Crimini Cups

One of the best ways to use mushrooms, such as crimini and portabella, is to use the cap as part of an open-faced sandwich, topping it with whatever you like. I often make mushroom pizza with a portabella mushroom “crust”. It saves the carbs and the time! For this recipe, I used crimini mushrooms, which work well for bite-sized appetizers or snacks, and I topped each mushroom with chopped canned pickled beets, herb goat cheese and lemon garlic vinaigrette, all garnished with chopped parsley. The result is irresistibly colorful and packed with just the right amount of bite from the pickled beets and creaminess from the herbed goat cheese.

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Glow power:

Crimini mushrooms (also called “baby bellas”): have only 3-4 calories per one, are low in carbohydrates and sodium, are an excellent source of cancer-fighting selenium, reduce blood pressure and risk of stroke, are a good source of B-vitamins, contain tryptophan, which is essential to create vitamin B-3 and helps control sleep pattern and mood swings, help to prevent breast cancer and contain a high amount of antioxidant L-ergothioneine, which is important in protecting from UV and radiation as well as contributing to the liver’s detoxification abilities.

Crimini Beet and Goat Cheese Cups

by Aylin @ Glow Kitchen

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients (8-10 servings)

For the Base

  • 8-10 crimini mushrooms, stemmed
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup canned pickled beets, chopped
  • 1-2 ounces herb goat cheese
  • Chopped parsley for garnish

For the Vinaigrette

  • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped

Instructions

Begin by washing the crimini mushrooms with a wet towel. You don’t want to run them under the sink, since the mushrooms will absorb the water and compromise the flavor later.

Stem the mushrooms and place them top-side down on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pop into the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, or until they are soft, but not mushy or completely without some stature.

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Meanwhile, whisk together 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil with the juice of half a lemon. To the mix, add the garlic clove chopped as finely as possible. Dice the pickled beets.

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To serve, top each crimini cap with the pickled beets, a teaspoon of the lemon garlic vinaigrette and crumbled herbed goat cheese. Garnish with chopped parsley.

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Enjoy!

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The dish is decidedly earthy, but there is enough tang from the pickled beets to bring some oomph. The garlic isn’t shy either.

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Bon Appetit!

xo Aylin

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving may be over, but this holiday pie can take your through Christmas. Vegan it may be, but it’s absolutely rich, deep, and reminiscent of its unhealthier counterpart.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

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Ingredients:

(Recipe adapted from OhSheGlows.com)

Crust:

– 1 cup rolled oats

– 2 cups pecans (raw)

– 1 tsp cinnamon

– 1/2 tsp salt

– 1/4 cup maple syrup

– 1 tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance)

Filling:

– 2 cups canned pumpkin

– 1/2 cup sugar

– 1/4 cup coconut butter

– 1 tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance)

– 1/3 cup maple syrup

– 3 tbsp cornstarch (I used arrowroot powder)

– 2 tsp vanilla extract

– 2 tsp cinnamon

– 1/2 tsp ground ginger

– 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

Food process the oats until they reach a fine flour-like consistency.

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Add the pecans and process until the mixture begins to clump.

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Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the earth balance butter with the maple syrup, and immediately fold into the crust mixture along with the other spices.

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Form the crust in the bottom and edges of a buttered glass pie dish.

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For the filling, first combine the arrowroot powder with the maple syrup, stir to combine thoroughly and then add the rest of the ingredients.

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…so it looks like this:

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Poke the crust with a fork to allow steam to escape while it cooks.

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Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven, pour the filling into it and pop the dish back into the oven for another 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

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About 15 minutes into the 2nd round in the oven, cover the sides of the pie (the crust) with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Pop back into the oven for the remaining 15-20 minutes.

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When all is done and the center of the pie is cooked through (check that a toothpick comes out clean), let the pie cool to room temperature and then put it into the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to cool.

After the wait…

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Excuse the lighting of the horrible stand-in camera I’m forced to use these 2 weeks, but you get the idea! Serve with some maple syrup and coconut-based ice cream!

SO rich, delicious and seemingly naughty.

Bon Appetit!

xo Aylin