Tag Archives: mushrooms

Meatless Monday – Walnut Rice with Cream Cheese, Mushrooms and Spinach

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Wow! It’s been awhile since my last post, which was my game plan for French Restaurant Week in June. There are officially 99 days left in 2024! I’ve been cooking a lot and replicating recipes using techniques rather than ingredients because I had to work with what I had. Over the summer, two months ago, I came home early enough to utilize the ingredients that are in the refrigerator before they went bad. After surveying the content at that time, I had leftover vegan cream cheese, spinach and unopened mushrooms that needed to be cooked or it would have been a waste. Therefore, after my child went to bed, I did a basic search on dishes containing cream cheese, mushrooms and spinach. The first thing that popped up on my search engine was the recipe from RiceSelect. After reviewing this recipe, I discovered I had all the ingredients: cooked rice, walnuts, butter, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. I gathered up what I had and here is what I had to work with:

See these ingredients I realized that I have a healthy comforting vegetarian dish in the works.

Butter from grass fed cows have good sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, chromium, copper, iodine, manganese, and zinc. For this recipe I used Vital Farms Unsalted Butter, has been labeled as on the best butters according to taste tests from Serious Eats and and Healthline. Personally I like using grass fed unsalted butter because it makes dishes taste a little richer while consuming the fat soluble vitamins essential for bone health. For this dish, I melted less than 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter.

Then after the butter is melted, I added the mushrooms and let it cook for approximately 4 minutes.

One cup of mushrooms contain multiple cancer fighting antioxidants such as “polyphenols, polysaccharides, ergothioneine, glutathione, selenium, and vitamin C”, These antioxidants fight off oxidative stress, and prevent tumors. The presence of polysaccharides in mushrooms help regular blood sugar and insulin production. Mushrooms also contain a specific type of polysaccharide called beta-glucans. Beta-glucans has been shown to activate macrophages and natural killer cells to stimulate the immune system, which will inhibit further tumor growth, reduce proliferation and metastasis. In addition to the prevention of tumor production, beta-glucans in its soluble form is capable of forming a “gel on the mucosal surface of the bowel”, which will reduce cholesterol levels. The presence of glutathione and ergothioneine in white mushrooms display their respective roles in getting rid of potentially harmful substances and keeping the DNA safe from oxidative damage. Ergothioneine acts as a bioactive agent to prevent plaque development, which reduces the risk of early cardiovascular disease. The presence of Vitamin C and selenium also adds another layer of anticancer properties by respectively blocking specific enzymes responsible for spreading cancer and prevent cancer development. Finally, white button mushrooms have prebiotics, which is beneficial for intestinal health and gut health.

After the mushrooms are cooked, add the vegan cream cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and reduce the heat temperature to medium-low.

Vegan Cream Cheese

Add cooked brown rice (leftover brown rice – a day old), stir to blend and heat with the mushroom cream cheese mixture (3-4 minutes).

Brown rice has been advertised and promoted as a healthy carbohydrate ingredient because it is considered a whole grain. Four years ago, a three prospective cohort study covering self-reporting, follow-up questionnaire with supplemental questionnaires covering a period of 33 years (1984-2017) was published. The results from this cohort study showed that higher consumption of whole grains, which includes brown rice was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes among the “158,259 women and 36,525 men who did not have type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at baseline”. However, in 2023, there was an article that was published revealing that there is more arsenic found in brown rice versus white rice. The article addressed that arsenic is considered an environmental pollutant that has contributed to higher risk of arsenic-induced metabolic syndrome whose symptoms include “a large waistline, high blood pressure, elevated fasting blood sugar, high triglyceride level, and low HDL cholesterol”. These symptoms often lead to cardiovascular disease in the long term. Ultimately, based on these two studies, more studies and research need to be completed to validate the health benefits of brown rice. In the meantime, we should limit food and products containing arsenic due to more consistent findings.

Add spinach to the rice mixture and stir until wilted.

Spinach is one of my favorite vegetable because of its versatility but more importantly this vegetable contains a large amount of health benefits. I have shared recipes in past blog posts containing spinach:

Recent research reveals another another component that is found in spinach called Betaine. Betaine has been known to help regulate homocysteine levels in the blood, which may contribute towards disease prevention such as heart disease, and stroke, Betaine has also been shown to with endurance, reduce fatigue and improve muscle power and strength.

