Lions Mane "Crab" Cakes

Mushrooms have moved up in the culinary space with their many uses! Mushrooms like shiitake, oyster, and lions mane are showing up at farmer’s markets, restaurants, and even perhaps your kitchen table!

At a recent stroll through a farmer’s market, I was captivated by the wonderful display of medicine that lay before my eyes! Since COVID, I’ve battled off and on with brain fog. I have found lions mane mushrooms to really be a supportive ally in this regard.

My quest, is to learn how to use this particular mushroom in the kitchen. I’ve been using shiitake and oyster for years, but this one….well, I have some learning to do.

Originally, I used my cast iron skillet with avocado oil. I love using cast iron for the crispy edges it produces, however, the cakes kept sticking. In retrospect, I’ll allow them to “set up” a bit in the refrigerator and use the air fryer.

Let me know what you think!

Lions Mane “Crab” Cakes

Ingredients

• 2 ounces lions mane mushrooms , hand shredded

• 1 large egg

• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs (I used gluten free)

• ¼ cup green onion , finely sliced

• 2 tablespoons parsley , finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard

• 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning

• 1 lemon , zest and juice, plus extra wedges for serving

• ½ teaspoon sriracha or hot sauce , optional

• Kosher salt and black pepper

Easy Yogurt Sauce

• ¼ cup Greek yogurt

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

• ½ teaspoon old bay seasoning

• ½ lemon , juice and zest

• Kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

• It’s best to hand shred the mushrooms rather than chopping them so they have the flakey texture of crab meat. Set aside in a medium bowl.

• In large bowl, whisk together the egg, breadcrumbs, green onion, parsley, mayo, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, old bay seasoning, lemon zest and juice, and sriracha (optional).

• Gently mix in mushroom pieces and panko until well combined.

• Form mushroom mixture into 6 equal-size patties (about ¾ inch thick).

• Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate 30 minutes so they set up. (Crab cakes may be formed a day before cooking. Cover and chill.)

• Preheat air fryer to 400°F.

• Spray the inside of the air fryer with olive oil cooking spray. Place 4 patties in the basket and spray them with cooking spray as well.

• Cook the crab cakes 8 minutes until golden brown and crisp on the outside. Flip the patties halfway through cooking time.

• Place lions mane crab cakes on a serving platter and squeeze fresh lemon juice over top. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with Yogurt Sauce. Enjoy!

Easy Yogurt Sauce

• In a small bowl, mix all ingredients until well combined.

• Store in the fridge up to 7 days until ready to use.

Curried Potato, Mushroom, and Broccoli Stir-fry

Today at the farmer’s market, there was a stand with fresh broccoli. There is no better way to capture the nutrients in broccoli as when it is first cut. Broccoli is one of those finicky vegetables that rapidly releases nutrients soon after it has been cut. The loss can be slowed by keeping it on ice, but most grocery stores have fresh broccoli sitting in a bin next to the cauliflower. So unfortunately, it’s given up most of its phytonutrients. The farmer also had new red potatoes and onions, which I snatched up. Yum. Usually stir fry recipes don’t include potatoes, but because that’s what’s in season, it’s what in this dish.

I typically use sesame oil for stir fry. Not all oil is the same. I used to use extra virgin olive oil but then learned that it becomes an unhealthy oil at high heat. Sesame oil tolerates heat very well. This dish can be prepared in under 30 minutes if you do the prep work ahead of time. So it’s a great one to consider for a work night menu item.

Weather today is sunny, with a bit of fall in the air. Humidity is expected to increase as the day goes on.

Listening to the birds singing outside with my widows open

Scent in the diffuser today is Harmony

Curried Potato, Mushroom, and Broccoli Stir-fry

Cook time 25 minutes

Serves 4

 Ingredients:

• 4 cups broccoli florets (from one bunch)

• 1 ½ tsp coarse salt

• ½ cup skin-on almonds, coarsely chopped

• 3 TBSP sesame oil

• 1 ½ pounds white, red, gold potatoes, unpeeled and diced (about 3 cups)

• 5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps cut into ½- inch pieces (about 2 cups)

• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion

• ½ cup moist sun-dried tomatoes or oil-packed, drained, blotted dry and cut into ½-inch pieces

• 2 tsp Madras curry powder

• Pinch of crushed red pepper

• 1 garlic clove, grated

Directions:

1. Place a small amount of water in a medium sized pot with broccoli. Steam on medium heat until broccoli is tender but not over cooked. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Place the almonds in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until toasted. Pour the almonds into a small bowl and set aside.

