Mushrooms Masters: A Tournament of Taste - Portabella Playoff

Welcome to the very first round of the Mushrooms Masters: A Tournament of Taste!

Let's kick things off with a little introduction. What started as a friendly bet between representatives of a couple countries has quickly turned into a bigger event.

Canada, the US, and Australia have pitted 12 amazing food bloggers, 4 representing each country, against each other in this Tournament of Taste.

For 4 weeks, each country will offer up a delicious recipe from their food bloggers for voting on Tastespotting. Every week you can head on over and vote for Canada!

At the end of each week, a winning recipe/country will be announced.

So, without further ado, let's get this thing started.

Competing in the Portabella Playoff, against American Blogger Sara from Sprouted Kitchen, and Australian Blogger Jules from Stone Soup, is the fabolous Angela from Oh She Glows...

Hello, my name is Angela Liddon. I am a spunky and passionate vegan bakery owner, healthy living writer, and photographer who found her glow with a vegan diet. Oh She Glows documents how I got my glow back, after years of depriving myself, and discovered that food can be fun. I tempt with delicious vegan recipes and mouth-watering photography and most of all, I show that Vegan doesn't have to be a bad word.

Easy Stuffed Portabella Pizza in a Cashew Basil Cheese Sauce

These ridiculously cute and mouth-watering Portabella pizzas taste so much like the real thing you won’t believe they are vegan, gluten-free, and good for you! Shhh, don’t tell my husband.

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10-12 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 8 Portabella mushrooms

• 2 cups pizza sauce

• Vegan Cashew Basil Cheese Sauce (see recipe below)

• 1/3 cup of each: red, green, orange pepper, diced

• 1/3 cup sweet onion, diced

• 2-3 large basil leaves, finely diced

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions: Preheat oven by setting the broiler on low. Take a baking sheet and cover with a silicone non-stick baking mat or parchment paper for easy clean up. Make your Vegan Cashew Basil cheese sauce by using the recipe below. Set aside. Remove stems of Portabellas and gently rub Portabellas with a wet cloth to clean. Place Portabellas ‘belly’ side up on the baking sheet. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce into each Portabella. Now spoon about 2 teaspoons of Vegan Cashew basil Cheese Sauce on top of the pizza sauce (see recipe below). Grab a cutting board and knife and chop the onion and pepper and then sprinkle onto Portabellas. Finally, shake on some red pepper flakes and sprinkle finely diced basil on top. Broil in the oven on the lowest temperature setting on the middle rack for about 10-12 minutes, watching closely as broiler temperatures vary. Serve immediately and enjoy! Serves 3-4.

Vegan Cashew Basil Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews

• 1/3-1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt, to taste

• 1/2 tsp cold-pressed sunflower oil

• 1 fresh basil leaf

• 1 small clove garlic

• 1.5 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions: Place 1 cup of raw cashews in a bowl of water, cover, and soak overnight in the fridge. When cashews are ready, drain and place all ingredients (cashews, Himalayan sea salt, cold-pressed sunflower oil, basil, garlic, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice) into a food processor and process until smooth, stopping to scrape sides of processor as necessary. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Place any leftover cheese in a container in the fridge and enjoy with chopped vegetables, crackers, bread, and chips!

Sounds and looks delicious!

Head on over to Tastepotting to vote for Angela's Easy Stuffed Portabella Pizza in a Cashew Basil Cheese Sauce Recipe now!

TIP: You can follow the contest by subscribing to Mushrooms Canada's Blog Feed. Just click here to sign up! You don't want to miss this contest!

It's Coming...

...the most exciting Global cooking battle since Iron Chef...



Food Bloggers from Canada, the US, and Australia will face off in this weekly challenge, starting August 31st, to see which country can claim the Mushroom Masters title.

On the Canadian side competing for mushroom glory we have:

• Week One: Angela from Oh She Glows competing in the Portabella Playoff
• Week Two: Jeannette from Everybody Likes Sandwiches competing in the Button Battle
• Week Three: Elizabeth from Guilty Kitchen competing in the Shiitake Showdown
• Week Four: Kevin from Closet Cooking competing in the Wildcard Round

Come back each week to see the newest recipe entry, and to head over to Tastespotting to vote for Canada!

Stay tuned because the contest starts next week!

TIP: You can follow the contest by subscribing to Mushrooms Canada's Blog Feed. Click here to sign-up! You won't want to miss this contest!

posted by Brittany

Wordless Wednesday

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Make Room For Fresh Mushrooms

July 7, 2010

by Rita Demontis, Toronto Sun

Make it a mushroom moment — this delicate gift from Mother Earth offers the perfect compliment to any savoury dish, and is excellent for breakfast, lunch, dinner — even as a snack.

According to Foodland Ontario, mushrooms are fat-free and low in calories, and can be enjoyed raw or cooked. They do bruise easily, however, so do handle with care. To preserve freshness, store them in a brown paper bag and use them as soon as possible.

According to Mushrooms Canada, (founded in 1955 as a voluntary, non-profit organization whose members are dedicated to the production and marketing of fresh mushrooms nationally with membership including mushroom growers, processors, spawn makers, suppliers, scientists and other allied industries) Canadian mushrooms are available fresh every single day of the year.

Fresh mushrooms are firm to the touch, have uniform colour and have a slightly shiny surface, but don't be alarmed by particles of peat moss that may be on some of the mushrooms — they're completely harmless and may be brushed off prior to use.

And if you're only familiar with one type of mushroom, like the beloved button, stretch yourself creatively and try your hand at cooking up another mushroom available for use. You'd be surprised at the flavour sensations they offer, especially when you blend a bunch together. I recently did so with a plate of pasta and was amazed at how flavourful they all were, especially when I added three tiny drops of truffle oil to the finished dish.

Popular mushrooms in Canada

Some of the most popular mushrooms in Canada include:

• White "button": Three different sizes. Has a woodsy flavour which becomes stronger with cooking.
• Crimini "brown": Similar to the white mushroom in shape and size, but firmer to the touch. Meaty and earthy flavour.
• Portabella (portabellini): The largest of the domestic mushrooms.
• Shiitake: Have large, fleshy brown caps; their taste is meaty and woodsy.
• Oyster: Have a light to dark brown, funnel-shaped cap with a delicate flavour and velvety texture.
• Enoki: Have long, slender white stems with tiny, firm caps. Very mild, delicate flavour with a slight crunch.
• Chanterelle: Are trumpet-shaped, bright yellow to orange in colour and have a delicate, nutty flavour.

To see two of Rita's favourite mushroom recipes check out the article on the Toronto Sun Website.

posted by Brittany

Wordless Wednesday

{via What's Cookin, Chicago?}