Sauteed King Oyster Mushrooms

I enjoyed playing around with this giant mushroom, I can't wait to find more and see what else I can discover. I was reading how Juliana dealt with this mushroom in a saute on her Simple Recipes blog. I was inspired by her and Kristy and added my own twist on the final product...
As promised here is the sauteed king oyster mushrooms, or stir fry however you want to call it.

This time I am seeing what can be done with the texture. Although it isn't the exact same mushroom as Kristy used on My Little Space I wanted to try shredding it like she did so that's what I did instead of slicing the mushroom, you don't use a knife...just my hands to tear it apart.

Does it look like chicken? These are such lovely mushrooms.


including a Florida sweet onion ...not the whole thing, I use just a quarter of it. I love it when these are in season. They are not too strong at all, and they caramelize nicely.

with the green beans that were already in the fridge, just sliced them up, along with some flowering chives...
...and I am also going to try the culantro in this dish.


Ingredients:
2 - 3 King oyster mushroom
1 cup green beans sliced
1 shallot or small sweet onion chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed and chopped or garlic paste or garlic ginger paste
1 handful flowering chives sliced
2 - 3 culantro leaves chopped or 1/3 bunch fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon butter
½ tablespoon soy sauce
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:In heated pan add the butter and saute the onions and garlic for 1 -2 minutes, add the beans and cook until tender. Stir in the mushrooms, chives, soy sauce, culantro, sea salt and pepper. Let them cook over high heat for a couple of minutes or until mushrooms become soft / tender. If using cilantro add it toward the end. (If you like it spicy you can add red pepper flakes or chilies.)

I used mushroom soy sauce and it did turn out a little dark if you wanted to look like chicken...but it was really good. I really liked this dish, I will definitely make sure this to a regular around here. So satisfying you don't miss even the meat.

King Oyster Mushrooms

I just love mushrooms, and I wish I had more varieties available to me to try. Yes, I know I can order them on line...maybe some day I'll be able to do that. For now I'll just pick up some along the way that I happen to run across, and share them with you.
Like these King oyster mushrooms I found at an Asian Market down the street from my husband's jet ski shop. Where they have quite a large area for produce and fresh fish. It is so much fun going in there. They even have many already prepared foods, and smoothies and bubble tea.

Back to the King oyster mushroom, also known as king trumpet mushroom, French horn mushroom. I saw a similar abalone mushroom on My Little Space, it is an oyster mushroom variety, that tastes a little stronger...I think...so they say...I hope to try that one too.

I thought I would making it a couple different ways, oven roasted (of course) and the other is sauteed and I will post that one next.
It is a little different than the mushrooms I am used to. The cap is small and the stem is thick and the bulk of the meat, and cooks up tender. To prepare after a quick wash, remove the crusty part on the bottom...you want it nice and smooth. Slice and place on a cooking sheet sprinkle with some seasoning, garlic, olive oil and sea salt

This was another good way to use my Parmesan & garlic olive oil! Roast in a medium oven 375 degrees, for 15-20 minutes until tender. I also threw some asparagus in the oven too.

Topped with some Parmesan cheese and it makes for a nice side dish...or lunch!

It has a good texture and was very mild flavor to me. My daughter actually tried it...she said it was good, but then she didn't want any more. I was happy she even tried it. I think this will go good in most any dish. It was my lunch!



A sandwich for my husband made with roasted king oyster mushrooms, some sweet Florida onion, horseradish cheddar, cheddar cheese, arugula, radicchio with a pesto mayo to finish it off. Wonder what I'll come up with next?

