Tag Archives: vegetarian recipe

Wild About Wild Mushrooms – Lentil and Wild Porcini Pâté

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Wild Alaskan porcini mushrooms star in this pâté recipe – the perfect snack or appetizer served on rice crackers, summer squash or zucchini. 

Many years ago, Jack and I took a mushroom foraging class from a park ranger in Oregon. With the help of our instructor, we learned about local mushrooms and actually found one King Bolete mushroom. At the end of that experience, I had more fear of “false mushrooms” that could make me sick or even kill me than anything else. Since then, I’ve been on countless hikes and found countless mushrooms I wouldn’t dare eat – even though they look perfectly safe. When we moved to Newhalen and began fishing and foraging for berries, we began noticing mushrooms the color of browned bread. Big ones. As usual, Jack and I wondered if they were edible. After one quick wondering, we resigned ourselves to knowing our mushrooms would come from a store and went back to the task at hand.

We were delighted to learn that one of the locals here in Newhalen is an expert on mushrooms. She volunteered to take a few of us out a couple of weeks ago and teach us about Newhalen fungi. Turns out, all those big mushrooms we had been seeing are types of boletes (otherwise known as porcini) and are not just edible, but are delicious!

Many people dry these mushrooms. We also heard that they can be frozen. After a bit of experimenting, we decided to vacuum-pack them and freeze them for the winter. Of course, we’ve kept out a few for now. Many have already starred in our recent evening meals – sautéed with garlic in olive oil to serve over pasta and atop Swiss mushroom burgers. Mmmm. Both of us are alive and kicking and now armed with confidence to continue foraging for these delicious beauties on our local hikes.

I came up with this mushroom pâté recipe a couple of years ago with store-bought ingredients. It was created with an intent to mimic one of my favorite Jewish foods – chopped chicken liver. This recipe not only tastes surprisingly like the delicious spread from my memory, but it brings it into the category of good for you, not just tasty. Traditional chopped chicken liver recipes are loaded with flavorful, but not so healthy fats. The chicken liver itself is low in fat but is high in cholesterol. You can use store-bought crimini, button, or shiitake mushrooms. But if you have access to wild porcini or other wild mushrooms, they will up the flavor of this pâté. Also, don’t save this recipe for a special occasion. This scrumptious mushroom and lentil spread is packed with flavor, is low in fat and cholesterol and high in fiber and protein, which makes it a go-to for a pre-run snack or a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

Nutrition Info Lentil Wild Porcini Pâté

Wild Porcini Mushroom and Lentil Pâté

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked lentils, any color
  • 2 cups chopped wild porcini mushrooms
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp honey
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • salt to taste
  • extra olive oil, needed

Directions

  1. In a large sauté pan, heat 4 tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
  2. Add onions and sauté until translucent.
  3. Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
  4. Add mushrooms and cook until they are soft and cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
  5.  In a large bowl, combine almond flour, lemon juice, soy sauce, rosemary, thyme, sage, honey, and cayenne.
  6. Stir in mushroom mixture.
  7. Using a stick blender (or food processor), purée the mixture.
  8. Add in cooked lentils.
  9. Purée the mixture until smooth.
  10. If the mixture feels too thick, thin it with additional olive oil.
  11. Salt to taste.

Going Nuts! Two Ways to Do It

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2 ways Roasted Almonds n

Sweet or salty? Or a little bit of both. Two quick recipes to satisfy your sweet or salty tooth.

When we’re tired of nice crisp apples or sweet Satsuma tangerines as an between meals snack, or when we need a quick protein pick-me-up after a workout, we’ve been snacking on nuts. Almonds in particular are noted for healthy oils, vitamins, minerals, and fiber content. They are tasty raw. But they are even better when glammed up with salty or sweet accouterments. Both recipes, for cinnamon almonds and garlic almonds, are delicious snacks by themselves. These tasty morsels can also be added to breakfast cereals, salads, or vegetable side dishes to add a flavor and a nutritional boost. Today I give you the salty – Garlic Salt Almonds, and the sweet – Cinnamon Sugared Almonds.

Garlic Salt Almonds

Ingredients

  • 3 cups almonds
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely grated

Directions

  1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (145 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Whisk egg white and water until they are nice and foamy.
  3. Whisk in salt and grated garlic.
  4. Stir almonds into egg mixture ensuring all almonds are covered in the mixture.
  5. Spread the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet. Make sure almonds are in one layer.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven.
  7. Stir almonds, breaking up any clumps.
  8. Bake for another 15 minutes.
  9. Let cool and store in airtight container.

 

Cinnamon Sugared Almonds

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 cups whole raw almonds

Directions

  1. Combine water, sugar and cinnamon in medium pan over medium heat.
  2. Bring mixture to a boil.
  3. Stir in almonds.
  4. Continue stirring mixture until liquid evaporates. Almonds will have a sand-like coating.
  5. Pour almonds onto parchment paper. Spread almonds out, breaking apart large chunks. Allow to cool.
  6. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
  7. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

 

Mushroom and Lentil Pâté

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mushroom lentil pate n

Unbelievably meaty flavor for a delicious vegan pâté. Serve it on crispy bread, crunchy crackers, or a leaf of fresh romaine lettuce as an appetizer to please friends of all eating persuasions. 

Jack and I are intrigued with all foods. Confirmed omnivores, we never pass up an opportunity to try something new. A visit to my sister, who is a devout vegan (and gluten free) inspired us to walk in her culinary shoes for a bit.

Growing up in a household flavored with Swiss and Jewish heritage, my sister and I were exposed to world flavors from a very young age. Both of us have fond food memories from this period in our lives. One of our favorites was chopped chicken liver which is a rich pâté featuring the flavors of chicken fat and caramelized onions. We loved this spread on toast or crackers along with a slice of tomato and a sprinkle of salt.

This mushroom and lentil pâté has a surprisingly similar flavor and texture to chopped chicken liver or even duck liver pâté. My sister and I made this recipe together last week and couldn’t stop eating it. For the benefit of her current diet, we served the pâté on crisp pieces of romaine lettuce instead of crackers. A healthy smear of the pâté on the lettuce layered with a slice of heirloom tomato and a dash of salt brought us right back to a childhood favorite.

We made this recipe a second time substituting the agave nectar with honey and substituting two tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil with unsalted butter for an even richer flavor. These changes take the recipe from vegan status to vegetarian.

Mushroom and Lentil Pâté

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked lentils
  • 2 cups chopped mushrooms, shiitake or crimini work well
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 cup toasted and ground almonds
  • 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp agave nectar
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • extra olive oil, needed

Directions

  1. In a large sauté pan, heat 4 tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
  2. Add onions and sauté until translucent.
  3. Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
  4. Add mushrooms and cook until they are soft and cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
  5.  In a large bowl, combine almonds, lemon juice, soy sauce, rosemary, thyme, sage, honey, and chipotle.
  6. Stir in mushroom mixture.
  7. Using a stick blender (or food processor), purée the mixture.
  8. Add in cooked lentils.
  9. Purée the mixture.
  10. If the mixture feels too thick, thin it with additional olive oil.
  11. Salt and pepper to taste.