After the spinach is wilted, remove pan from heat and add walnuts. Walnuts usually adds another layer of flavor and texture. They are great for garnishes. I personally like to include them when baking banana bread or incorporating them in a salad. There have been recent research showing that walnuts are beneficial for improving cognition and reducing the risk and/or progression of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. In additions the properties found in walnuts may provide protection against neuroinflammation.

Happy National Rice Month! I hope to continue to blog more successful dishes before the year ends!!

References:

Koman, T. We Taste-Tested 11 Supermarket Unsalted Butters—Here Are Our Favorites. Serious Eats. 2024 May 4. https://www.seriouseats.com/unsalted-butters-taste-test-8641945

Streit, L and Kubala, J. The 12 Best Butter Brands for Every Use. Healthline. 2022 Jun 30. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-butter-brands

Lang, A. White Mushrooms: Nutrition, Benefits, and Uses. Healthline. 2020 Jan 27. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/white-mushroom-nutrition

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Kalaras MD, Richie JP, Calcagnotto A, Beelman RB. Mushrooms: A rich source of the antioxidants ergothioneine and glutathione. Food Chem. 2017 Oct 15;233:429-433. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.04.109. Epub 2017 Apr 20. PMID: 28530594.

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Mehdi Y, Hornick JL, Istasse L, Dufrasne I. Selenium in the environment, metabolism and involvement in body functions. Molecules. 2013 Mar 13;18(3):3292-311. doi: 10.3390/molecules18033292. PMID: 23486107; PMCID: PMC6270138.

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Martin KR. Both common and specialty mushrooms inhibit adhesion molecule expression and in vitro binding of monocytes to human aortic endothelial cells in a pro-inflammatory environment. Nutr J. 2010 Jul 16;9:29. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-9-29. PMID: 20637088; PMCID: PMC2916885.

Solano-Aguilar GI, Jang S, Lakshman S, Gupta R, Beshah E, Sikaroodi M, Vinyard B, Molokin A, Gillevet PM, Urban JF Jr. The Effect of Dietary Mushroom Agaricus bisporus on Intestinal Microbiota Composition and Host Immunological Function. Nutrients. 2018 Nov 9;10(11):1721. doi: 10.3390/nu10111721. PMID: 30424006; PMCID: PMC6266512.

Solano-Aguilar GI, Jang S, Lakshman S, Gupta R, Beshah E, Sikaroodi M, Vinyard B, Molokin A, Gillevet PM, Urban JF Jr. The Effect of Dietary Mushroom Agaricus bisporus on Intestinal Microbiota Composition and Host Immunological Function. Nutrients. 2018 Nov 9;10(11):1721. doi: 10.3390/nu10111721. PMID: 30424006; PMCID: PMC6266512.

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Hu Y, Ding M, Sampson L, Willett WC, Manson JE, Wang M, Rosner B, Hu FB, Sun Q. Intake of whole grain foods and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three prospective cohort studies. BMJ. 2020 Jul 8;370:m2206. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m2206. PMID: 32641435; PMCID: PMC7341349.

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Traditional Tuesday – Bread Pudding

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Over the weekend, I decided to clean out the bulk of my refrigerator. What I came across were the following: Whole Wheat Bread, Mushrooms, Eggs, Milk, Thyme, Cream of Mushroom soup and White Cheddar Cheese. So it’s Sunday morning and I don’t want to waste food so I decided to create a family style portion of this comforting, hearty dish, which can also serve as a perfect potluck dish.

What is bread pudding?

Bread pudding is a dish that comprises of layering pieces of bread with a bunch of ingredients and mixing it with egg cream mixture prior to baking the concoction.

Where did bread pudding originate?

There are various version of where bread pudding originated from. The concept of this comforting dish came from the idea of utilizing leftovers while not wasting food. After reading the versions, I personally came to the conclusion that the bread pudding originated from the Egyptians. The Egyptians call their dish “Om Ali”, a dessert containing bread, milk or cream, almonds, and raisins. The Romans also created their version using stale bread, milk, fat and sweetener. In the Middle East, they create their own version called “Eish es Serny” which contains dried bread, sugar, honey syrup, rosewater and caramel. Currently, there is an Indian dish called “Shahi Tukra”, which is made from bread, ghee, saffron, sugar, rosewater and almonds. Of course, the real geniuses behind this comforting dessert do not get the proper recognition for creating bread pudding.

