Monthly Archives: November 2012

Nutty Mushrooms

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This is an adaptation of a recipe from “Mollie Katzen’s Sunlight Cafe”. Her recipe, Nut Crusted Mushrooms, is so clever and delicious, but it contains dairy. So we modified it a bit, but all the credit goes to her for these tasty morsels.

I was trying to decide how to incorporate these into a cute bento, so I sought my husband’s advice. He suggested a canoe. Of course he would think of a canoe; racing canoes is his favorite hobby. Some of you might be thinking, “Canoe racing? Where do you do that?” Well, there a many races and a New England Canoe club set up for people like us! (I race too sometimes.) Here is a photo from a race several years ago. I was actually 8-months-pregant in this photo but I tried to choose the most flattering angle for the blog post.

So, I really just used what I had on hand for the backdrop of the bento. Yellow Rice, a simple recipe in my cookbook- along with grapefruit, pomegranate, pistachios, and sugar snap peas.

My husband suggests preparing a warming tray or the oven on low to store these after they are cooked as they seem to get cold quickly.

Nutty Mushroom Recipe
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2 Port0bello mushrooms
1 egg
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/8 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
Pinch garlic powder
Olive oil

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Cut the mushroom caps into 1/2 inch slices.
Crack the egg into a shallow bowl and beat it.
Grind the almonds into a consistency of course sand. (Do not try to save time by using almond meal- it is too fine and doesn’t do well in this recipe.) Place the almonds, nutritional yeast, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder in another shallow bowl. (My husband suggests holding back some of the nut mixture as it tends to get clumpy when being dipped.)
Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Dip the mushroom slices in the egg, then in the nut mixture, and place it on the hot pan. Cook on each side until golden then place on a wire rack.

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I am sharing this recipe on And love it too,

Pumpkin Bars

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I have eaten pumpkin pie every thanksgiving for my whole life.  I can’t remember my mother ever making it any other time.  She always made the crust with whole wheat flour, the pie from a whole pumpkin, and sweetened with maple syrup.  When I was a kid I added an equal portion of whipped cream (also homemade) on top of my pie- sometimes more half-way through.  This recipe tastes a lot like pumpkin pie. In fact you could make it in a pie dish and call it pie if you want to!

Pumpkin Bar Recipe
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CRUST
1 cup almond meal/flour
1/2 cup quinoa flakes (found in the breakfast aisle)
3 tablespoons buttery spread
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt

FILLING
1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon arrowroot
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1/2 cup canned coconut milk (full fat)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING
1 cup chopped pecans

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.

Combine all of the crust ingredients together and press into the bottom of the prepared dish. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until the crust starts to turn golden.

Whisk together all of the filling ingredients and scoop on top of the pre-baked crust, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the top and bake for about 15-17 minutes until the filling has set.

Cool completely before serving.

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I am sharing this recipe on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten-Free Weekly Meal Plan, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Whole Food Fridays, Allergy-Free Wednesday