Archive for the ‘Breakfast’ Category

Spinach Mushroom Quiche

Mushrooms take the place of ground sausage in this great breakfast recipe by Erin Chase from $5 Dinners. In fact, this quiche is so hearty and satisfying that it’s even a go-to meal option for lunch or dinner.

Breakfast. Brunch. Lunch. Brinner. Any and all of these meals could play host to this simple, yet elegant dish. Serve it up to your family on a busy weeknight or to out of town guests on a leisurely Saturday morning. This quiche would also be a great addition to the spread at a potluck luncheon or to take to a friend who’s in need of a meal.

Brinner, or breakfast for dinner, is a staple at our house. It’s my, “Gahhh, I need to come up with a meal, and quick” default. Whether it is pancakes, scrambled eggs, waffles or quiches, breakfast for dinner always succeeds in pleasing the palate and filling the little tummies around the table.

And this spinach mushroom quiche is no exception. The kids didn’t even pick up that I’d swapped out the usual ground sausage for sliced mushrooms. In fact, they ate their pieces without hesitation and left the table smiling and satisfied.

Spinach Mushroom Quiche

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 6 ounces fresh spinach leaves
  • 8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
  • Salt and pepper
  • 6 eggs
  • 3 ounces crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 pie crust, homemade or store bought
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil and then sauté the fresh spinach leaves and sliced mushrooms for 4 to 6 minutes, or until mushrooms have browned some and the spinach has “melted.”

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the feta crumbled.

Place the pie crust into the prepared baking dish. Gently add the sautéed mushrooms and spinach to the pie plate. Then pour the egg-feta mixture over the top.

Place the quiche into the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, add the shredded mozzarella to the top and return to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Serve Spinach Mushroom Quiche with a side of fresh fruit for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner!

Give Mom a Tasty Surprise

Mother’s Day is the perfect time to thank mom for all the wonderful things she does. Mom kisses foreheads and checks temperatures; she drives to soccer and school; she’s supportive even when stern. She is supporter #1. Let’s face it – mom is the best!

The greatest part of Mother’s Day is being able to show her appreciation by giving her a simple gift from the heart – like breakfast-in-bed. Kids can easily help and the whole family can work together to make mom smile. The Mushroom Scramble Mug recipe says thank you, is super simple and is ready in only seven minutes!

Mushroom Scramble Mug

Ingredients

  • Non-stick cooking spray
  • 1 cup white button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Pinch freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 slice fat-free American cheese, torn in strips
  • 1 tomato or red pepper, diced (optional)
  • Whole wheat English muffin (optional)

Directions: Lightly spray the inside of a microwaveable mug with non-stick cooking spray, place mushrooms in mug and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and microwave for 1 minute. Let rest 30 seconds and drain any excess liquid.

Add whole egg and egg white to mug and mix well with a fork. Add cheese and tomato or red pepper (if desired) and microwave for 1 minute, stirring halfway through. Let rest 30 seconds to allow eggs to finish cooking. Enjoy in the mug or on a toasted whole wheat English muffin.

How will you surprise mom this Mother’s Day?

Tips to Get Your Kids to Eat More Veggies

After a long day at the office, running errands and getting the kids to soccer practice, finding time to cook as a parent can be stressful. What’s worse is trying to get your kids to eat what you cook, especially VEGGIES! Sometimes it is dejecting to deal with what it takes to get kids to eat the amount of fruits and veggies suggested by MyPlate – the government’s nutrition guide. Part of you just wants to give in and allow the children to eat what they want.

MyPlate recommends half of the dinner plate be full of fruits and veggies. That’s right – half of what children (and everyone, really!) are supposed to eat are wholesome veggies like broccoli and squash and fruits, including bananas and apples. That does not include kid-favorites like hotdogs, french fries, mac ‘n’ cheese and chicken fingers.

Which leads to the question, “How do I get my kids to eat more veggies?” Here are two useful tips that can help:

1. “Sneaky Mom” – Use the “Sneaky Mom” technique by hiding veggies in your kids favorite dishes, like pizza, burgers and lasagna.