Now let’s get into on what food history has addressed the origins of bread pudding. Historians have stated that bread pudding originated in the Middle Ages with the invention of custard. By the 13th century the dish was labelled as a “poor man’s pudding” because it was made from leftover bread and was consumed by the lower classes. By the 18th century, the dish was served to people who were sick because the bread was easy to digest.

Over the last few centuries bread pudding has evolved to become a versatile dish where it can be made sweet, which popular in most high end restaurants (found in desserts) and savory.

A year ago during NYC restaurant week I had the privilege to eat the the Australian restaurant “Burke and Wills” located in the Upper West Side, which permanently closed early this year. They served an amazing dessert that was part of their three course prix fixe called “Bread and Butter Pudding” which was made with bread, toffee sauce, marscapone, and hazelnut.

Burke and Wills “Butter and Bread Pudding”

Over the weekend, I purged the refrigerator by utilizing all of the Whole Wheat Bread, Mushrooms, Eggs, Milk, Thyme, Cream of Mushroom soup and White Cheddar Cheese to made a Savory Mushroom Bread Pudding .

  • 1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees 2) Cut up the bread into cubes and layer the bottom of the pan. 3) Slice mushroom and spread it across the bread.
  • Combine 4 eggs, milk, cream of mushroom soup and thyme.
  • Whisk all ingredients until it’s well combined.
  • Pour mixture over bread and mushroom. Press the bread slices to absorb the egg mixture. Let it sit for 30 minutes
  • Place the dish in the oven and cook it for 35 minutes.
  • Add white cheddar slices/shreds on top and cook it for another 10 minutes so the cheese will melt. Serve.

The dish came out almost perfect because I used what I had leftover so this version had an unequal ratio. There was way more bread than there was mushroom and cheese. The cream of mushroom soup and thyme saved the day because the flavor of the dish was on point. In addition this dish serves six people and after consuming a third of what would be considered one slice was already filling. I had a lot of fun making this dish and would like to explore different variation of creating bread pudding. I definitely want to explore creating a different version that is gluten and dairy free.

“COVID-19 Lockdown” Game Plan Week 2

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Happy to say that Week 1 of the COVID-19 Lockdown was about 80% successful. I have been able to keep up with the steps which is essentially my meal schedule rather than food prep because my brain was not there to organize my meals. Part of that is just getting back into the groove and gaining momentum to eventually food prep for bigger and better meals.

Here are my pictures from last week’s game plan meals including the Rye French Toast:

Rye French Toast
Alpha Food Pot Pie Beefy Chedd’r (vegan)
Kodiak Cake Chocolate Chip Protein Waffles
Lentil Stew
Fettuccine with Mushroom and Steak Sauce
Fishpeople’s Cod with garlic parmesan potato bacon topping
Bacon wrapped carrots
Parmesan Bacon Orzo with Roasted Carrots and Onion

We have entered week 2 of the COVID-19 Lockdown and things in New York City has gotten worse. The lock down has now extended to another two weeks. There will be no Holy Week services, which I look forward too. However, I have been spiritually more involved in watching live streaming services online.

Given all that is going on I feel lucky and blessed. I am very thankful to God and the good spirits that I have a roof over my head and a job at least for two months. So making every effort to work for the glory of God because HE controls our fate.

In order to stay in compliance, my other half went to the supermarket while I worked from home. This week’s game plan also has ingredients from last week because there were some changes to the steps from last week.

We would love to hear any feedback regarding this week’s game plan. Stay tuned for pictures of my journey through this game plan. Everyone stay safe and may God Bless America!

Meatless Monday – Udon Miso Noodle Soup

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Happy Meatless Monday! Can’t believe October is almost ending and before we know 2017 is going to end and I am playing catch up with game plan recipes that we made this year to date.

On my New Year’s Day – Sunday Game Plan post there were a list of good luck foods to consume during the New Year.  One of these lucky foods is buckwheat noodles especially soba noodles.  Unfortunately, I ended up getting udon noodles, which also contains buckwheat.  In Japan, people consume long buckwheat noodles to signify good fortune.    Confession, I did not end my making the Udon Miso Noodle Soup until well after New Years due to leftovers and lack of room in my refrigerator.

