Make Room For Shrooms

Health News

"Mushrooms Makes Meals Marvelous"

(Say this a few times - HAHA)

I love mushrooms. I love them raw in a salad, as a pizza topping, sauteed in a great chicken dish or stuffed with ground meat like turkey or lean beef. Now let me clarify, I'm talking about mushrooms like: Portobello, Oyster, Shiitake, Cremini and Button. I'm not talking about shrooms that send you off to another world as soon as you take a bite.  LOL! 

As I was skimming through my "Everyday Food" magazine, I found an article that put a smile on my face. Apparently, it's good news that I love mushrooms so much. They are very good for you. According to the article,"Eat Smart" vol. Septemeber 2010, pg. 61; mushrooms are full of nutrition and are a great part of a healthy diet. The benefits of eating mushrooms are as follows: Rich in antioxidants. A good source of protein and dietary fiber, which lowers cholesterol. They are potent source of minerals such as selenium, which may protect against heart disease and some cancers, and potassium, which helps control blood pressure.

So eat up you mushroom lovers! Put a few extra cut button mushrooms on your salad.

To add to our mushroom health news, I came across the recipe below. It sounds so good and I plan to make this little hors d'oeuvre.

Upside-Down Mushroom Tartlets
Makes 6
Active Time: 20 min.
Total Time: 45 min.

Ingredients
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (cut into six 3" rounds)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for muffin pan
1 large shallot, diced small
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, plus more for serving
3/4 c. grated cheese (2 oz.) (suggested Gruyere type cheese for this recipe.  I think shredded mozzarella & provolone cheeses would be good as well)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place puff pastry rounds in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while mushrooms cook. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until soft and browned, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in thyme and remove skillet from heat.

Lightly oil 6 jumbo muffin cups. Divide mushroom mixture and cheese among cups, then top each with a chilled pastry round. Bake until pastry is golden brown and puffed, about 25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through.

Run a small knife around cups to loosen tartlets. Place a rimmed baking sheet or large plate over pan and invert to release tartlets. Sprinkle with more thyme. Serve warm.

(nutrition information - per tartlet: 115 cal; 7.3g fat (2.6g sat fat); 5.4g protein; 7g carb; .7g fiber)

Suggested Notes: cut these into quarters for a pretty yet simple hors d'oeuvre, or serve them with a crunchy green salad for lunch or a light supper.

The above recipe and health information are supplied by "Everyday Food" a Martha Stewart magazine vol. September 2010.