 

One way is by using the “swapability” cooking technique. Substitute mushrooms for a portion of a higher calorie ingredient, such as meat. You not only add an extra serving of vegetables to the plate, but you also reduce calories and fat in a meal.

The swapability technique is as simple as three-steps:

  • Chop mushrooms to similar texture as meat, like ground beef
  • Cook the chopped mushrooms
  • Combine the cooked mushrooms with the meat

2. Make Cooking Fun – Involve your kids in the kitchen with the food preparation. Give them small tasks, such as washing fruits and veggies. Let them mix the salad or stir the sauce. When you have your kids help in the kitchen, it allows them to learn about nutrition and the foods they eat. Also, they’ll be more likely to try new foods they’ve helped make.

Feel free to share a comment below to let us know how you get your kids to eat more veggies!

Mushroom Lover’s Eggs Benedict

Handy kitchen work and creative thinking from We Are Not Martha takes a classic brunch staple, eggs benedict, and gives it a modern, tasty twist.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve judged restaurant brunches on their eggs benedict. If eggs benedict is on the menu, without a doubt I order it. While traditional eggs benedict is almost always heavenly, I get even more excited if I spot a bit of a variation. Like crab cake eggs benedict because that’s as far as restaurants tend to go. They just don’t seem to get very creative with this brunch item, probably assuming, “Why mess with a wonderful thing?” While I generally agree with that sentiment, I’ll answer you why, “To make it even better!” And better comes from the addition of mushrooms. Enter Mushroom Lover’s Eggs Benedict.

There are many things that can take eggs benedict to the next level, but there are some essentials in my book. The English muffin must be replaced with a biscuit. I knew I’d be baking biscuits for my Mushroom Lover’s Eggs Benedict and decided to pack the biscuits full of crimini mushrooms to add to the flavor punch. Instead of laboring over a hollandaise sauce, I whipped up a simple mushroom sauce to top the benedict. I also replaced the ham with a layer of lightly sautéed kale for an added tangy touch. The egg remained the same, perfectly poached with a beautiful runny yolk.

You want your eggs benedict to be packed with an earthy flavor that brings comfort to your soul, making you feel right at home with your loved ones for the rest of your weekend afternoon.

 

Mushroom Biscuits (makes about 12):

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 oz chopped crimini mushrooms
  • 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/4 cup milk

Benedict with Mushroom Sauce (makes 2 serving of benedict):

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon marsala wine
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3/4 cup torn kale leaves
  • 4 biscuits from above recipe

 

Mushroom Biscuits:

1) Sauté the mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat, until softened.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt and pepper.

3) Add the chilled butter into the flour mixture and work it into the mix with a pastry blender or your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

4) In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Add to the flour mixture and mix until it’s just incorporated.

5) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop about 1/4 cup of dough and place on baking sheet. Continue placing dough about 2 inches apart.

6) Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, until biscuits are just turning brown.

Benedict with Mushroom Sauce:

1) Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the mushrooms and sauté until they’re softened. Stir in marsala wine, cooking for about 1 minute.

2) Add in milk and flour. Whisk vigorously until sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then remove from heat.

3) To poach eggs, bring water to a boil in a large skillet with vinegar. Crack eggs into two bowls (2 in each) and gently drop into water. Remove skillet from heat and cover. Let eggs cook for 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to paper towel-lined plate.

4) Heat olive oil in small skillet. Put kale in skillet and sauté until wilting and a tiny bit crispy. Remove from pan.

4) Put 2 biscuits on each plate, flat side up. Top each with kale and a poached egg. Spoon mushroom sauce over the top.

Enjoy!