Udon Noodles – introduced in the 9th century by the Buddhist priest Kudai is made up of buckwheat, which is considered a type of complex carbohydrates, which is documented to help with weight loss and prevent diabetes & heart disease.  They are also:

  • low in calories
  • easily digested – udon dissolves faster than regular pasta & three times faster than beef
  • due to its easy digestion and dissolving properties, it helps retain heat in the extremities during winter because blood is not rushing to the stomach.
  • contains four kinds of vitamin B:
    • Thiamine (Vitamin B1): plays a huge role in metabolism preventing headaches, fatigue, muscle weakness, nerve damage, brain disorders, especially Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS), and memory disorders e.g. Alzheimer’s Disease, stress, inflammation and vision problems e.g. glaucoma.
    • Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): prevents cancers, migraines and hair/skin damage
    • Niacin (Vitamin B3): plays a role in improving cholesterol levels, lowering heart disease risks, joint pain, treating diabetes, preventing acne, headaches, migraines, Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD, memory loss, depression, motion sickness, insomnia, muscle weakness, digestive problems, alcohol dependence and erectile dysfunction.
    • Folate (Vitamin B9): plays a critical role in healthy pregnancy by preventing neural tube defects, which causes spina bifida, anencephaly, malformations of the limbs and heart complications, prevents cancers, anemia, heart attacks, strokes, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and depression.

So finally, here’s my recipe for Udon Miso Noodle Soup:

Obviously, I did not provide a calorie count for each of the ingredients because I cooked this dish in bulk (Serves 4 people).

2.5 cups of water

Left over mushrooms and kale (part of the spinach & greens family) (Mushrooms were 0.69 per package at Aldi, and kale was 0.99/lb on sale at local supermarket)

3 tablespoons of Yamajirushi Awase Miso ($4 lasts about a year)

1 package of Sunrise Extra Firm Tofu, cubed ($1.50 at Good Fortune Asian Supermarket)

1 red onion, sliced ($1.49 a bag at Good Fortune Asian Supermarket)

1 package of udon noodle (approximately  $3 or less if on sale for a pack at any Asian Supermarket)

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Throwback Thursday – Da Nico Ristorante – Little Italy 

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One of the popular festivities celebrated in New York is the San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy.  This festival last 10 days, this year the festival started from 9/14 thru 9/24.  The festival is held along Mulberry Street.  The street is so packed to the point of claustrophobia and it can be worse than rush hour.

There were a variety of food items such as sausage and peppers, pastries, pina coladas, seafood, fried oreos etc. to purchase but they are overpriced. Personally I’ve avoided eating food from the vendors.  Therefore I prefer eating at one of my favorite spots:

Da Nico Ristorante (164 Mulberry Street) is a local favorite in Little Italy and it has a garden. But with the humidity and hot weather we decided to stay indoors.

We went on a Friday night and we walked in and were seated immediately.  I’ve eaten here several times for lunch and was never disappointed.  The place as I recalled was known for their meat dishes.  Portions of each dish were perfect where there were no leftovers. Service was overall great and very accommodating given the busy atmosphere. I definitely want to return here for lunch and eat at the garden.

Here are the dishes that were ordered:

Appetizer: Mozzarella In Carrozza $13. This dish is coated in different kinds of flour and breading. The texture was light not greasy. The sauce was so good. Unfortunately, was hoping for more slices. 

Entrees: Both entrees came with sides of vegetables and a rice ball.  Vegetables were good, the rice ball, not so much.  A side of penne alla vodka was also ordered, however, there were better versions.

The star main entrees overall were amazing, the taste and texture remained the same after 13 years. 

Pollo Cardinale – chicken breast, prosciutto, roasted red peppers and mozzarella $24

Veal Marsala – veal scallopine with sauteed mushrooms in Marsala wine $25

Dessert: Zeppoles – COMPLEMENTARY

Da Nico provided complementary zeppoles. I was so full from my entree, nonetheless, they were well made not too greasy and love the dusting balance. 


Stay tuned tomorrow for another food adventure in Little Italy.