3. Reheat the skillet over medium heat, add the oil. When hot enough to sizzle a piece of potato, add all the potatoes. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until browned, about 8 minutes.

4. Add the mushrooms, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, curry powder, the remaining 1 tsp of salt and crushed red pepper. Stir fry, adjusting the heat to maintain a steady sizzle, until the potatoes and mushrooms are tender.

5. Add the steamed broccoli and the garlic. Stir fry until heated through, about 2 minutes.

6. Transfer to serving bowls and sprinkle with almonds.

Meatless Pasta Balls

Meatless Pasta Balls

I have tried many different recipes for meatless meatballs. Most were failures; mainly because the consistency was not strong enough to withstand being mixed in with the sauce. This one is an exception! The consistency in this recipe is very close to regular meatballs. Plan ahead, though; it's best to let this mix sit overnight and bake the next day. Double the batch and freeze some for later!

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 TBSP butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pungent onion
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 ounce* very finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley, packed
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp dried oregano
• 3 cups marinara
• 1 TBSP very finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 TBSP chopped Italian parsley

Directions:

1. Mince or press garlic and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to the oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid from mushrooms have evaporated. Stir in butter and reduce heat to medium. Cook until mushrooms are golden brown, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir onion into mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, add pressed/minced garlic, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl.

4. Mix oats into mushroom mixture until thoroughly combined. Gently stir 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into mixture. Add bread crumbs, 1/4 cup parsley, and egg; season with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and oregano. Mix together with a fork until crumbly. Mixture should hold together when pressed. If mixture is too dry, you may add another egg.

5. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight for best flavor and texture.

6. Preheat oven to 450º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

7. Form mixture into small meatballs using 2-TBSP scoop. Roll meatballs lightly between your hands until smooth. Arrange meatballs on a prepared baking sheet.

8. Bake until meatballs are lightly golden brown, 12-15 minutes.

9. Bring pasta sauce to a boil in a large saucepan; reduce heat to low. Gently stir meatballs into sauce until coated. Simmer meatballs in sauce. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with 1 TBSP cheese and 1 TBSP parsley.

*1 ounce equals about 1/4 cup, but using the weighted measurement works better with this recipe.

adapted from Allrecipes

Vegetable Lasagna

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Here is a recipe that I go back to time and time again. Lasagna is hearty and usually full of fat and calories.  This version is no different, but the heartiness comes from all the beautiful vegetables instead of meat. If you are lucky, you'll have leftovers, which are more flavorful the next day. Feel free to mix up the vegetables and add ones your family likes. Sometimes I'll use cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese.

Vegetable Lasagna

• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
• 1 cup chopped yellow pepper (about 1 medium)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
• 2 (8-ounce) packages of cremini mushrooms, sliced 2 cups
• (8-ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup (2-ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 5 cups marinara sauce, divided
• 12 precooked lasagna noodles (about 8 ounces)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add peppers and next 3 ingredients; sauté 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and liquid evaporates. Add garlic, sauté 30 seconds.
3. Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, ricotta, 1/4 Parmesan, and egg, stirring well.
4. Spread 1 cup marinara over bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, top with 3 noodles. Spoon 1 cup marinara evenly over noodles. Top evenly with one-third of ricotta mixture and one-third of vegetable mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with noodles. Top with 1 cup marinara. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
5. Cover and bake at 350º for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes. Yield 8 servings.

Calories: 378; Fat 11.4g; Protein 22.9g; Carb 46.5g; Fiber 5.9g; Chol 55mg; Iron 2.6mg; Sodium 667 mg, Calc. 434mg

Summer Chili

Even though the title of this recipe is summer, our family eats it all year long.  When fresh out-of-the-garden tomatoes are unavailable, I use petite diced canned tomatoes. Consider serving with Cornmeal Cornbread for a gluten-free dinner!

1. Summer Chili

• 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 5 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 TBSP chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 cups juicy, chopped fresh tomatoes (or canned)
• 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt added black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 cup chopped white or portobello mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, packed
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in medium pot.
2. Add onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin.
3. Saute over medium heat until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Add remaining ingredients (except garnishes) and stir.
5. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
6. Add more liquid if needed.
7. Serve over rice if desired.
8. May garnish with cheddar cheese, guacamole, or fresh cilantro.