Blended Meatballs

Umami-rich mushrooms are blended with ground beef and seasoned to create the perfect Italian-style meatball. Serve with marinara and spaghetti or toss with a Teriyaki sauce and serve as an appetizer.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Mushroom Council.

Prep Time: 10 mins. | Cook Time: 30 mins.
Makes approximately 20 meatballs.

Ingredients

½ lb.  mushrooms, finely chopped
1 lb.  lean ground beef
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 small onion, finely diced
1 clove minced garlic
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 egg

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking tray with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Place the mushrooms in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until finely chopped.
3. In a skillet over medium heat cook chopped mushrooms until brown and most moisture has been released, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside to let cool.
4. In a large bowl combine cooled mushrooms, beef, seasoning, onion, garlic breadcrumbs and egg; mix all ingredients until incorporated. Shape mixture into 1½ inch meatballs. Place 1 inch apart on pan.
5. Bake 20-25 minutes or until meatballs reach 160°F, are cooked through and center is no longer pink.
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Beef and Shiitake Wonton Cups

Recipe and photo by Dana of Killing Thyme.

Prep Time: 30 mins. | Cook Time: 20 mins.
Tip: Serve with Sriracha sauce for an extra kick!

Ingredients

15 wonton wrappers
Olive oil cooking spray
For filling:
1lb of ground beef
2 cups of shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
For sauce:
1/4 cup low sodium Kikkoman soy sauce
1 tablespoon of rice wine
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
2 tablespoons of Hoisin sauce
For slaw:
1 cup of slaw (broccoli, cabbage and carrot)
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of wasabi paste
For garnish:
1/2 cup of unsalted cashews, chopped
1/4 cup of scallions, sliced

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and place two wonton wrappers in each holder, one wrapper at a time. Give the wontons a quick spritz with the cooking spray.
  3. Put them in the oven for approx. 7-8 mins. or until golden brown.
  4. Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce. Mix well, and set aside.
  5. Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, and stir until partially browned. Add the sauce. Cook until all of the beef has browned, and then add the shiitake mushrooms and the freshly grated ginger. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the mushrooms have softened up. Remove from heat.
  6. For the slaw, simply mix the mayonnaise and the wasabi (amount of wasabi can be adjusted to your taste).
  7. Then, mix it into the slaw thoroughly so that everything is evenly coated.
  8. Cashew crushin’ time! This sounds tedious, but it can be really simple. My favourite way to chop up cashews is to grab a handful, place them on a chopping board, and use the back of a large knife and press down on them. This way you get a nice variety of chunk sizes, and it’s efficient.
  9. Finally, assembly time! Spoon the beef and shiitake mixture into the wonton cups with a tablespoon. Then spoon the slaw on top (approx. 1 teaspoon).
  10. Garnish with crushed cashews and sliced scallions.
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Beef and Mushroom Kofta

Easy beef koftas made with mushrooms to help “extend” the mixture a little further and add an extra serve of veggies! Served with minted yoghurt and a beet “slaw”.

Recipe and photo by eat. live. travel. write.

Prep Time: 25 mins. | Cook Time: 20 mins. | Serves: 4

Ingredients

400g lean ground beef
200g mixed mushrooms
½ cup fresh cilantro
3 green onions
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground mild paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
For the yoghurt:
1 cup plain Greek yoghurt
1 tablespoon fresh mint
For the “slaw”:
1 small carrot
1 small beet
½ cup grated cabbage
½ red onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon (you might not need all the juice)
8 pita bread pockets

 

