Rosemary Mushroom Strudel

photo by Olga Vasiljeva

Recipe from Radiant Health, Inner Wealth

Mushroom lovers, this dish was made for you (us)! There is nothing like a medley of well flavored mushrooms to delight the palate and nourish the body. If you are gluten intolerant, you can substitute pan-fried polenta for the puff pastry. However you end up, this is a delicious, easy, and impressive way to begin a meal. Oh, and yes, this is a great side dish for Thanksgiving!

Rosemary Mushroom Strudel

½ lb. frozen puff pastry dough (thawed according to the package directions)*

Mushroom Mania:

1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps

1½ cups (3 oz.) sliced or chopped portabella mushroom caps

1½ teaspoons fresh rosemary leaf, chopped

½ teaspoon each: dried thyme and fresh lime juice

¼ teaspoon each: organic sugar and ground black pepper

5 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon each: balsamic vinegar, tamari (or shoyu or soy sauce), and olive oil (or rosemary-infused olive oil)

Garnish:

1 tablespoon olive oil or rosemary infused olive oil

1 teaspoon each: dried minced onion and fresh rosemary leaf, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Sauté all of the ingredients for the mushroom mania medley (mmm...) over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed.

2. Cut the puff pastry into 3-inch squares. Alternatively, you can opt for fun shapes, made using cookie cutters. Place the pastry pieces on lightly oiled cookie sheets, leaving just a little room in between so they can puff out. Top them evenly with the mushroom medley.

3. Drizzle the additional olive oil evenly on top of them and sprinkle with the dried onion and rosemary. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve immediately.

Serves 4; 30 minutes or under! GF (with polenta)/Purple (according to the health guidelines in my books)

*To substitute polenta for the puff pastry, simply follow the directions for making polenta on page 94 of RHIW. When the polenta is firm (after chilling overnight), cut it into squares or shapes and pan-fry it until golden browned on both sides. Top the hot, pan-fried polenta pieces with the cooked mushroom mixture, sprinkle with the garnishes, and serve.