Where are my mushroom lovers at? I truly feel mushrooms should be a staple in a vegan diet. They are natures perfect umami flavor. And frankly, I eat them any chance I get. Aside from them being divinely delicious they also boast some great health benefits including but not limited to: selenium (an antioxidant mineral), vitamin D (rare in veggies!), calcium, iron, fiber, high in beta-glucans and conjugated linoleic acid which are anti-carcinogenic. They are also high in said to improve high blood pressure as well as being high in protein low in calories and low in carbohydrates making them great for those with both hypertension and diabetes. Plus, they carry anti-biotic properties! Basically, mushrooms should make their way into your diet. The meaty-ish texture is a great alternative in dishes that would normally call for meat such as a portobello burger, stroganoff, wellington, pizza topping and so much more.
For this recipe, the mushrooms are the star. It’s kept pretty simple. So if you aren’t a mushroom lover this may not be your thing but not to worry as there are so many other ways to get mushroom super-food goodness into your life. I serve this dish during the holidays because they are rich, decadent and add that wonderful umami flavor alongside the other holiday dishes. And I’ll already have wine and herbs ready to go on holidays making this super easy to wip up, with the added bonus that a bottle of wine is open and ready to be enjoyed! I’d also like to add that the wine-mushroom combo is the stuff dreams are made of, for myself at least.
Feel free to switch up the type of wine or herbs you use in this recipe!
Ingredients
- 24 oz button mushrooms (about 20-30 mushrooms), cleaned off and de-steamed
- 1 1/2 cups merlot
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 tbsp. minced fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp. chopped parsley for garnish
Method
Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the minced garlic and thyme, let the garlic start to turn golden, about 1 min. then add the mushrooms. Pour red wine in and heat until the wine comes to a soft boil, turn down heat to a simmer and cover. Let that simmer 5-10 min until the wine starts to reduce by about half. Take the lid off turn the heat up and stir again until most of the wine is reduced. Once that wine has reduced, take off the heat and serve with parsley on top. Enjoy!