Vegan Bahn Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich) with Spicy Cashew Spread

I've always loved these Asian-French fusion sandwiches.  I usually use vegan mayo, but I thought I'd get a little fancy with a jalapeno cashew spread, that has the consistency of hummus.  If you've never tried one of these, they're savory, sweet, sour, and spicy, with a fresh crunch from the veggies.  These disappeared quickly! 


Ingredients:


For the mushrooms:

3-4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 pound portabello mushrooms (two large caps)

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. Mirin or Sweet Rice Wine

pinch of black pepper

For the spread*:

1 1/3 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapenos (you can use fresh, but may need to up the salt)

2 cloves garlic

2 1/2 Tbsp. Mezzetta Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)

1/4 cup water (or more)

*This makes much more than you'll need, but you use leftovers to spread on crackers or other things

To finish:

1 cup pickled carrots

1/2 cup torn fresh cilantro

Thinly sliced cucumber (6-10 slices per sandwich)

crusty sweet French bread (enough for two sandwiches)

Spinz:

1.  Soak raw cashews in hot water, set aside for later

2. Clean mushrooms and trim stems as needed, cutting into 1/2" slices

3.  Add the 3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a large hot skillet, then saute the mushrooms until tender and golden on the edges.  Make sure not to crowd the pan- do two batches if needed.  Remove mushrooms from the pan and set aside.

4.  To the same pan, turn off heat and add the soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, and black pepper.  Stir quickly until thick and  bubbly, scraping up any mushroom bits.  

5.  Pour sauce over mushrooms and toss, then set aside to let cool down and let flavors meld.

6.  Tear up the fresh cilantro and slice cucumbers, set aside

7.  Drain the raw cashews (soaked for 20-30 minutes) and put into a food processor.  Add the crushed garlic, 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and water.  Add more water by the tablespoon if needed and puree until creamy and hummus-like.  Add jalapeno peppers and pulse until small chunks are well incorporated into the spread.

8.  Assemble sandwiches:  Split two  6" or so pieces of french bread, leaving one side attached.  Spread the spicy cashew spread onto entire interior of the bread.  Spoon on marinated mushrooms, then layer cucumbers, pickled carrots  and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro.  Close and eat.

Morel Mushroom Stuffed Teriyaki Burgers and Morel Tater Tots, with Roasted Garlic Aioli & Asian Slaw

It's the Morel Mushroom Challenge! -I feel so "Iron Chefy!"

After recently being introduced to the Morel Mushroom, courtesy of Marx Foods, I found that I knew very little about this odd looking wild fungi.

Fresh Morels from Marx Foods

So I did a little research and found that these wonderful mushrooms have been around since the last ice age, and can be found wild in most parts of the world. Known for it's "brainy" conical structure, it also comes in several varieties, ranging in color from white creams to grays and blacks. Experienced morel hunters look for certain types of trees to find morels growing nearby, and it has become a big Spring pastime to gather them. As for the taste, I would describe them as having a distinctive fragrant earthy flavor with a more delicate texture than most common mushrooms found in markets.

Large dried morel

Now for the recipes:

The Burger...
After tasting the morels, I decided not to incorporate them directly into the burger, but to both "stuff them" with chopped morels and top them with sauted morels to bring out its maximum flavor. This way, the texture and flavor would not get lost -plus there's nothing like picking up a stray mushroom and popping it in your mouth!

Makes one good burger

Ingredients:
4 oz. dried morels, rehydrated in water (reserve 1 cup of the water)
5 oz. Gimme Lean Ground Beef Style Veggie Protein
1 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. mirin cooking wine
cracked black pepper (as desired)
1/4 C. thinly sliced yellow onion, lightly coated with unbleached all purpose flour and a pinch of salt
extra virgin olive oil (for cooking)
canola or vegetable oil for deep frying
whole wheat bun, toasted
Spinz:
After rehydrating the morels for an hour or more, remove 1 cup of the morel water and pour into a sauce pan. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, and mirin, and simmer until reduced to a syrup. In a large mixing bowl, break up the Gimme Lean and add cracked pepper. Add the syrup and mix well to incorporate evenly. Form into two thin patties (about 1/4 inch thick each). Chop half of the mushrooms and spread evenly between the patties. Squeeze the patties together to form one big patty. In a flat skillet, add the olive oil and cook each side of the patty for a few minutes, covering with a smaller metal lid before and after flipping. For the other half of the morels, cut them into large pieces. Saute them in olive oil and garlic until softened and edges are golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. For the onion straws, shake off excess flour and deep fry onions until golden and crisp. Drain on a paper towel or bag. Transfer the patty onto the toasted whole wheat bun. Top with a layer of fried onions, followed by a pile of sauted morels. Spread some of the garlic aioli onto the top bun, if desired.

