England & Germany Part 1, Plus Stuffed Mushrooms

I got new stuff! Isn't that really the point of vacations anyway? Our trip to all-vegan grocery store Veni Vidi Vegi in Berlin (more on that later) brought me such goodies as white and milk chocolate bars, Nutella taste-alike and soy whipping cream! I even got a brotform (I couldn't stop myself, German brotform...). But what I'm sure you noticed first, by far my best acquisition, is an original copy of the Moosewood Cookbook. 

We visited our extended family while in England and my aunt, who used to live in hippy-trippy San Fran in the 70's, passed on the scepter of vegetarianism to me, via the famous Moosewood Cookbook. Essentially every recipe in the cookbook can be easily vegan-ized, so expect to see some great vegetarian classics coming your way. The Moosewood Cookbook is also undeniably a collectors item and a true period piece -- I can't thank my aunt enough for it!

Look! It even came with authentic German instructions that I can't read!

My aunt was also amazing enough to type up some of her favorite vegan recipes for me, including the amazing stuffed mushrooms she made for me while we were over. Truthfully, I'm no big mushroom lover -- I love the taste of them, but the weird gummy texture turns me off. But these mushrooms are completely unlike any others I've had. Somehow, they're not gummy at all, while still maintaining the delicious mushroom flavor. If you're ever going to make mushrooms for a main course, I highly recommend these. 

Forgive the lack of picture, but just take my word for it: make these.

Walnut Stuffed Mushrooms a la Tecla

From Aunt Paula

Ingredients:

4 large flat-bed mushrooms

1 small onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

5 fresh sage leaves, finely minced 

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely minced

1 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup breadcrumbs 

1 vegetable bouillon cube, crumbled

olive oil

salt

pepper

Directions:

Remove the mushroom's stems and dice them finely. Rub an oven-proof dish with a little bit of olive oil. Peel the mushrooms and place them into the dish.

Over medium heat, saute the onion, garlic, mushroom stems and bouillon in a little bit more olive oil until the onion becomes slightly translucent. Add the sage and rosemary, and cook until fragrant. 

In a small bowl, mix the walnuts and breadcrumbs together. Add the onion mixture and stir to blend. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Spoon the walnut mixture evenly onto the mushroom bases. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until lightly browned on top.