Greens and Shiitake Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh, leafy greens, or 10 to 12 ounces frozen
- 4 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 5 Tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1⁄2 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
Stem, wash, and chop greens if fresh.
Remove stems from mushrooms and discard.
Slice mushrooms.
Melt butter in a heavy pan over high heat.
Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or so until aromatic.
Add mushrooms and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, to brown the mushrooms.
Add greens, soy sauce, and 1⁄4 cup water.
Reduce heat to simmer greens, stirring occasionally, until done to desired taste, 30 minutes or so.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6
Shiitake mushrooms are great sources of protein, B vitamins, selenium, and copper. Perhaps more impressive, they have been studied for their ability to increase immune response and prevent artery disease.
• Oyster mushrooms are also good sources of B vitamins, selenium, copper, protein, and are extra high in potassium. They come in a variety of soft colors—gray, blue, pink, yellow, and white. The color disappears when they are cooked. They have a milder flavor than shiitakes. See one way to prepare them here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qb2KF6kvhA
• Heather Gayler Barnes’ favorite vegetarian dish is a “shiitake slider” that she makes by brushing shiitake mushroom caps with olive oil, sprinkling them with paprika, and cooking them a few minutes in a skillet, then piling them on Hawaiian rolls with avocado and cooked red onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