A Special Easter Brunch Menu

Easter Sunday was always one of my favorite holidays while growing up. As a child, I would get decked out in my finest Easter attire to go to the sunrise church service: white shoes, hair pulled back in a perfect pink bow and a little pastel-colored purse that perfectly matched my outfit. Following service there was an Easter egg hunt (I was usually the champion) and a large family brunch, served with coffee and dessert. Brunch would take place at my family’s house or a nice restaurant if it was a year when no one wanted to clean up, and it was an aspect of the Easter tradition that I genuinely loved.

I can picture the brunch spread now – eggs with morel mushrooms, ham, bacon, toast, hashbrowns and pancakes! Did I mention that I come from a large Italian family that always served an abundance of food?

Some of the most special family memories come while breaking bread together, so here are some delectable Easter brunch menu ideas sure to please the ones you love!

  1. Roasted Portabella Eggs Benedict – This recipe is an Easter brunch must-have and requires three main ingredients: portabellas, hollandaise sauce and eggs. Bring them together and “Voila!” you have a gourmet meal.
  2. Tip O’ The Mornin’ Omelet – Don’t let the name mislead you, this isn’t an Irish omelet! It mixes asparagus and morel mushrooms, which are plentiful in the spring, for a truly satisfying start to the day.
  3. Mushroom Scramble – This is a great option for a more traditional morning menu. Serve several mushroom lovers by doubling the recipe, which calls for eggs, crimini and oyster mushrooms, unsalted butter, thyme and kosher salt. Pretty simple.

What is your favorite Easter tradition? Is it brunch, like mine?

Breakfast for Dinner: Feels Like an Indulgence But Isn't

This is not a fancy kind of post. We can definitely dress it up around here (thanks to a phenomenal crew of contributors) but this is,essentially, the “favorite pair of sweatpants” sort of post. I’m talking about making breakfast for dinner. Any other fans out there?

As someone who has been on a personal quest for healthy menu planning in the last six months, I made a discovery this week that I think might make some of you pretty happy as well.  I was looking in my fridge, totally perplexed, one weeknight after work and a workout and had a Eureka! moment.

I, as an adult and mistress of my own menu, can absolutely have scrambled eggs for dinner but in my mind, plain scrambled eggs would be a sacrilege. Eggs are vehicles for other great food in my book. I think you know where this is going.

I had an 8 oz (pink!) till of sliced mushrooms and I wanted all of them. I sauteed that entire package with half of a jalapeno and a little red onion. Once we were good and browned, I added two fresh eggs scrambled with about a tablespoon of water and I turned the heat way down to medium-low, stirring constantly from the bottom.

What I ended up with was a creamy pile of light yellow fluff, filled with an entire container of mushrooms and some heat from that jalapeno. As with anything I intend to eat more than the recommended serving size of, I checked the packaging. The results were significantly more fun to consider than say, an entire pint of Cookies n’ Cream (ahem, not that I have any experience with that…).

I got 3 grams of fiber and a nice selection of nutrients, including well over 100% of my daily vitamin D, for all of 50 calories in mushrooms. This could vary depending on which mushrooms you pick up but raw mushrooms are always a low calorie option. Topped with a pillow of shredded sharp cheddar, it was one of the best dinners of the week and is officially on a regular rotation.

Mushroom Scramble from Chez Us

This delicious Columbus Day breakfast is brought to you by Denise Woodward of Chez Us.

Our friend the mushroom is often overlooked when it comes to breakfast;  and it should not be.  Earthy mushrooms really compliment creamy, morning time eggs.  If you are like us, you have a steady supply of mushrooms on hand, you can create last minute dishes that are filling, healthy and satisfying, such as this recipe.

One of our favorite weekend breakfast dishes is a simple scramble made with a medley of mushrooms.  For this particular dish I used brown cremini mushrooms, which are a great staple to have on hand.  Creminis are a smaller portabella mushroom and they add amazing depth to a dish, whether it is a breakfast dish or a savory dinner time meal.  I wanted a lot of flavor to our breakfast eggs, so I added fresh oyster mushrooms to the mix.  Since both mushrooms are really flavorful and can stand on their own, there was not much more that needed to be added to this recipe;  just a little butter, thyme and love.

