Sunday, October 18, 2009

Cooking Ideas for and Benefits of Tumeric - Roasted Mushrooms

Being an avid meat eater, I am still set on eating real meat if my body craves for it, which is once a month. But when my craving for meat lessens, I tend to want to eat food with substance, not necessarily meat, but something that will gratify my "small" meat-craving. Granted, Portobello mushrooms are not the perfect substitute for a mouth-watering rib-eye steak or juicy fillet mignon, especially for a huge carnivore like myself, but they do have the texture that fills me up and they taste great when well seasoned. Otherwise, if my desire for a steak is so strong....scr--w the portobello mushrooms!

But nicely enough, I just had guests over yesterday, Su from Vancouver, who is a vegetarian, and Anne whom I haven't seen in a while. The evening was absolutely lovely. We had candles lit, a warm and cozy atmosphere. To my surprise, I received house-warming gifts which I've been thinking of getting for myself. I'll show them to you in a later post, as they are quite useful for avid cooks like me and also perfect for quiet and private dinner settings. On the menu was a Seitan Gratin, a white bean with leek stew, a small serving of alfalfa sprout with tomatoes, and Berbere fennel bread drizzled with a bit of olive oil, lightly toasted in the oven to serve warm as an accompaniment. Vegetarian meals can be as delicious and gratifying as any other meat dishes.
So, if you are a newly "converted" vegetarian or vegan who still dreams about meat galore, you may want to try out this portobello mushroom recipe as part of your slow progression towards your new realm of vegetarianism. I say, give it a go. As a strong carnivorous individual, I loved the way this satisfied my craving for meat. Tumeric (aka curcuma) not only adds an interesting flavour to food but also has great benefits to your health, which has been scientifically proven in numerous articles in magazines, on special television shows or even cooking shows. It's one of the main ingredients found in freshly ground curry powder, giving it that deep yellowish colour.

Recipe "au pif":2 large Portobello mushrooms (sliced 1-inch thick) - should make 8 large slices
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp ground
tumeric( aka curcuma)
1/2 tsp of coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil


Preheat oven at 350F

Line a large baking pan with parchment paper. I prefer parchment paper over aliminium foil because it doesn't food doesn't stick to it.

Lay the portobellow mushroom slices on the parchment paper, about 1 inch apart.

Sift the ground tumeric evenly over the Portobello mushroom slices

Sprinkle the coarse sea salt, the pepper and the garlic.

Drizzle evenly and generously the olive oil over the mushrooms.

Roast for about 10 minutes until the edges of the mushrooms are almost black or crisp dark brown
.

Serve as a meat substitute or a side dish.
Serves 2-4 people.

Share and enjoy.

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