For the Tots...
These are more like "disks," but remind me of tots. Using the muffin tin helps cook them evenly and gives them shape. And they'll be crisp on the outside and nice and tender on the inside.

Makes about 15 tots

Ingredients:
4 oz. morel mushrooms, rehydrated and finely chopped
1 large russett potato, peeled and grated
1 tsp. corn starch
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. water
salt & pepper
oil spray

Wrap the grated potato in a tea towel or clean cloth, and wring out as much water as possible. In a bowl, mix together with morels. Next, make a slurry of corn starch, olive oil, water and seasoning. Mix together well, then press the mixture into the muffin cups to about 1 inch thick. Make sure you press them tightly! Bake in a 450 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden. To give extra color to the tops, broil them on low for a few minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before popping out. You may need to loosen some with a small knife.

The Roasted Garlic Aioli was simple- Add chopped roasted garlic to some Vegenaise (vegan mayo of choice). A tip to make this less fatty and just as flavorful- do one part silken Mori-Nu tofu blended with one part Vegenaise.

The Asian Slaw was also simple- Toss finely shredded cabbage, carrots, green onion, whole bean sprouts, and cubed avocado with an Asian vinegrette. I mixed together soy sauce, rice vinegar, agave nectar, and a dash of sesame oil to make mine. Sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds.

Now, get ready to VOTE (if you like) on the Marx Foods blog. The winner gets 2 lbs. of fresh morels (oooh!) The recipes should be up soon, if not already. Unfortunately, mine was turned in a little too late to qualify, due to my unrealistic belief in multi-tasking! But please do head over there and gawk at all the lovely morels!

Special thanks to Justin Marx- you rock!
Also, special thanks to Mark (house mate extraordinaire) for helping me develop and execute these recipes.

Roasted Mushroom Sub with Carmelized Onions and Carrot Garlic Spread...whew!

Apologize for the long name... wanted to give this a special name, given that it's such a special sandwich! Hmmm... any ideas? So far, I got "QuizNO's on Shrooms" and "The Mushroom McHater,"and I was throwing around "The Cropper"- but no one got that. Of course, Mark wanted to call it "The Three-Way Sandwich" to add it the Sexy Vegan Line, but I said no.

Anyway- I roasted some mushrooms and garlic, and microwaved 4 or 5 big carrots (we just got a 10 lb. bag from Costco-gasp!), and was thinking about what to do with it all, when Mark suggested enthusiastically that we should make a sandwich. I happily stepped back and let him have at it (so to speak). The last input I had was to make a carrot puree, and he did the rest while I gladly played siou chef. So, maybe he does have some say in what it's called -don't tell him though!

What he came up with tasted like sheer genius. Meaty roasted mushrooms smothered in grilled onions with a sweet tangy carrot spread on one side and a creamy savory hummus on the other- adorned with optional tomatoes and lettuce. If only this was on the fast food menus!

Makes about 5-6 sandwiches (depending on how big you make them)

Ingredients:

-white button mushrooms (about 3-4 cups), cut in halves or quarters
-olive oil to toss (about 2 T.)
-salt & cracked black pepper
-4 large whole garlic cloves, peeled
-4 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
-lemon juice
-1 yellow onion, sliced
-1 T. margarine
-store-bought or homemade hummus
-sandwich buns of choice
-sliced tomatoes and lettuce (optional)

Spinz:

Roasted mushrooms and garlic:
Put the cut mushrooms in a large bowl and add a bit of the oil to toss. Also add salt and pepper and toss well. Scatter them onto a prepared baking sheet. For the garlic, add the cloves to the bowl that you just tossed the mushrooms in, and toss the garlic in the remaining oil left in the bowl. Put the garlic in a small piece of foil and close loosely. Put the baking sheet and foil wrap in the oven at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until nicely roasted. If the garlic needs it, leave it in there a bit longer until it's golden.

Carrot spread:
Put the cut carrots in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic and poke a couple of holes in it. Microwave on high for about 10 minutes, or until very tender (these are SO good just like that, with a little melted margarine btw). Strain the cooked carrots and put into a food processor with the roasted garlic. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Process until smooth- I like to leave little chunks of the garlic.

Carmelized onions:
Sautee onions with a little margarine (or oil) in a med-hot skillet until golden and tender.

To assemble, simply spread hummus on the bottom half of a toasted bun and spread the carrot spread on the other half. Pile on the mushrooms and onions, and serve!