Mushroom Scramble

Serves 1 hungry mushroom lover but could easily be doubled

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thinly
  • 1/4 cup oyster mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thinly
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon thyme
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste
  1. In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter, over low heat.
  2. Add the cremini mushrooms and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 3 minutes.
  3. Add the oyster mushrooms, stir, and cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat.
  5. Sprinkle in the thyme, and stir.
  6. Move the cooked mushrooms into a heat proof pan, and slide it into a warm oven (200) while cooking the eggs.
  7. Crack the eggs into a small mixing bowl, using a fork, whip them until well combined.
  8. Cut one tablespoon of butter into small pieces, add to the whipped eggs, and stir to combine.
  9. In the small frying pan that you used above, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat.
  10. Add the eggs.  Using a fork, continue moving the eggs around until they are cooked to your liking.  We like our eggs a little moist but cooked through, which takes about 3 minutes.
  11. Season with salt to taste as well as black pepper.  If you season the eggs with salt after cooking, they will not dry out.  Remove from the heat.  Gently stir in the mushrooms.
  12. Serve.  Eat.  Enjoy.

The Mushroom Masters Begins! Breakfast Battle by Shutterbean

The Mushroom Masters is back and we are kicking off National Mushroom Month and our month-long Tastespotting partnership with the most important meal of the day- all of them breakfast!

Team USA is  serving bruschetta for breakfast courtesy of Shutterbean in Week 1- we must really like you guys. If you are inspired by this especially tasty toast, if you’re feeling especially patriotic or both, please do click through to vote for the US and Tracy from Shutterbean over on Tastespotting this week.

A little bit about Tracy:

Tracy Benjamin is obsessed with good food and great photography, both of which are equally evident on her fun and colorful blog, Shutterbean. Completely self-taught, Tracy loves the intimacy and nurturing quality of sharing delicious meals with loved ones. As a busy working mom, she has made it her mission to serve up tasty, home cooked meals, without having to slave for hours in the kitchen.

And what you’ve all been waiting for…the recipe:

Caramelized Mushroom & Shallot Bruschetta

Makes 20-22 bruschette

For the caramelized shallots
-3 medium shallots, thinly sliced in rings (about 1 cup)
-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
-1 teaspoon light brown sugar

For the mushrooms
-1 ½ cups crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
-1 ½ cups white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
-3 tablespoons salted butter
-3 tablespoons dry sherry
-kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper
-red pepper flakes
-4-5 sprigs fresh thyme

For the crostini
-1 sourdough baguette, cut into ½ slices on the diagonal (about 20-22 total)
-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1 clove garlic
-4 oz. goat cheese, at room temperature
-aged balsamic vinegar

To make the caramelized shallots, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add shallots. Saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of water and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and continue to cook until shallots are browned and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Set shallots aside in a small bowl.

Heat 3 tablespoons butter in the same saucepan. Add the mushrooms and cook on medium- high heat to soften, stirring occasionally. After about 8 minutes, add sherry, salt, black pepper, a pinch of red pepper flakes and 3 sprigs thyme. Continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until mushrooms are slightly caramelized and soft. Add the shallots to the mushroom mixture and set aside.

To make the crostini, put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Put bread slices on a baking sheet and brush slices with oil on both sides. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then bake until pale golden, about 10-15 minutes. If you are grilling the crostini, heat over medium high heat and grill each side for 3-4 minutes. When crostini are cool to touch, rub a clove of garlic on the top of each crostini.

To assemble bruschette, spread 1 tablespoon of goat cheese on top, spoon the slightly warm mushroom mixture on top of goat cheese. Repeat until all crostini are topped. Plate the bruschette and sprinkle tops with reserved thyme leaves, a pinch of salt, and drizzle each bruschetta lightly with aged balsamic vinegar.

Mushroom and Chorizo Tacos from We Are Not Martha

Another delicious post from the ladies of We Are Not Martha.  We understand they were celebrating a birthday this week so I would recommend popping by to see how they celebrated.