Miso Asparagus

I really enjoy Jaden Hair's Steamy Kitchen blog, I first met her on twitter years ago - before anyone knew what twitter was. I was able to chat with her via twitter and have always wanted to meet her in person (she lives in the area), and she would do some interviews in restaurants and out and about would ask her twitter followers what questions we wanted her to ask, she was good at promoting twitter like that. Maybe one day I'll run into her around town.
I have been on a miso kick lately, and always like ginger so this was perfect for me to try. I have been oven roasting asparagus for awhile now and it was nice to find a different way to season it. Usually I go with herbs, parmeasan (or feta) and sliced almonds. Here is the recipe from Steamy Kitchen:

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
1 teaspoon cooking oil (olive, canola or vegetable)
2 teaspoons Miso & Easy (or 1 teaspoon miso paste + 1 teaspoon hot water)
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Place asparagus on baking sheet and drizzle with cooking oil. Toss to coat. Roast asparagus for 8-10 minutes or until pierces easily with fork. Timing depends on how thick the asparagus spears are.

2. While the asparagus is roasting, prepare the ginger miso sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until smooth.

3. Pour over asparagus and serve.


I did it a little different...I poured it over the asparagus before roasting. I used miso paste instead of the Miso & Easy product, ginger garlic paste and a little soy sauce -not too much because the miso is a little salty...oops I forgot the sesame seeds!


...but I did scoop up the sauce and added it on top. Miso adds that nice depth of flavor needed in some dishes, slightly salty, and so good in salads, pasta, potatoes, veggies and of course miso soup.
How do you use miso?

Grilled Eggplant with Tomato

Another idea for tomatoes, basil and mozzarella or other cheese. I don't really have a recipe for this but they are easy to make. Slice the eggplant in 1/4" slices. Salt them and let et for a bit, then press the moisture out of them. If you use a white or Japanese eggplant you could skip this step. Brush with olive oil...here would be a good time to use one of your flavored oils. Cook on the grill or a grill pan for 3-4 minutes per side until the texture is soft or the way you like it.

then sprinkle with a crumbled cheese...maybe a little goat cheese or feta, or maybe blue cheese...

...next a nice juicy tomato slice, a little sea salt a some seasoning....

..oops forgot the basil ... slide that fresh basil in there, or you could use spinach or another green instead or in addition to the basil... or pesto would be nice.

there, all set for the cheese on top...mozzarella or the Italian four cheese blend works well. I have a cast iron grill pan that I use stove-top and I can also put it in the oven.

After you top it with the cheese place the pan in the oven to finish cooking and the cheese is melted. If you do these on the grill just close the lid of the grill after you add the cheese to the top.

You can make these for appetizers or a nice lunch (we had them for dinner).

Root Vegetables and Fresh Turmeric!

I made these root vegetables on the stove top when I made the chicken in the French oven. I could of thrown them all in the same pot, but I decided not to crowd the chicken this time. I tossed in a little olive oil, and used my fine herbes blend that goes so well with vegetables, sea salt pepper and garlic, and some fresh rosemary from my garden. The root veggies are parsnips, carrots, little red and white potatoes, and shallots...


When I was up in Michigan for my nieces wedding I found some fresh turmeric in this market near my mom's house. I was so thrilled I brought some home. I planted some in a pot and some in the garden...


...I will let you know if it grows like the ginger that I planted. I read that turmeric has a lot of health benefits, and the difference from the dried powdered is remarkable. I hope you get to try it.

I thought I would try it with the root veggies, how pretty the color it is when it's peeled. So I just grated a little and added it to all these root vegetables when it was cooking. Finished in the oven until all was fork tender.

I could enjoy this anytime of year.

Have any of you used fresh turmeric before? I would love to hear your ideas on how you use it!

Celeriac and Potato Mash with Kale

This post will have a little bit of mixed info. First, I joined a buying club for organic fruits and vegetables. The first of the year is a good time to eat healthier, and I happened upon this when I was dog sitting for some friends. I always try to buy my veggies organic when possible. What is nice about this is she find different veggies, like purple carrots (which is perfect for bento boxes), heirloom variety when possible, in this basket I got kohlrabi, wheat grass and a different variety of Chinese cabbage which you don't find in stores.

I got a large amount of wheat grass, some greens, bananas, mushrooms, peppers, apples, tangerines, a large tomato, huge grapefruit , lemon, red leaf lettuce, large head of Chinese cabbage (not shown she forgot to put it with this basket) and purple kohlrabi.

