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Vegetarian Mushroom Recipes

Eating local can be tricky in the winter but mushrooms can be grown inside this time of year and I wanted to share some delicious vegetarian mushroom recipes for you to try! This week, I had a chance to talk with Sarah and Chris with Asheville Fungi.

Chris’s website has a lot of fun things including books on growing and using mushrooms, varieties of all types of gourmet mushrooms to cook with and medicinal mushrooms. His online shop has all kinds of things needed to grow your own mushrooms including mushroom bag grow 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 also has a culture library or what I would like to call a “mushroom collection”.  One very interesting thing that I learned was 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

Asheville Fungi mushroom room where the mushrooms are grown which include a wider variety of lesser seen edible mushrooms and some used for a healthy tea or tincture. There are even classes, foraging walks and tinctures 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 exploring the Asheville Fungi new website! Did you know that each type of mushroom likes to grow on its unique variety of tree log? 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 a nutritious, 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 also may 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!

The mushrooms that I cooked with from this list include portobella, cemini (also known as baby bellas), porcini, black trumpet, shiitake, maikate, oyster and king trumpet (you may also have heard it called French horn or boletus of the Steppes).

And 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 also.

The mushrooms that I have not tried on this list include hedge hog, enoki and beech.

Varieties of Medicinal Mushrooms

These are some of the medinal mushroomsI do not know a lot about medicinal mushrooms but I am sharing just a little bit about them so you can learn more. 

Cordyceps

More research needs to be learned about 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 picked them up and ate them. Later, I heard that they contain a toxin called agartitine found in button mushrooms which is broken down when cooking. And 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 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 and 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 the 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. Although, canned button mushrooms are much lower in sorbitol and that is probably due to some of the content being leeched 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 is oyster.

Mushroom Main Dish Recipes

The next task that I had was what nutritious mushrooms recipes that were healthy to truly highlighted the lovely mushrooms! The King Trumpet mushroom on the left and the Pearl Oyster on the right.

I hope that these healthy mushroom main dish recipes containing pearl mushrooms with tempeh lo ein and the roasted king trumpet mushroom over grits will make some perfect choices for you to get a taste of these two mushrooms help you get a craving for more!

Love this lo mein with local mushrooms and tempeh and other veggies!
Make a savory lo mein using oyster mushrooms and tempeh!

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 tablespoon 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 and use this marinade for the tempeh. Marinate in a glass pie plate 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 begin to get translucent. Add the mushroom and cook until they begin to brown and get soft. Add the kale until it gets soft. Toss in the noodles and the leftover marinade. Heat through.

Local mushrooms roasted with other veggies over grits and topped with goat cheese

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 which uses King Trumpet, pumpkin and walnut instead of shitakes, rosemary and butternut squash with pecans that I chose to use in my book. Both recipes are equally delicious! Makes 6 servings.

  • 1 1/2 cup 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 tablespoon of pecans
  • 2 tablespoon 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 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 and 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 cups, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1-2 tablespoon butter. Stir well, reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes until done.

If you are looking for another mushroom recipe, check out these Blackened Shrimp Kabobs with Mushrooms and Asparagus by clicking on the kabob picture below.

My family loved these vegetarian mushroom recipes and 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 also! 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 how to stay healthy with the foods that they eat. You can read more about me here..

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