not just mushrooms on toast

I love the earthiness of mushrooms. Especially the brown ones. They taste like a forest. If I close my eyes, I’m somewhere else. While I’m not keen on the hallucinogenic kind, nor the kind that kill you. I’m very fond of the table varieties. Eating these mushrooms feels as soul nurturing as a bush walk on a crisp and clear Autumn morning (but with less exertion).

Mushrooms on toast #1
sourdough bread, toasted
parmesan cheese, finely grated
butter
olive oil
parsley, chopped
thyme, chopped
swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
salt
black pepper
egg, poached (I had 2 eggs because this was actually my dinner)
½ clove garlic, crushed (garlic is optional. Either add to the frying mushrooms or rub it on the toast if you want a sharper flavour)

Fry the mushrooms in butter and oil, add parsley and thyme.
Sprinkle the parmesan on the toast, top with mushrooms.
Place poached egg on top and finish with salt, pepper and a parsley garnish.

Mushrooms on toast #2
sourdough bread, toasted
goat cheese curd (a smooth creamy goat cheese)
olive oil
swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
salt
black pepper
parsley, chopped

Fry the mushrooms in a little oil.
Spread the goats cheese on the toast, sprinkle with salt.
Top with mushrooms.
Finish with pepper and parsley.

ratatouille: a healthy dinner in 15 minutes!

Ratatouille is a super fast and super healthy meal. What’s more, I think it’s super tasty. You don’t need a lot of ingredients to make a basic ratatouille but you can jazz it up with extras like parmesan or romano cheese, olives and more fresh herbs, like basil and parsley. Don’t make your vegetable chunks too big, this will slow cooking time.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red capsicum, 2 cm dice
1 eggplant, 2 cm dice
1 zucchini, 2 cm dice
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp thyme leaves
½ cup water
½ tsp sugar (sugar will balance the acidity of the tomatoes)
handful of baby spinach

In a medium saucepan, start by frying the onion in the olive oil.
Add the remaining ingredients, minus the baby spinach.
Simmer for 10 minutes or until eggplant is soft and cooked.
Watch the moisture level, add a little more water if you need to, the aim is a thick sauce but not too dry.
As soon as eggplant is reaching ‘cooked’ which is 5 minutes before serving, prepare couscous (1:1 with boiling water, cover and allow to absorb for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork).
Finally, add the baby spinach and stir through. …Bon appetit!

Alternatively, serve with brown rice, pasta, a bread stick, or on its own.