I feel like people either love or hate mushrooms! I am personally in the LOVE category! Their mild taste makes it easy to add to many types of dishes such as salads, stir frys, pastas, burger toppings, and more.

 Mushrooms and can be a confusing topic though. There are the typical mushrooms that we are use to cooking with such as cremini, portobello, and shiitake but there are other ones that are used more so for medicinal purposes.

Let me break them down for you:

Cremini: are high in selenium, riboflavin, copper, and contain come B vitamins

Portobello: are a great alternative to meat due to their texture and flavour. They contain high levels fo niacin, riboflavin, selenium, copper, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, potassium and more

Shiitake: are high in niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, manganese, phosphorus and more. They also contain a source of vitamin D although it’s still best to get it from the sun. 

Now I know there are other common mushrooms that people cook with but these three should give you a good understanding of the potential benefits of including mushrooms in your diet!

Adaptogenic “Superfood” Mushrooms

Super food mushrooms have taken the health and wellness industry by storm over the past couple of years. You can buy them in powders and add them to coffees and smoothies and even find supplement forms of them. Be aware that these mushrooms in powered form can be quite pricey and there is little science to actually prove the claims they make. Here are some main ones:

Reishi: studies suggest that it may decrease inflammation, support heart, liver, digestive, mental and immune health as well as fight infection, and support sleep, and skin.

Cordyceps: another popular mushroom in recent years that may support immune, kidney, bladder, liver, reproductive and heart health while also supporting other functions in our bodies.

Chaga: Known as mushroom tea or coffee in recent years, chaga may support immune health and reduce inflammation!

Lion’s Mane: May support brain, digestive, immune, mental and heart health while also decreasing inflammation and more!

Note on adaptogenic mushrooms: Do your research and find out which one best suits you. Don’t feel like you have to spend all your money one them. Chaga is a good option which you can order in its whole form and brew to make tea.

How should you incorporate mushrooms into your diet?

-grill portobellos or sauté add to pastas

-add cremini mushrooms to just about anything!

-and use shiitake mushrooms in a soup recipe

-for the adaptogenic mushrooms, I recommend adding them to warm drinks or smoothies

-chaga is great as a tea

Walnut Lentil Stuffed Mushroom 

This recipe is a simple alternative to our not so healthy stuffed mushrooms. These are filled with healthy fats, protein and fiber and are even vegan!

 They make the perfect side dish or appetizer for the holidays, girl’s night, or when you just have some company over. 

 I hope you enjoy this healthy spin on a classic comfort food! 

Ingredients:

• ½ cup cooked lentils
• 1-1 ½ cups walnuts and/or pecans
• ¼ cup fresh basil
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp water
• 18 button mushrooms
• salt and pepper to taste
• additional olive oil to cover mushrooms
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Carefully remove the stems from the mushrooms
3. Place mushrooms on a lined baking sheet and thinly cover with olive oil
4. Combine lentils, walnuts/pecans, basil, and olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. If you need more liquid add the 1 tbsp of water. Add slowly do the mixture does not become to thin.
5. Scoop mixture into mushrooms
6. Place in the oven for 30 minutes or until mixture starts to brown
7. Remove and sprinkle with nutritional yeast