Meal Occasion: Lunch

Mushroom Toastie

  • 1 loaf white or multigrain sliced bread
  • 375g fresh white cup mushrooms, thickly sliced
  • 1 bunch spinach
  • 150g of mozzarella cheese, cut in thinly slices.
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet and add the mushrooms. Cook until golden brown and set aside on a plate.
  2. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add 1 bunch of spinach leaves and cook until wilted. When cooked, drain water well, allow to cool slightly and then squeeze water out of the spinach and place on a paper towel to ensure water is drained.
  3. Meanwhile, heat up sandwich press.
  4. Take two sliced of bread at a time and assemble the toasties. Place the mozzarella cheese first followed by spinach leaves and finally the sautéed mushrooms with a dash of salt and pepper and top with the second pieces of bread. Repeat as many times as necessary.
  5. Heat up your sandwich press, cook toasties for a couple of minutes when the cheese starts melting and the bread is nicely toasted!

Serve hot and enjoy

Sourdough With Mushboom!

  • 200g mushrooms sliced, qtr. or halved (white, brown or portobello)
  • 4 thick slices sourdough bread
  • 40g butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
  • Lemon
  • 3-4 sprigs or Thyme
  1. In a large frying pan over a high heat, melt the butter and add the thyme.
  2. Once foaming, add mushrooms and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Sautee at high heat without turning for 2 minutes until the undersides are golden, then flip and continue cooking.
  3. Drizzle olive oil on bread and toast your bread using the frypan until golden and layer up with your combination of toppings.

Choose your toppings:
Mushrooms & Egg
  • 4 Poached eggs, scrambled or sunny side up
  • Hollandaise sauce

Mushrooms & Avocado
  • 1 Avocado smashed or sliced with squeezed lemon & rock salt

Mushrooms & Cocktail Truss
  • 1 Cocktail truss tomato (cook alongside mushrooms in frypan with butter & thyme)
  • Crumbled feta

Superquick Omelette On The Run!

  • 2 teaspoons of butter or Ghee-your choice
  • 150g sliced mushrooms (white or brown)
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 2 tablespoon milk or water
  • 4 Perino tomatoes (halved)
  • Salt & ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley (optional) to garnish
  1. Melt 1tsp. butter in medium frypan on high heat. Add sliced mushrooms, cook on high heat for approx. 8 mins (set aside when cooked).
  2. Beat eggs, 2 tbsp. milk or water salt and ground pepper to taste.
  3. Add eggs – tilt to distribute in pan – add cooked mushrooms and halved tomatoes to one half of the omelette. Cook until base is lightly browned.
  4. Add optional parsley to garnish. Fold-over and serve.

BOOM!

Mixed Grain and Mushroom Salad

  • 200g-250g swiss brown or white cup mushrooms, quartered or sliced
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 50g wild black rice*
  • 50g quinoa, rinsed well*
  • 50g pearl barley*
  • 150g baby rocket or spinach
  • 100g very thinly sliced shallots

*If preferred you may use more of one grain and less of the other or even use other grains such as brown or white rice.

Dressing – approx. 50ml
  • Olive oil
  • Lemon
  • Oregano Salt & Pepper
  1. Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a heavy bottomed pan. Once the pan is hot, add the mushrooms and gently cook for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, followed by the dressing and continue to cook for one more minute. Remove from the heat and add the garlic along with the parsley and set aside in a bowl to cool and marinate in the juices for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Bring 300ml of water to the boil and season with sea salt. First add the wild rice and cover to simmer for 20 minutes. Add the pearl barley and cover for a further 10 minutes. Finally add the quinoa and cook for a further 5 minutes or until all the grains are done. Set aside in a bowl or tray to cool down.
  3. Once both the grains and the mushrooms are cool, combine them in the bowl with the rocket and shallots, tossing well and using the mushroom liquid to dress the grains and salad. Serve in a shallow bowl.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Oven Roasted Portobello Mushrooms

  • Olive oil
  • ½ bunch fresh thyme
  • 375g portobello mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely sliced
  • Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1. Line a tray with baking paper.
  2. Heat oven to 180° degrees
  3. Trim stems and place the mushroom cap down.
  4. Sprinkle thyme sprigs & crushed garlic.
  5. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Drizzle over the olive oil.
  7. Roast for 15 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.

This recipe can be replicated on the BBQ.

Optional extras – add in some broccoli, sweet potato, and chunky cut zucchini and bake all together!

Or simply enjoy with a salad or as a side!

Pearl couscous with mushrooms, spinach and pancetta

  • 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 100g pancetta diced
  • 200g quartered white cup mushrooms
  • 1 litre homemade or store-bought low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
  • 250g pearl couscous
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 150g baby spinach or rocket
  • 1 small bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced
  • Olive oil, lemon and oregano dressing
  • 50g Pecorino
  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium high heat then add the pancetta and cook until it has slightly browned and the fat has rendered.
  2. Add the mushrooms and stir well. Keep stirring until the mushrooms have browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and scrape the mixture into a bowl to set aside.
  3. Add stock to the empty saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the couscous and stir, cook for 1 minute less than the package instructs.
  4. Stir in the mushroom mixture and cook until the couscous is al dente, and the liquid has been absorbed, about 1 minute (if necessary, add water a tablespoon at a time to get the desired texture.)
  5. Combining olive oil, squeezed lemon and oregano with a dash of salt.
  6. Remove from heat and stir in Greek lemon dressing and mix through the spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  7. Spoon onto plates and garnish with the spring onions and shavings of pecorino.

Serve warm or at room temperature.