Vegetarian Mushroom Recipes
Eating local can be tricky in the winter, but mushrooms can be grown inside during this time of year, and I wanted to share some delicious vegetarian mushroom recipes for you to try! This week,
Chris’s website has many fun things, including books on growing and using mushrooms, varieties of gourmet mushrooms to cook with, and medicinal mushrooms. His online shop has everything needed to grow your own mushrooms, including mushroom bag grows kits, cultures, and spawn!
He also has books about mushrooms, tinctures, and a great resource on how to innoculate logs to grow mushrooms. In addition, he has a culture library or what I would like to call a “mushroom collection.” One very interesting thing that I learned was that my mushrooms could be used to improve the environment.
Chris shares many varieties for purchase at local farmers’ markets and you can also contact him
The Asheville Fungi mushroom room is where the mushrooms are grown. There is a wider variety of lesser-known edible mushrooms, some of which are used for a healthy tea or tincture. Classes, foraging walks, and tinctures are even offered. I brought home two varieties of oyster mushrooms, the King Trumpet and pearl oyster, to make two delicious recipes to share with you!
I learned so many interesting things during my visit with them and explored the Asheville Fungi new website! Did you know that each type of mushroom likes to grow on its unique variety of tree logs? I did not know about that! I thought all of them liked growing on oak logs like my neighbor’s shitake logs!
Nutrition Value of Mushrooms in Our Diet
Mushrooms are nutritious and rich in B vitamins, vitamin D, potassium, copper, iron, choline, selenium, and phosphorus. They are also high in fiber and low in calories. Some of their healing properties include boosting the immune system and protecting the body from inflammation. They may also have some other anti-cancer properties. Some of the fiber in mushrooms can also give us the feeling of fullness.
Different Types of Mushrooms Available
There are so many types of mushrooms now available that go way beyond the white button mushrooms available when I started cooking.
I have yet to try all of these culinary mushrooms described in this article from Epicurious called Different Types of Mushrooms but I am trying to work my way through the list. It is great that Chris can help increase the availability of mushrooms in our area!
I cooked with mushrooms from this list, including portobello, Gemini (also known as baby bellas), porcini, black trumpet, shiitake, market, oyster, and king trumpet (you may also have heard it called French horn or boletus of the Steppes).
Last year, when I was hiking, I found my first morel, and it was the first time I had ever had the opportunity to try one.
The mushrooms that I have not tried on this list include hedgehog, enoki, and beech.
Varieties of Medicinal Mushrooms
These are some of the medicinal mushrooms. I do not know much about medicinal mushrooms, but I am sharing just a little bit so you can learn more.
Cordyceps
More research needs to be done on this fungus, but it looks very promising. Check out article on cordyceps.
Reishi
This mushroom on cancer treatment looks very promising, and hopefully, more about it will be studied soon.
Lion’s Mane
I think one of the most fascinating possible healthy benefits of lion’s mane may be improved memory. Check out this article from medical news today
Should We Be Eating Raw Mushrooms?
For many years, raw mushrooms were on salad bars, and I picked them up and ate them. Later, I heard that they contain a toxin called carnitine, found in button mushrooms, which is broken down when cooking. According to this article in Scientific American may also break down some in storage.
I have decided that I am not much of a fan of eating them raw, but you might want to check out this article.
Mushrooms and the Low Fodmap Diet
Many people with IBS steer clear of mushrooms on the low fodmap diet, which is unfortunate because they are so delicious. Those people are also missing out on a lot of good nutrition. Being an IBS sufferer myself, I am cautious around mushrooms because I am sensitive to foods that contain sorbitol. But the type and quantity make a difference when it comes to mushrooms.
The mushrooms with the highest amount of sorbitol are button, enoki, and chanterelle. However, canned button mushrooms are much lower in sorbitol, and that is probably due to some of the content being leached out in the liquid in the can. So drain it before using.
Mushrooms that can be eaten in smaller portions are porcini, shitake, portabello, and baby Bellas.
And mushrooms that are lower in sorbitol are oysters.
Mushroom Main Dish Recipes
The next task that I had was to find nutritious mushroom recipes that truly highlighted the lovely mushrooms! The King Trumpet mushroom is on the left, and the Pearl Oyster is on the right.
I hope that these healthy mushroom main dish recipes containing pearl mushrooms with tempeh lo mein and the roasted king trumpet mushroom over grits will make some perfect choices for you to get a taste of these two mushrooms and help you get a craving for more!
Mushroom and Tempeh Lo Mein
This mushroom pasta will entice picky eaters to eat their mushrooms and tempeh! My grandchildren loved this recipe. I l used the Smiling Hara tempeh which is local here but available now online!
Makes 6-8 servings.
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- 1 pound whole grain spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 4 cups pearl oyster mushroom caps sliced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups carrots, sliced
- 1/2 cup onions, sliced
- 1 bunch of kale, washed, stemmed and chopped
- 2-8 ounce packages of tempeh
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Stem the oyster mushroom, peel and julienne the carrot, slice the onions, and mince the garlic. Cube the tempeh. Mix chili paste, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and honey to make a marinade for the tempeh. Marinate in a glass pie plate for about 15 minutes, turning once.
Drain the marinade off and set aside. In an iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add tempeh. Cook until it is browned on both sides (you may need to add a little more oil). Drain well on a plate lined with a paper towel. Heat water in a pasta pot and cook the pasta according to directions. Rinse and drain.
Heat a wok or a large skillet and add the other tablespoon of oil. Saute the onion and carrot until the onions become translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown and become soft. Add the kale until it becomes soft. Toss in the noodles and the leftover marinade. Heat through.
Roasted King Trumpet Mushroom, Potato, Squash, and Pepper Over Grits
The other healthy mushroom vegetarian recipe is a variation from my Farm Fresh Nutrition book. It uses King Trumpet, pumpkin, and walnuts instead of shitakes, rosemary, butternut squash, and pecans that I chose to use in my book. Both recipes are equally delicious! Makes 6 servings.
- 1 1/2 cups small potatoes, diced into one-inch cubes
- 2 cups pumpkin, seeded, peeled, and chopped into one-inch cubes
- 1 medium, red bell pepper, sliced
- 2 cups King Trumpet oyster mushroom
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 medium onion, sliced very thin
- 2 tablespoons of pecans
- 2 tablespoons local goat cheese
- grits
- salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place pumpkin and potatoes on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 10 minutes, then add onions and roast for 10 more minutes. Next add bell pepper and mushrooms and roast 5 more minutes. Lastly, add garlic, walnuts, and thyme, roasting until vegetables are crisp, onions are caramelized, and garlic is just beginning to brown. Place roasted vegetables over grits and top with walnuts and goat cheese.
To cook grits:
Heat 2 1/2 cups water to boiling. Add 1/2 cup, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1-2 tablespoon butter. Stir well, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes until done.
My family loved these vegetarian mushroom recipes. I am excited to share them with you and hope you give these mushroom varieties of oysters a try! Check out Asheville Fungi and grow your own mushrooms this winter! You can find more tasty recipes in the recipe section of the Vine Ripe Nutrition website and other blog posts! Farm Fresh Nutrition Farm Fresh Nutrition is my book on local food and health along with seasonal recipes.
What mushrooms have you tried, and what are some of your mushroom-eating experiences? I would love to hear from you!
As a registered dietitian nutritionist in Asheville, I love to help others stay healthy with the foods that they eat. You can read more about me here..
