Miso Mushrooms W/ Butter Bean Puree and Chimichurri

By https://www.instagram.com/Sovegan/

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Serves 4

This dish was just absolutely scrumptious!  I saved time and effort and used premade chimichurri.  

Ingredients:

1 large garlic bulb

olive oil

2 Tablespoons white miso paste

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

salt and pepper, to taste

700g (25oz) portobello mushrooms or baby portobello/cremini mushrooms

3 x 400g (14oz) cans of butter beans, drained

1 lemon, juice only

320g (11.3oz) crusty bread, to serve (optional)

For the chimichurri:

1 large bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 red chili, seeds removed and finely chopped

1 small shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan / 425°F and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Make the chimichurri, if using homemade. If using premade chimichurri, skip this step. Add the parsley, chili, shallot, dried oregano, red wine vinegar and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Mix, then stir in 5-6 Tablespoons of olive oil until the dressing runs smoothly off a spoon.

Slice the head off the garlic bulb to expose the cloves, then add the bulb to the tray. Drizzle the bulb with a glug of olive oil, then wrap the bulb in baking paper. Roast for 20 minutes.

Add the miso paste, smoked paprika, ground cumin, 3 Tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Mix, then stir in splashes of water until you have a smooth paste.

Remove any dirt from the mushrooms, then brush them all over with the miso mixture (in the gills and over the caps). Add the mushrooms to the tray with the garlic, gills facing up - and roast for 25 minutes, flipping the mushrooms halfway through. When they’re done, brush any of the juice from the bottom of the tray all over the mushrooms.

Finally, add the butter beans to a blender along with the lemon juice and pinches of salt and pepper. When the garlic and mushrooms are ready. Remove the garlic bulb from the tray and squeeze the cloves into the blender, along with 3-4 Tablespoons of hot water. Blend, then keep adding hot water until the purée reaches a silky smooth consistency.

To serve, spoon the purée onto plates, top with the roasted mushrooms, then spoon over the chimichurri and serve with torn crusty bread.

Sheet Pan Mushroom Fajitas (Vegan)

(The photo above is updated from the original post.  It was made with Good Foods Queso which I purchased from Target.  I also added some Homemade Guacamole.  The recipe is linked below.)

(The photo above is with the queso from this recipe, which is quite good.)

Recipe from Pinch of Yum

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen
Makes 4-6 servings

This easy tasty meatless dinner earned me a big thumbs up from the hubster.  These fajitas are so easy to make that they can be prepared on a weeknight.  The queso can be prepped in advance and kept in the fridge for a couple of days.  Then before servings, warm the queso in the microwave or on the stovetop. You can add a tablespoon of water to thin it out a bit, if desired.

Sheet Pan Mushrooms

3-4 large red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, sliced

1 medium red onion, sliced

4 large portobello mushrooms*, sliced into strips

Drizzle of olive oil or avocado oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat the oven to 450F. Place a piece of parchment paper on each of two baking sheets. Place the bell pepper strips, onion slices and mushroom strips on the baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil or avocado oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Measure out the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder into a small bowl and mix well.  Sprinkle the spice mixture over the vegetables and then toss to coat.  Roast for 20 minutes.  

Vegan Queso

1 cup unsalted raw cashews, soaked in water* and then drained

1/2 cup water

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles

1 chipotle pepper (more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Place all the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth.  

Extras

Whole Grain or Whole Wheat Tortillas

Shredded Jicama

Pico de Gallo or Tomatoes

Avocado or Homemade Guacamole 

Arugula or Other Greens

Serving Suggestion:  For each fajita, place a whole wheat tortilla on a plate.  Spoon a bit of the queso over the tortilla.  Add some greens.  Top the greens with the jicama, pico de gallo, the roasted veggies and avocado.  Drizzle with more queso.  Serve.

Note:  

When I prep portobello mushrooms, I remove the stems.  I also take a spoon and scrape out the dark brown gills.  To me, the stems are a bit tough.  I will use the discarded stems to make vegetable stock.  I think the gills often times will "muddy" whatever they are are cooked with, so I remove them.  I don't use them in making vegetable stock.

You can soak the cashews one of these two ways:  

1. The quick way is to bring water to a boil and cover the cashews with the boiling water.  Leave to soak for 30-60 minutes.  Drain and rinse.  

2. Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with water.  Soak overnight.  Rinse and drain. 

If you don’t wish to make the queso, you might be able to find pre-made queso.  This one is a good one: https://goodfoods.com/product/queso-style-dip/ Target often carries it where I live.  

Heirloom Bean and Mushroom Stew (Vegan

Serves 6

Recipe from Food52

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

We thought this was just scrumptious.  It’s such a simple dish and easy to make, but it’s definitely company-worthy.

1 pound Christmas lima beans or other large limas

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

6 ounces Portobello mushrooms, chopped

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, thickly sliced

3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 heaping teaspoon dried thyme

1 (28 oz.) can plum tomatoes in puree

½ cup red wine

½ cup reserved bean cooking liquid

½ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place the beans in a large pot and over with water by about two inches.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the beans are tender. (Christmas lima beans can take up to two hours.) Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid.  Clean and dry the pot. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in the same large pot.  Add the onions and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and thyme, raise the heat to medium-high and cook for 5 minutes longer, stirring constantly.  Add the tomatoes including the puree, crushing the tomatoes with your hands and discarding any hard stem ends.  Add the wine, bean cooking liquid, parsley, salt and pepper.  Gently stir in the beans.  Simmer, partially covered for about 20 minutes.  Serve over soft polenta*, crusty bread, brown rice, noodles or pasta.  By my calculations, 1 of 6 servings is about 499 calories.

