I’ll admit I’m on a serious mushroom kick these days. It really is the craziest thing. What was once a feared and dare I say, food enemy of mine, is now a dear friend. Dramatic? Perhaps a little. But if you knew how much I really hated mushroom before, you too would be just as flabbergasted as I am.

Hence, the reason why I have created yet another mushroom dish. This one first came about because I basically just had some mushrooms leftover, we were going out of town, and I certainly didn’t want to let them go to waste. When I served it to my husband as a snack on the road, he got so excited! “What is that?!” he exclaimed. He immediately said I should put it on the website, so here it is. The green I added is my beloved broccoli (my favorite veggie ever) but of course feel free to add whatever you want. I think asparagus or spinach would be really nice!

Like I explained in my creamy mushroom soup recipe, mushrooms have some wonderful health properties. The shiitake mushroom which is used in this recipe, are antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal.

Benefits of shiitake mushrooms:

• Removes excess fat and cholesterol from the blood
• Are complete proteins
• Reduces cholesterol
• Induces immune response against cancer and viral diseases
• Rich source of b vitamins
• Rich in vitamin D, folate, zinc, and fiber
• Improves energy and brain function
• Reduces inflammation in the body

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Servings: 4-5

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms, diced
• 3 scallion stalks, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp coconut oil
• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked in water
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth + 3 tbsp
• 2.5 cups brown rice pasta
• 2 small heads of broccoli, chopped (you could also use asparagus or spinach instead)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3 stalks green onion stalks, chopped
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place cashews in bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside.
2. In a medium sized pan, heat coconut oil on medium. Add 3 tbsp of veggie broth.
3. Add in mushrooms and saute for about 5-7 minutes, stirring often. Add a splash more veggie broth if the mushrooms stick to the bottom of the pot.
4. While that is cooking, fill a small/medium sized pan with water and bring to a boil. Add in chopped broccoli and cover.
5. In the pot with mushrooms, add garlic. Saute for a few minutes until cooked. Remove all ingredients from pot to a small bowl and set aside.
6. Carefully add in water to hot pot and fill halfway, enough for the pasta. Bring to boil and add in pasta. Cook al dente.
7. In a high powered blender, add in half of the cooked mushrooms, cashews (drained from water), nutritional yeast, 3/4 cup veggie broth, lemon, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Taste test to add more salt and pepper.
8. Add together pasta, broccoli, cooked mushrooms, green onions, and creamy sauce. Stir well, serve, and enjoy!

Note: If you want even more shroomy flavor, just add more!

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