelved.

My husband reminded me that our commercial oven runs on propane, so all was not lost. By the glow of lanterns and with me holding the flashlight, he got down on his hands and knees and lit  the pilot light, then set the oven to pre-heat to 425-degrees. With a glass of pinot noir in hand, we sat by the glow and warmth of the fire to wait. Quiching in the dark and eating fashionably late turned out to be quite lovely under the circumstances. The quiches turned out perfect! Photo made possible  with fluorscent lamplight (blue cast), flashlight and white paper to bounce more light on the subject....

Bavaria Mills in Vancouver Washington makes specialty baked goods, including 9-inch gluten-free pie crusts. The pastry is made with white rice flour, palm oil, brown rice vinegar, eggs, chickpea flour, potato starch, water, rice vinegar, Xylitol, salt and xanthan gum. Quite good!

We picked the chanterelles ourselves in the woods near our home, but that story will be one of my next blog posts. Here is my recipe for "Quiching in the Dark" Chanterelle and Feta Quiche:

Ingredients:

1-1/3 cup chanterelle mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup scallions (not green onions), finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup feta cheese
6 eggs
1/2 cup cream or Half & Half
1 pie crust
olive oil or butter for sauteing 
sea salt, a pinch

Directons:

1. Lightly saute the onion, garlic and chanterelles for a couple of minutes in a little olive oil or butter. Let cool.
   
2. Whisk the eggs and cream together.
3. Fill the pie crust first with 1/2 of the feta cheese, followed by the mushroom saute and the remaining feta.
4. Pour the egg and cream mixture over all and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt, some fine Parmesan cheese and paprika over the top.
5. Bake in a pre-heated 425-degree oven for 20-30 minutes; until set like a custard. If the center remains a little too liquid, turn off the oven and let the quiche set; check in 5-minute intervals.

I recommend not adding herbs or spices, as the delicate flavor of the chanterelles along with the tang of the feta are wonderful to experience without overpowering the taste with aromatic ingredients.  

Serves 2-4

Cure for Nature Deficit Disorder

Nature Deficit Disorder is a term coined by Richard Louv in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods, refers to the alleged trend that children are spending less time outdoors, resulting in a wide range of behavioral problems. Louv claims that causes for the phenomenon include parental fears, restricted access to natural areas, and the lure of the screen.

It appears that these capped crusaders are thoroughly enjoying the freedom they've been granted to explore the natural surroundings in the Mount Pisgah Arboretum, with family and friends nearby learning about hunting and cooking wild mushrooms and sampling the fare at the Mushroom Festival village.

I came upon these two lads playing together under the woodland canopy, leaping and flying about in what appears to be a dry streambed layered in fallen leaves, which softened their repeated and otherwise hard rocky landings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teaching children about the natural world should be treated as one of the most important events of their lives. - Thomas Berry

Cooking with Shrooms

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

My friend Jacqueline recently shared this Allrecipes.com recipe with me, which turns out to be the same Hungarian Mushroom Soup recipe I have from Rain Forest Mushroom Company, except theirs calls for a mix of wild mushrooms.  I've needed to get over my discomfort with the notion that cooking with mushrooms picked in the wild is "a dangerous fare". This past weekend was the perfect opportunity to take the wild mushroom challenge. I'm hooked.

Homemade Mushroom Soup 101 Wonderful!

While I took a break from cooking Friday evening, my husband spent 40 minutes in the kitchen making us this absolutely delicious creamy mushroom soup; vegetarian and gluten-free. He served it up in deep bowls with slices of fresh-baked bread for himself and gluten-free bread for me to sop up the rich and flavorful broth. Here's Cliff's version of the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
  
• 2 cups chopped onions
  
  
• 1 pound fresh white cap mushrooms, sliced (or mix: shiitake, maitake, oyster...)
  
  
• 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
  
  
• 1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
  
  
• 1 tablespoon wheat-free soy sauce (or regular)
  
  
• 2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken stock)
  
  
• 1 cup milk
  
  
• 3 tablespoons almond flour (or all-purpose flour)
  
  
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
  
  
• cayenne pepper, to taste (or ground black pepper)
  
  
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  
  
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  

Directions:

1. Melt the unsalted butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 5 minutes. Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
   
   
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk and flour together. Pour the mixture into the soup and stir until it's well-blended. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
   
3. Finally, stir in the sea salt, pepper, lemon juice, parsley and sour cream. Mix together and allow the soup to heat through over low heat for 3-5 minutes. Do not boil. Serve while hot. 
4. Option: garnish with a dollop of sour cream and paprika. Serves 6 or 2-4 very hungry people.

Then on Sunday afternoon, we attended the Mushroom Festival and Plant Sale sponsored by the Cascade Mycological Society and Lane Community College at the Mount Pisgah Arboretum in Eugene.

Human Shroom ticket-takers at the footbridge. 

First things first, cast our vote in the Scarecrow Contest.

Kimby and Jade Maxson pose with their Spider entry,

which won "Best Overall" in the Scarecrow Contest.

Field to Table sauteed mushrooms (sans the penne pasta) and LCC Culinary School mushroom stroganoff in phyllo bowl.

We bought several bags of wild mushrooms, including

chantrelles, shiitake, maitake and oyster; 3 for $10.

We also came away with some excellent mushroom recipes.

More Mushroom Recipes on the Cascade Mycological Society website.

Last night, I used two bags of the mixed wild mushrooms I bought at the mushroom festival for a saute that will serve 2-4. This recipe really brings out the flavor of the mushrooms. Delish!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound of shiitake, oyster and maitake mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter (1/4 stick)
• Sea salt and cayenne (or black pepper) to taste
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Light sprinkling of garlic salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Clean mushrooms by gently brushing away any residue with a damp paper towel.
2. Cut of any tough stems and discard. If mushrooms are large, cut into bite-size pieces, following the shape of the mushroom.
3. Heat oil and butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, salt, pepper and saute for about 3 minutes. 
4. When liquid is released, raise heat to high and saute, tossing often for another 2 minutes.
5. When liquid is nearly evaporated, add shallots and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes or until mushrooms are lightly browned and tender. Add parsley and tarragon or chives. 
6. Taste. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve hot.
   

 

 Cooking from Raman Prasad's Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet on page133, I made Nafisa's Spicy Fried Fish with halibut and served it with red Himalayan rice and the sauteed mushrooms. Magnifique!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 pound firm fish fillets, such as sole, halibut or bass
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Lime wedges, for garnish

Directions:

1. Combine lime juice, chili powder, turmeric and salt in bowl large enough to hold fish fillets.
2. Coat the fish on all sides and marinate for 30 minutes.
3. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Place fish in skillet and cook until the bottom is done; about 4-5 minutes.
5. Turn the fish over and cook for another 3 minutes or so, until the fillets reach a crisp consistency and the fish is firm.
6. Garnish with wedge of lime. Serves 3-4.

Get yourself some wild mushrooms, invite some friends over and have your own Mushroom Fest!