Just Add Mushrooms – Delicious Recipes Inside

Just Add Mushrooms

For those of you following me on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and Instagram you will know that this first time mom (Irish Mammy) has made a start on banishing the baby bulge. However as both Patrick and I are food lovers with moi being somewhat of a foodie there is no way we’ll be satisfying our hunger with anything less than tasty meals and snacks.

We cook our meals from scratch in our household with our meal choices normally being quite healthy options however it’s ingredients like oils, butters and cheeses that I have had to tame my wildness on. It will all be for the better when I’m comfortably slipping into something less comfortable but in a size smaller …

… But enough of my ramblings and on to the reason you are reading this blog post … which is the promise of delicious mushroom recipes right! … Well the following ones below are going to tickle your taste buds and if you’re smart with your portion sizes and ingredients they won’t be tickling your waistline!

‘Just Add Mushrooms‘ is both a website and campaign and it’s run by the Mushroom Bureau (yes I too thought of a mushroom James Bond – I should copyright that).

The Bureau is funded voluntarily by its members who are predominantly mushroom growers and trade alliances to the industry in the UK, Ireland and continental Europe. (justaddmushrooms.com)

Some time ago I was sent a handful of tasty recipes from Just Add Mushrooms and now I’d like to share with you two of my favourites. I’ve included the calories per serving as well as the nutritional value. If like me you are watching your waistline you can easily replace oil with low-calorie cooking spray and full fat cheese with its lower in calorie option. All the recipes are meat free and suitable for vegetarians which makes them ideal for all the family and can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet.

Mushrooms are inexpensive, easy to prepare and add great texture and flavour. You can pulse them in a food processor to give them a nice texture, thinly slice portabellos for a steak strip alternative, or use regular sliced mushrooms simply to bulk up a recipe where you would usually add meat. Nutritionally, mushrooms make a wonderful meat replacement as they are a natural source of protein, vitamin B12 and iron. (justaddmushrooms.com)

Goat’s Cheese and Roasted Veg Portobello Mushrooms

Fancy a fantastic vegetarian meal? Then try these mega-tasty mushrooms! They make a great starter or side dish to a main course too.

Serves 4 / Prep time: 15 minutes / Cook time: 45 minutes

Per serving: 286kcal/1197kJ

14g protein | 15g carbohydrate of which 10g sugars | 19g fat of which 10g saturates | 4g dietary fibre | 313mg sodium equivalent to 0.7g salt

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

400g prepared butternut squash, cut into 2cm cubes

1 red onion, sliced

1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks

1 tsp black onion seeds

8 large (or 4 very large) Portobello mushrooms

2 x 100g packs goat’s cheese, each sliced into 4

Freshly ground black pepper

Thyme sprigs, to garnish

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan oven 180°C, Gas mark 6.

2. Pour the oil into a roasting tin and add the butternut squash, tossing to coat. Roast for 10 minutes, then add the onion, pepper and black onion seeds. Roast for a further 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

3. Arrange the mushrooms, gills facing up, in a roasting tin (you can use the same one – just tip the cooked vegetables into a bowl). Pile the vegetables into the mushrooms and season with black pepper. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

4. Place the goat’s cheese slices on top of the mushrooms and return to the oven for 3-5 minutes, so that the cheese starts to melt. Serve, sprinkled with extra black pepper and garnished with thyme sprigs.

Cook’s tips: If the mushroom stalks are quite large, trim them off and add them to the roasting tin with the onion and red pepper. For a spicier flavour, use cumin seeds instead of black onion seeds (if you don’t have either, simply leave them out).

15-minute Mushroom, Garlic and Parsley Soup

This super-creamy mushroom soup tastes ridiculously good – despite how little effort you need to make it!

Serves 4 / Prep time: 5 minutes / Cook time: 15 minutes

per serving: 116kcal/485kJ

11g protein | 8g carbohydrate of which 6g sugars | 5g fat of which 3g saturates | 2g dietary fibre | 674mg sodium equivalent to 1.6g salt

Ingredients:

4 tsp vegetable stock powder (or 1½ vegetable stock cubes)

400g chestnut or closed-cup mushrooms, roughly chopped

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 large garlic clove, crushed

Small handful of parsley

200g low-fat soft cheese

4 tbsp milk

freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Measure 900ml of just-boiled water into a large saucepan. Add the stock powder or stock cubes and stir until dissolved, then add the mushrooms, onion and garlic. Add most of the parsley, reserving a few sprigs for garnish – there’s no need to chop it.

2. Bring up to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes.

3. Transfer the soup to a blender and add half the soft cheese. Blend for 15-20 seconds until smooth. Alternatively, use a hand-held stick blender to puree the soup. Reheat the soup for 1-2 minutes.

4. Blend the remaining soft cheese with the milk. Season the soup with pepper (it’s unlikely that you’ll need salt), then serve, garnished with swirls of the soft cheese mixture, parsley sprigs and a little extra black pepper.

Cook’s tips: Buy a bumper pack of mushrooms and make twice the quantity, packing and freezing half the soup to use another day – it will freeze for up to 3 months.

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For more information on Just Add Mushrooms and loads more recipes visit www.justaddmushrooms.com

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