Eat it now: Mushrooms for Healthy Eating

This mixed mushroom soup from 101 Cookbooks is sure to warm a winter night - and is a healthy choice.

Mushrooms hold a special place in my diet and in my food curiosity.  I’m sure, on occasion, you too have pondered how certain plants came into the diet of mankind.  Mushrooms pose a particular curiosity for me, as so many are toxic.  I imagine it must have taken just a few particularly delicious edible varieties to spur our predecessors into prizing the food and, ultimately, commercially farming the fungus for consumption.  The acclaimed royalty-only food of the ancient Egyptians is an excellent, low-cal, low-fat substitute for meat in many styles of dishes.

And, I don’t know about you, but it’s that time of year for me.  While I try to set new goals year-round, something is always special about the start of a calendar year.  I guess I think of it as a time for renewal – which, for me, seems to always be a great opportunity to reevaluate what I’ve been putting on my plate.  A few healthy mushroom-centric meals make sense right now, especially as the vitamin-D-packed fungus is available from at least two local growers virtually year-round in southeast Texas.

Silken Turnip and Potato Soup with Grilled Asparagus and Roasted Mushroom Salad

mushroom and grilled asparagus salad

A few weeks ago, I noticed on my geek holidays calendar Tolkien Reading Day is tomorrow.  Only after learning about the origins of Tolkien Reading Day did I realize how truly geeky my geek holidays calendar really is.  None the less, I figured if there is any way to celebrate this sham of a holiday it would be by serving a meal a hobbit would adore.

Of course, with hobbits, the question is which meal.  (If this isn’t your first Tolkien Reading Day celebration you undoubtedly already know that hobbits eat at least seven meals a day: breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and (later in the evening) supper.  You might also know that if you’ve recently looked up hobbits on Wikipedia.)

Wild Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie

St. Patrick’s day is Wednesday and I, for one, am looking forward to skipping the green beer.  However, I am excited about this fantastic shepherd’s pie featuring a robust selection of wild mushrooms.

You may have had shepherd’s pie before.  Or maybe cottage pie. (Traditionally cottage pie is made with beef and shepherd’s with lamb.)  There are several established variations, but they all hold at their core braised meat and creamy potatoes.

Cheese and Cashew Stuffed Portobellos

Kirk purchased some lamb chops on sale this weekend and I used the opportunity to serve up what has become my favorite mushroom entrée.  It’s a recipe that is a little labor intensive, so I was happy to pull some previously parboiled haricots verts from the fridge along with an already assembled green salad.  (Just add dressing to the salad and toss the beans with butter, salt & pepper in a hot skillet.)

The mushrooms are hearty and punctuated with the rich flavors from cashews and a mix of gouda and cheddar.  I used aged varieties of both cheeses with gorgeous flavors and compelling crystalline textures.  I really do urge you to carefully consider your choice in cheeses when cooking.  The abounding flavors of different varieties, the diverse textures, they make a significant difference in the overall quality of a dish.