New Discovery for Me

When I was young there were only two things I had ever encountered that I did not want to eat…eggplant and mushrooms.  If you’ve had both of these you might remember the spongy texture of both; euwh! (All of you Egglant Parmesan lovers out there will probably never understand, but I can assure you that my revulsion was very real.)  A few light years forward into adulthood and this person who previously spent a sum total of hours picking mushrooms out of food is now posting two recipes that include a good number of mushrooms.  What happened?

I haven’t grown into eggplant yet, but the mushroom thing has definitely evolved in my life.  I’ve found that if they are cooked in something with lots of other flavors and textures, I barely even know they are there.  It’s much easier and more polite to just eat them too.  I’ve found them to be great fillers, and they are also well appreciated by my husband who has gone 20 years without seeing them in home cooked meals!  To top it all off I was also pleasantly surprised when I discovered their significant vitamin and mineral content.

Whereas I used to see mushrooms as empty, squishy calories, the truth is they are good suppliers of a wide variety of nutrients such as selenium, niacin, potassium and folate. (1)  In addition to all that, mushrooms,  like the portobellos found in the Crock Pot Mexican Veggie Stuffed Peppers, are “one of the best sources of L-ergothioneine, a powerful antioxidant.”(2)  As you may already know, antioxidants are specially designed proteins used to neutralize the damaging and aging effects of free radicals that occur naturally in our bodies, and even more so when we are exposed to toxins.

We’ve also included a good dose of mushrooms in the Yummy Hamburgers, and though they lower the red meat count and raise that of the fungi, your eaters probably won’t even notice a difference!

Have you discovered the versatile mushroom?

Molly

    http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=55
(1)  http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/updates/mighty-mushrooms.php 
(2)  http://www.livestrong.com/article/279766-portobello-mushroom-nutritional-value/#ixzz1SCdzQYAl