I used the kohlrabi and mushrooms the first night I got it. I just oven roasted them with some onions, garlic and olive oil and served it with dinner. I didn't get a photo of it all cooked up and ready to eat. I guess we were hungry.

It was so much fun to dug in and see what I got...almost like opening a Christmas gift!


The grapefruit was so large...Maranda and I spilt it for breakfast the next morning.

Three different color peppers...she says they're called yummy peppers.

I am buying heirloom tomatoes from now on...just look at how meaty it is!

Now the the second part of my post...the recipe: Celeriac and Potato Mash with Kale(or greens)

I didn't get the celeriac in the basket but I did find some at the health food store just around the corner, so it's organic too. I used the greens from the basket though.

Celeriac or celery root is such a strange looking thing. I wanted it to be more of the star of the dish, but I only had one and so it's just a partner. I did want to try it though and this was a good way to ease it into our meal.

I was trying to research some Dutch recipes because I do so many from other regions I though I should look into some from my own heritage. Now I know why I don't make a lot of Dutch food, not really my favorite, but you sure can't beat their sweets, pastries and desserts!

In my research this is what About.com said about it:

Ask anyone from the Netherlands what they would consider the Dutchest dish of all Dutch dishes and they will probably say stamppot. This hearty vegetable mash is usually made of potatoes and/or other vegetables. It is traditionally served with a smoked pork sausage, known as rookworst, and gravy. The ultimate in comfort food!

Knolselderijstamppot (Celeriac Mash) the original recipe

My adaptation
Ingredients:
•4 potatoes, like Idaho or russet potatoes
•1 large celeriac
•3 cloves garlic
•1 cup chopped kale (or any greens)
•3 tbsp butter
•4 oz cream cheese
•1/2 tsp celery seed
•1 tsp coriander
•1 tbsp dijon mustard
•1/4 cup milk
•sea salt and white pepper
Preparation:
Peel the potatoes. Peel the celeriac, using a knife to cut the thick skin away until you are left with only creamy white flesh. Cut the potatoes and celeriac into similarly sized pieces for even cooking. In a large soup pot, boil the potatoes, garlic and celeriac for 20 minutes until tender in salted water, add the greens halfway through the cooking time, or at the beginning if you like the greens softer. Drain, shake and dry with kitchen towels before mashing. Add the butter, milk, cream cheese, and mustard. Season to taste with seasoning and salt and pepper. Sir through before serving.

It was one way of getting my daughter to eat greens...just add potatoes and cheese!

Lastly...this was my week for Cultural Connections on Our Krazy Kitchen where I posted my recipe for Indian Masoor Dal. This is a day for comfort food!

Roasted Beets - Farmer's Market Find

I never liked beets, but my husband does. I try to make things that he likes, which is pretty easy because there are few things that he doesn't like. I know he used to eat a lot of beets growing up. His dad would and still does have a wonderful garden. His mom would fix them, and pickle them. So when I found some yellow beets with the red ones at the farmer's market I thought I would give them a try.
I also thought if I oven roasted them I might like them, since that's what happened with the brussels sprouts and crispy kale! I peeled them first, then sliced them, most of the time when they are oven roasted they wash and leave the skin on and peel them afterward. I am glad I did it my way because the red beets have this wonderful color that gets all over everything when cooked! The sliced beets looked so pretty before they went in the oven. Now you might think I'm crazy for turning on my oven in this heat, but it's actually cooler that going outside at the grill! You can use these in a nice cool salad!

I added some fresh rosemary and garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Drizzled on some organic Greek olive oil and fig balsamic vinegar. Roasted at 375 F for 40 minutes. I think I could of shortened the roasting time since I sliced them.

They were okay, Maranda tried them but wasn't that thrilled with them either. The red ones tasted better than the yellow one. I still think they taste like earth. My husband loved them!

White Eggplant and New potatoes with Bo's Fig Balsamic Sauce

After I got many comments about the photos of the white eggplant, I had to try some. Apparently the eggplant got it's name because in the 18th century it only came in white, was a little smaller and it resembled goose eggs while hanging on the plant. The skin is a little tougher and should be peeled. The flesh is white, not greenish like the purple ones. I had a hard time seeing where I had already peeled it. It was a little firmer and I heard it was sweeter than the purple, I skipped the sweating part. It seems to have less seed too.

