Miso Mushrooms is really just a twist on garlic mushrooms, but this recipe requires no added oil and yet it is thick, creamy and fully umami (that taste that most of us recognise but struggle to describe).
The oil is there indirectly by virtue of flaxseeds and tahini, in other words, foods in their whole form which means they each contribute fibre and protein in addition to their fats. The fat in the flaxseed is high in Omega 3, whilst in the tahini, it's more Omega 6. Of course they offer micronutrients too; did you know that sesame seeds (the seeds that make tahini) are a good source of calcium and they also contain some zinc?
We, Graham and Annette, put a heavy emphasis on wholefoods in our diet, so where does miso fit in? Put simply, miso contains ingredients that we understand, but it involves a process that we would struggle to recreate ourselves (maybe we're just unambitious ...we haven't ever tried!) It's also what is considered to be a fermented or 'living food' even though some of the ingredients, the soya beans, are cooked. And it's salty enough to mean that just a teaspoon or two is enough to mean no additional salt is needed in any dish to which it's added.
Although we love to eat many of our vegetables in their raw, natural state, we tend to cook mushrooms by lightly steaming them, and steamed mushrooms are particularly succulent in this sauce recipe.
Ingredients
1 clove of garlic
1 TSP miso
2 TSP lemon juice
2 TSP flax seeds
2 TSP tahini (raw or roasted, both work well)
1 tbsp water (add more as required)
Method
Blend all the ingredients until smooth. The sauce should be thick but not stodgy. Gently coat steamed mushrooms in the sauce and serve on vegetables or rice. The mushrooms pictured here are on a bed of cauliflower rice.