Portobella Mushrooms

[donnyandcathy]

I am wanting to fix something for me and my mom (who is not raw) with the large portobella mushrooms, and the no-nut pesto.
I know to take the stems off and just put the pesto on the mushroom, but what can I do to the mushroom to make it softer, and more flavored. I don't think my mom will like it just as it is.
Should I dehydrate it for a couple of hours? What could I marinate it with?
Thank you!
Cathy

[RaeVynn]

Oh, yes!
You can make up a nice marinade for the mushrooms (Nama Shoyu, Apple cider vinegar, some garlic, pepper, a little agave nectar, that sort of thing), roll them in it really well, then put them in the dehydrator for a few hours. (105F or a bit less)
They will wilt a little bit, soak up lots of the flavor, and be luscious! :p

[spicyfull]

That's a Great way to do them Reavynn has only I don't dehydrate them. I put them in the Fridge.

[RawKnitster]

Marinated portobellas are one of my favorites. I usually take off the stems and the gills (or feathers) because they add a flavor I find unpleasant. Then slice and marinate in a dressing made from 3 T. Olive oil, 1 T. Nama Shoyu, 1 T. water, 1/2 t. chopped garlic, 1/2 t. ground cumin, and 1/2 t. dried thyme. Ten minutes is long enough for a thinly sliced portobella. Never tried to marinate the whole mushroom. That would take longer and it is so good I can't wait longer than it takes to fix the rest of the meal. ;)

That marinade is from the "Raw Food Primer". The recipe calls for the mushroom slices to be eaten wrapped in romaine with sliced avocado and tomato. Marinated onions, too.

Romaine wraps with pesto and marinated mushroom would be great. Messy though. How does your Mom feel about eating with her fingers? :)

[RawTruth]

If you want to avoid the soy ... and the strong flavor ... in Nama Shoyu, you can always just brush the mushrooms with oil and sprinkle a little salt before you dehydrate them. The pesto has such a wonderful flavor, you might not want the soy sauce competing with or overpowering it.

[RawKnitster]

If you want to avoid the soy ... and the strong flavor ... in Nama Shoyu, you can always just brush the mushrooms with oil and sprinkle a little salt before you dehydrate them. The pesto has such a wonderful flavor, you might not want the soy sauce competing with or overpowering it.

That sounds nice. I'm no expert on pesto because I'm allergic to fresh basil. My face breaks out in hives. I do love strong flavors, though. Wonder how pesto made with arugula instead of basil would taste on that olive oil brushed mushroom?

[donnyandcathy]

It worked, and it was SOOO Yummy!!!!!
I rubbed the mushroom with some olive oil, agave, and some herbs, massaged it a little, stuck it in the dehydrator for a few hours, it got really soft, and the taste was so good. I topped it with the pesto, and could have eaten 5 of these :D I had a salad with it, and was very satisfied while everyone else ate their hamburgers, potato salad, deviled eggs, chips, baked beans, and chocolate cake. I had some cantaloupe for my dessert several hours after my mushroom. I had a great day, and none of the other food made me miss it at all.

Cathy

[RawTruth]

Yay!! You did great. How did your mom like it?

Next time, stuff it with the pesto beforehand and you won't believe how fantastic it is. You've essentially adapted Alissa's Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms from her book, just substituting portabellas and nut-free pesto. Addictive for sure!

[Soose]

It worked, and it was SOOO Yummy!!!!!
Cathy

You have just made me SO hungry!

[donnyandcathy]

Well, I fixed it again tonight :D I think I could eat one of these everyday and never get tired of them.
With the no nut pesto I added a few things and I ended up eating almost the whole food processor worth :eek: I couldn't stop, but hey I got a whole head of Romaine Lettuce in me.
I added a clove of garlic, a bunch of cumin (for some reason I have really been craving cumin and adding it to everything) sea salt, cilantro, and then I added the left over almond pulp from my almond milk, so now it was
not a no nut nut pesto ;) But it made it really thick and just out of this world.

My mom really liked the one we had Sunday, in fact everyone was eying my mushroom while they ate their hamburgers, and my 15 year old asked me if I could fix that next week for his supper ;)

Gotta love that live food!!!
Cathy

[LilacLavender]

Gotta agree. I love those things!

[jane b]

I just got a couple packages of baby bellas. I can't wait to try this out now.

[DebB]

I love buying the 'baby bellas' at Costco and making the whole batch at once, using a modified version of Alissa's recipe.

If you find a good deal on basil - I like to make huge batches of pesto at once and then freeze. I ate off what I harvested last fall all winter & spring long this way - delicious!

I'm hoping to have basil comin' out my ears in my garden by this fall as well. Love my freezer! *Ü*

[jane b]

I wound up stuffing my baby bellas with my own mix made from the stems, hummus, garlic, paprika, and kale pulp leftover from straining juice for my smoothie this morning. Also put in my favorite Badia Sazon Completa. Pulsed everything and then loaded the massaged caps by the spoonful.

I wasn't sure about the dehydrator temp, but one online source said to put it on 135 for the first half hour, then turn it down. Sort of like how you do crackers.

An hour after I put them in, I had to take them out because they were smelling so yummy! The smallest ones were dry and crusted on top. I saved out 4 of the largest and prettiest ones for DH (who had to work today), but I had some for lunch and the rest for dinner.

DH is not a big mushroom guy to begin with, but even he was surprised when I told him it was still considered raw. I was pretty pleased with myself, because this is the first raw recipe I've made other than smoothies.

[DebB]

I love to marinate my baby bellas before stuffing them with pesto and dehydrating them. I've got them in the fridge now, marinating in a mixture of 4T EVOO, 1T Nama Shoyu, 1T lemon juice and 3-4 cloves of garlic. I'll stuff them tomorrow (I use Alyssa's recipe) and dehydrate for 5-6 hours. *Ü*

[Soose]

Ya'll are eating so well! Sounds so yummy... marinated mushrooms for my son's lunch today!