I used it in a couple of recipes, here is one that was easy enough to throw in the oven and finish the rest of the meal. I used a recipe from my Blogger friend Bo from Bo's Bowl . He made two recipes using fig jam, a vinaigrette for salad dressing and a fig balsamic pan sauce for pork medallions. I have some fig jam that I wanted to use and told him I was thrilled that he had these recipes. I used the one for the pan sauce but changed it slightly because I was tossing it over the vegetables and baking it.

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic smashed and sliced
1 tbs fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup fig preserves
1/4 cup walnut oil (you can use olive oil)
salt & pepper (once it's on the pan)

If I had some walnuts I would of tossed them in too.
Whisk it all together in a large bowl and toss in the cubed eggplant and potato wedges. Toss together until everything is evenly coated. Spread out on a baking pan, then salt and pepper. Of course I'm using my stoneware bar pan again, it's perfect for roasting veggies.

Bake in a 350 F oven for 45-50 minutes until potatoes are tender and the desired crispness on the potatoes. I'm not sure I really timed it, I just see how they look in the oven, if they are tender and browned up the way I like it then they are done. Take them out part way and turn them to get browned on both sides. At this point I threw in a little bit of spinach, I liked how that crisped up too. (I added fresh too for the bowl)

It was so good, with the balsamic and fig jam caramelized slightly, yum! I also made a couple of skewers of eggplant to put on the grill with the meat. We didn't care for that as well, I think it needed to marinate longer for grilling.

Make sure you check out Bo's Bowl for the original recipe that he used over pork, and his mixed baby greens with goat cheese, bacon, with fig balsamic vinaigrette. He has a lot of great recipes, and shows you how to make them!
Happy Friday!!

(Garlic) Swiss Chard (baked)

I picked up some beautiful swiss chad at our farmer's market the other day. I do like greens and love cooked spinach with lemon squeezed over it. Okay now for the other greens, I did try some crispy kale for new years day, because in the south it is good luck to eat, greens, black eyed peas, ham and greens. I don't eat ham so we had bacon instead (I hear that was okay). I think next New Year's we will follow the Dutch tradition of eating a doughnut, because the shape of the ring symbolizes coming full circle completing a year’s cycle. So for the Dutch, it’s doughnuts for New Year’s, not bad, after all I'm Dutch!

Okay back to the greens! So I have never made swiss chard, but have seen it in many recipes and just never bought it before. I was checking around trying to find an good way to prepare it. I found this on Beyond Salmon. Helen said the secret to swiss chard is to treat it like two vegetables, the sturdy stems, and the green leafy part.

After washing the greens really good, you separate the sturdy stems from the green leafy part.

You can pull the stems out if you prefer. I rough chopped the stems and put them in a baking dish drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Bake for about 20 minutes, it says 400 degrees, but I think I did it at 350 because I had some chicken roasting at the same time.

Pile the leaves on top, drizzle, and sprinkle! Back in the oven until the greens wilt. I does cook down.

Stir in the cream, and sprinkle with parmesan. Now this is where I varied a little I added a little garlic salt to it. I mix my own, garlic powder, chervil and salt, I cut back on the salt. Now here is where I really strayed, the shaker top came off and flop! A lot more garlic than I had intended went onto the dish (I might call it garlic swiss chard). I was able to get a little out, but still had a bunch left in. It actually turned out very good.

Original recipe:
1 Lb swiss chard (1 bunch)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp heavy cream (does the cream cancel out the good for you part of the green?)
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan (or maybe the cheese?)
Salt and Pepper (and lots of garlic powder)

I baked it a little longer until it looked the way I liked it. We all liked it, and Maranda had seconds, of course she always has second on the veggies!

It was pretty easy to do, I would do it again. I think next time I'll get the mixed color swiss chard!

What is your tried and true way you fix greens? Anyone want to share?