Soft Polenta (Makes 4 servings)

Recipe from Everyday Food

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

(Polenta has cheese and butter and so it is not vegan. If you wish to serve the stew vegan, serve it with brown rice or whole-wheat pasta or a crusty bread.)

4 cups water

1½ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

¾ cup yellow cornmeal or polenta (not quick-cooking)

¼ cup freshly, finely grated cheese (Parmesan, Asiago or sharp Cheddar)

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

In a large saucepan combine the water, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Whisking constantly, very gradually add the cornmeal in a thin stream, whisking until smooth before adding more.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, simmer, whisking often, until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat; stir in the cheese and butter until smooth.  Serve immediately.  By my calculations, each serving is 135 calories.)

Sautéed Portobello Mushrooms with Leeks and Greens Salad

Serves 4-6

Recipe by Scot Evans

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

If you are having a light main dish, such as fish, and need a substantial salad or if you want a vegetarian main salad for Meatless Monday, this will be a good choice.  We love the meaty texture of Portobello mushrooms.  The dressing can be made in advance.  The salad is quite pretty and would be perfect for a small dinner party.

For the Dressing:

2½ Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar

¾ teaspoon sugar

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the Salad:

2 large Portobello mushrooms caps, wiped clean with a damp cloth and cut into ¼ inch think slices

2 leeks (white and pale green part only), chopped, rinsed well and patted dry

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

½ cup vegetable broth or chicken broth

6 cups loosely packed mixed baby greens

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Place all dressing ingredients in a jar.  Place a lid on the jar and shake until the ingredients are blended well.  (Can be made in advance.)

Arrange the mushroom slices on a rimmed baking sheet.   Drizzle them with half the dressing.  Roast the mushroom slices in the oven for 10 minutes.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the leeks for about 6 minutes or until lightly browned.  Add the broth and boil until almost all of the liquid is evaporated. Add the remaining dressing.

Mound the greens on a platter.  Fan out the mushroom slices over the greens and then top with the leek mixture.  Serve immediately.  (Full disclosure:  The picture shows the mushrooms on top and that’s because I made a mistake and put the leek mixture over the greens first and then put the mushrooms on, but it still turned out great.)

Nutritional Info:  (per serving)  123 calories; 61% calories from fat; 9 grams of fat; 74 mg of sodium

Gluten-Free Vegetarian Lasagna

Recipe from The Gluten Free Goddess

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Making this lasagna was quite a project but turned out to be a work of art.  We had dear friends over for dinner and one of them is allergic to gluten.  Lost River Market & Deli has a whole section of special gluten-free products.  The brown rice lasagna noodles cooked up quick.  Use them to make this delicious lasagna or use them in your favorite lasagna recipe.

1 box brown rice lasagna noodles

For the veggie filling:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic, chopped

5-6 Portobello mushrooms, trimmed, sliced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 lb. chopped spinach - fresh, or frozen, thawed (squeeze any liquid out)

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes, or to taste

2 rounded tablespoons golden raisins

1/2-cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, chopped

1 cup jarred red and yellow roasted peppers, drained, chopped

For the cheese filling:

Combine and set aside:

1 1lb. container part skim ricotta or small curd cottage cheese

1 cup shredded Parmesan

Dash of nutmeg

For the sauce:

Combine in a large food processor and pulse until smooth:

1 28-oz. can Italian tomatoes with juice

1 cup roasted red peppers, drained

4 cloves garlic

1/4 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained

1 Tablespoon brown sugar or molasses

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon rubbed sage

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

Sea Salt and ground pepper, to taste

For the topping:

4 oz. fresh mozzarella

Chopped fresh Italian parsley

Bring a large pot of fresh salted water to a rolling boil and place the noodles in the pot, gently bending them into the simmering water as they soften. Cook for only a few minutes until softened but not done. You want them slightly tender and al dente. They will continue to cook when you bake the lasagna. Drain well and separate.

Meanwhile make your vegetable filling. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet and add the mushrooms and garlic and stir-fry gently for five to seven minutes. Reserve eight of the prettiest slices of the lightly cooked mushrooms and set aside for the topping.

Add in the balsamic vinegar and toss lightly; add the spinach and stir to cook for a minute or two. Season with nutmeg, sea salt and pepper and red chili flakes. Add the raisins, sun-dried tomatoes and roasted peppers and stir to combine. Simmer gently until the excess liquid reduces and evaporates. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To assemble:

Pour 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a large lasagna dish and spread evenly. Lay three noodles flat in the bottom of the pan.

Spoon the veggie mixture evenly over the noodles and press flat. Top with three more noodles.

Spoon the cheese mixture onto the noodles and spread evenly. Add more shredded cheese if you need it. Top with three or four noodles. Press gently to flatten. Cover with the sauce and allow it seep in and around the edges.

Slice 4 to 6 oz. of marinated mozzarella and arrange the slices on the top. Top with the remaining Portobello slices.

Garnish with fresh chopped Italian parsley. Cover loosely with foil.

Bake in the center of a pre-heated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the noodles are fork tender and the filing is piping hot in the center. Allow the lasagna to rest for five minutes before slicing and serving.