Another note: Your friendly Mushroom Channel editor tried this recipe with scrambled eggs incorporated this weekend and it was a hit- consider breakfast tacos!

While I could, of course, happily add mushrooms to most any dish you could imagine (except maybe ice cream… But maybe? Mushroom ice cream? Why not? I’m game), I’m fully aware that they’re consistently ignored in some major food groups. I consider Mexican food a major food group of mine and have recently realized that I rarely ever incorporate mushrooms into Mexican cuisine. Perhaps I’ll add them in a veggie quesadilla, but otherwise, I’m always leaving them out. How rude. So, I’m making a concerted effort to change that. Call it a movement, if you will.

I was inspired by Rick Bayless and his recipe for chorizo, mushroom, and potato tacos. The idea of mushrooms in tacos is basically a dream come true, especially when you mix them up with lots of spicy flavor-packed chorizo. You’ll never want a “typical” taco again. The other awesome thing about these tacos is that they’re super quick and easy. Just a tad bit of chopping, throwing everything in a pan, and serving it on a tortilla. And adding lots of delicious toppings, too, obviously. The addition of potatoes make it almost like a Mexican hash. With mushrooms. In a tortilla. Heaven has been found.

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz. Mexican chorizo, casings removed and crumbled
  • 1/2 C onion, chopped
  • 6 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
  • 1 medium potato, cut into small cubes
  • 1 habanero pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/2 t cumin
  • Whole wheat tortillas, lightly toasted
  • 1/4 C cilantro, finely chopped (for topping)
  • 2 oz. cotija cheese (for topping)
  • 1 avocado, diced (for topping)

Instructions:

Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add crumbled chorizo. Cook until mostly heated through (or mostly cooked through if chorizo was uncooked) and then add chopped onion, mushrooms, potatoes, and habanero. Cook, while stirring, for about 4-5 minutes, until ingredients begin to soften and brown up a bit. Mix cumin in.

Serve chorizo mushroom mixture on a lightly toasted whole wheat tortilla. Top with cilantro, cotija, avocado, or absolutely anything you want.

Triple Mushroom Strata from Hey What’s for Dinner Mom

The team had the pleasure of sitting in on Mushroom Channel contributor Laura Sampson’s panel at BlogHer last week,   Our Food Future: Kids, Cooking, and Health. I can’t tell you how proud we were to have her voice included as a strong POV on insisting families have access to whole foods while encouraging persistence for parents frustrated by picky eaters. We’re all in this together.

I happen to think a Strata is a perfect summertime food, assemble in the cool of the evening, refrigerate and then bake in the morning before it gets hot. A perfect solution to summer heat woes and the hot kitchen. If you enjoy breakfast parties this is the ultimate in easy entertaining, make ahead then relax before your guests arrive. Three different mushrooms give this super delicious dish a deep and earthy flavor everyone will enjoy.

Triple Mushroom and Cheese Strata*

*needs to refrigerate over night

  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 2 portabella mushrooms-cleaned
  • 1/2 pound of shitake mushrooms-cleaned
  • 1/2 pound white button mushrooms-cleaned
  • loaf of french bread
  • soft butter amount will vary as to your particular buttering style I went light
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheese
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups milk or half n half
  1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat
  2. Remove the stems from all the mushrooms and slice into strips
  3. When the butter is melted reduce heat to medium low, add the portabella mushrooms and cook for a few minutes
  4. Add the rest of the mushrooms and slowly cook until they are soft and their liquid has been cooked out, around 10 minutes
  5. Trim all the crust off the loaf of bread
  6. cut in slices and butter each slice before cubing
  7. Place a layer of cubes in a 3 quart oven-safe pan
  8. Cover with 1/2 the cheese
  9. Sprinkle on half the cooked mushrooms
  10. Repeat layers
  11. Mix the eggs and milk together
  12. Pour over other ingredients
  13. Cover and refrigerate over night
  14. Bake for 35-45 minutes in a 350 degree oven