Method

Make the kofta:
1. Soak 8 bamboo skewers in water (completely immersed).
2. Place the mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
3. Pulse until the mushrooms are finely chopped.
4. Remove mushrooms from food processor and place in a large bowl.
5. Place cilantro and green onions in the bowl of the food processor (no need to rinse it out).
6. Process until finely chopped.
7. Add the cilantro and green onion mixture to the mushrooms.
8. Add the beef, ground coriander, cumin, paprika to the mushroom mixture.
9. Now add the egg and breadcrumbs.
10. Mix with your hands until all ingredients are combined.
11. Using your hands, take approximately 2 heaping tablespoons of the mixture and form a sausage-shape around a wooden skewer. Now place a second sausage-shape of the meat on the same skewer. The mixture will be a little softer to handle than straight ground beef but do your best!
12. Repeat with remaining beef/ mushroom mixture until you have 8 skewers each with 2 sausage-shapes.
13. Place on a platter, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Make the yoghurt:
1. Finely chop the fresh mint and stir into the yoghurt.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
3. Make the “slaw”:
4. Grate the carrot, beet, cabbage and red onion using a box grater.
5. Combine with the lemon zest, olive oil and about ½ of the lemon juice.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate
To cook:
1. Pre-heat the BBQ to medium-high heat.
2. Grill the kofta skewers, turning occasionally, until cooked through (do not rely on touch for these – the mushrooms make them much softer than regular burger patties or similar – you will have to cut them open to see if they are done).
3. Remove from the grill and let them rest as you organize all the other ingredients.
To assemble:
1. Split a pita pocket and place a spoon of the yoghurt in the bottom, then add 2 of the kofta, topped with some of the “slaw” and a dollop more yoghurt.
2. Enjoy!
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Barley Aracini with Shiitake and Seaweed

Recipe and photo by Bernice of Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen.

Prep Time: 20 mins. | Cook Time: 1 hr.

Ingredients

1/3 cup finely diced onions
2 garlic cloves; minced
olive oil
1/3 cup white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
1 cup pearled pot barley
1 cup shiitake mushrooms (or 1/2 cup dried mushrooms; reconstituted and chopped)
3 cups mushroom stock
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
3/4 cup fine seaweed stems; reconstituted in boiling water, then drained, and chopped (if desired)
salt and pepper
panko crumbs (or regular bread crumbs)
canola oil for frying

 

Method

1. Add two tablespoons of olive oil in a medium pot on medium to high heat.
2 Heat up mushroom stock in a separate pan. Add finely diced onion and sauté until translucent before adding the minced garlic. Continue to sauté for another minute or two. Add pearled pot barley and stir, coating the grains in olive oil.
3. If the contents of your pan are sticking, it may require additional olive oil. Pour in wine and reduce so that the alcohol has a chance to burn off.
4. Add heated mushroom stock, a 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until the liquid has absorbed into the barley in between each addition.
5. In the meantime, finely dice the shiitake mushrooms and sauté in a separate pan until soft. Set aside. To tell if your barley is cooked, taste a grain and if you can chew it (but it still sticks to your teeth) it is finished.  Stir in the mushrooms, nutritional yeast, and reconstituted seaweed stems. Allow to cool thoroughly.
6. After the barley risotto has cooled, roll into balls and coat with panko. If you find the mixture quite sticky it helps to have slightly damp hands. Deep fry in a large pot or deep fryer until golden.
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Mushroom and Soba Noodle Bowl

This recipe is a weeknight favourite for my husband and me. It is quick to put together but it is best served right away.

Recipe Courtesy of Strawberries For Supper.

Prep Time: 15 min. | Cook Time: 15-18 min. | Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 tsp canola or vegetable oil
3 baby bok choy
100 g shiitake mushrooms
150 g cremini mushrooms
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, grated or crushed
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
½ tsp fish sauce (optional)
1 900ml tetra pack of vegetable broth
180 g soba noodles
½ tsp sesame oil

Directions

1. Wash the bok choy and slice the white part of the bok choy very thinly. Chop the green leaves of the bok choy into larger, bite size pieces and set it all aside.
2. Cut the tough, dirty end off the shiitake mushrooms and discard. Cut the main part of the shitake mushrooms into halves or quarters, depending on their size. Slice the cremini mushrooms.
3. Heat the canola oil in a large saucepan over a medium high heat.
4. Toss in all the mushrooms and sautee for 5-8 minutes or until they have browned slightly and reduced down.
5. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, boil a large amount of water and boil the soba noodles for no more than two minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Set the noodles aside.
6. Add the grated ginger and garlic. Stir it around with the mushrooms to cook for less than one minute before adding the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and fish sauce (if using).
7. Pour in the vegetable broth and cover the pot. Let it simmer together for 3-4 minutes.
8. Add all the bok choy at once and stir. Let it wilt and simmer for 1 minute.
9. Add the soba noodles and serve immediately.

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