Recipe: Tofu Stuffed Mushroom

Our children went to friends for dinner tonight, so I got to experiment with a dish that only Elise and I would like -- nice, big, juicy mushrooms!

In the past, whenever we'd go out to eat, Elise would find stuffed mushrooms on the menu, but the stuffing usually consists of some sort of seafood or meat. So she'd end up a bit disappointed and have to settle for something else.

I had about 5 oz. of tofu left from some other dish I cooked a few days ago. It was crying out to be used before it spoiled. The idea of stuffed mushrooms came to mind. I browsed a few online recipes to get the general composition of the stuffing material and then went to work.

The final result, even to my tastebuds which clearly know the difference between meat and meatless stuff, was quite acceptable as a replacement for meat-based stuffing. I think the tofu would likely not be recognized by someone just casually popping it in their mouth.

I had some stuffing left after the mushrooms were stuffed, and I had a bit of kale sitting around, so I stir-fried them together (with a bit of lemon juice) to create a second dish.

(I forgot the heavy cream in the original blog post.)

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Tofu Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes 6 stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients

• 6 fresh, large, white mushrooms with tender stems
• 5 oz. firm tofu
• 1/2 tsp. each dried rosemary, basil, and thyme
• 1/4 tsp. dried sage
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, plus a little extra
• 1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
• 5 oz. yellow onion, chopped very fine
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp. heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Wipe mushroom caps with a clean towel or paper towel. Carefully pluck the stems off of the mushrooms. Slice and discard any woody portions from the stems. Mince the tender stems and set aside.
3. Drain and rinse tofu. Wrap tofu in clean paper towel, place on plate and microwave for about 2 minutes. (This helps remove some of the moisture from the tofu.) Finely chop the tofu and set aside.
4. Place rosemary, basil, thyme, and sage in mortar and with pestle grind into fine powder. Set aside.
5. In a frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add onions and saute until tender. Add the mushroom stems, tofu, and bread crumbs and stir to combine. Add the herb mixture, salt, and pepper. Stir. Add cream and stir to combine all ingredients well. Taste for salt. (It should be on the salty side.) Remove stuffing mixture from heat.
6. Lightly oil the bottom of a baking dish or pan. Stuff each mushroom cap with the stuffing mixture, making a small hill, and place into the baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until mushroom caps are tender. Serve immediately.