mushrooms

Guest Post: ‘Shrooms with a Brew

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‘Shrooms with a Brew

Special Easy-to-Grow Mushroom Garden Giveaway to Support Breast Cancer Awareness


Three Special Offers Just for Cooking For a Vegan Lover Readers

1)     Comment on this post to be in the running to win a free Easy-to-Grow Mushroom Garden .

(Giveaway closes October 29th at noon)

The Winner is AutumnTao!


2)     Also, use limited time checkout code: veganlover20 for a 20% discount online.

3)     We’re currently donating 5% of proceeds to support breast health organizations…help support the cause!

It was Spring ’09 and we were fourth years at UC Berkeley. Both of us had offers in corporate America. Investment banking and consulting seemed to be the futures waiting for us after graduation. All that changed one day after listening to a lecture in one of our business ethics courses where we first heard about the idea that gourmet mushrooms can be grown entirely on recycled coffee grounds.

We could really do something with this idea: we discussed the possibilities. America is absolutely addicted to coffee. The world production of coffee is nearly 7 million tons a year. Only 1% ends up in the cup, while 99% ends up in the land fill. The possibility of diverting this waste stream, a negative externality, into something of value, gourmet mushrooms, was something we just couldn’t let go. As the weeks went by, we really dove into first seeing if we could actually grow mushrooms from coffee grounds, and then seeing if this idea could work as the basis of a full scale social venture.

The first plan of action was definitely an interesting experience. We went around to local coffee shops collecting used coffee grounds. Out of the 10 buckets of the mushrooms we planted, only one grew. In that one bucket though, we saw potential. We took that batch to the local Berkeley Whole Foods, and the team members we showed it to took a real interest. We created a plan and submitted our business proposal to “Bears Breaking Boundaries,” an entrepreneurial competition sponsored by the UC Berkeley Chancellor to provide $5,000 in initial funding for a ground breaking project. And that’s really the story of how we got started, giving up the corporate titles to carry a new one: “The Mushroom Guys.”

At its heart, BTTR Ventures (pronounced Better) stands for “back to the roots,” a phrase that encompasses the idea of creating a company that stands for sustainability, innovation, and social responsibility. What is so unique about Back to the Roots is its completely closed loop system. We first utilized a large waste stream to produce something of value: gourmet oyster mushrooms. The mushrooms were harvested and sold across NorCal. The coffee grounds, enriched by the mushroom growth, turned into premium soil amendment that was then donated to local nurseries and urban farms, giving back to the community from which we gather the coffee grounds from.

Since we launched in 2009, we have diverted & transformed over 50,000 pounds of coffee grounds into a rich soil for local, healthy food and have grown 7,500 pounds of delicious gourmet mushrooms sold at all Nor Cal Whole Foods Markets. Starting off as purely an urban mushroom farm, Back to the Roots has recently transformed into an eco-centered company dedicated to bringing fresh, sustainably grown food straight to the home through our grow-at-home mushroom kits: the Easy-to-Grow Mushroom Garden . Our vision is to serve as a standard bearer for innovation and responsibility in our community in order to inspire others to work towards a more sustainable future. We’re happy to be pursuing this vision first through our mushroom gardens!

Our Easy-to-Grow Mushroom Gardens, sold on our website, are packaged in post-consumer cardboard and printed on with soy ink, an environmentally better alternative. Our mushroom kits arrive in the mail ready to grow: we wanted to create a sustainable product that is easy and simple, so everyone can enjoy growing and eating fresh. We really love the fact too that when kids get involved in growing with our Mushroom Garden, they not only get exposed to sustainability, but also get to experience seeing first-hand how food  grows. The Easy-to-Grow Mushroom Gardens yield up to one pound of delicious oyster mushroom in as little as 10 days, and you can harvest as many as four crops. The soil inside is safe & sustainable – 100% recycled coffee grounds! And while some worry that the mushrooms may taste like coffee, plenty of chefs, such as Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, can attest to their authentic nutty flavor.

We’re also currently donating 5% of all sales to support local breast cancer awareness organizations – supporting a cause that is close to our hearts (our co-founder, Alex, fought through cancer in high school) and building on the great health benefits that oyster mushrooms have.

Through our Easy-to-Grow Mushroom Garden, we hope to encourage people to go “Back to the Roots” of sustainability. If you want to go try growing your own food, use the special discount we’re giving just to Cooking for a Vegan Lover readers: just type in veganlover20 on the checkout page on our website and get 20% off!

Happy Harvesting!

Shopping For Mushrooms

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Lately I have had a number of inquires as to where to purchase wild mushrooms for dishes such as….

Lobster Mushroom Risotto:

Chipped Mushrooms On Toast:

Porcini Crusted Seitan:

If you liked this dish please click here and vote for it!

Creamy Miso Morel Pasta with Peas & Leeks:

Now you can get all of these mushrooms in my OpenSky shop!

Also the first 10 people to order using the following coupon code will save 25% off their order (not over $100) Coupon Code: COOKVEGAN30PCT


Chipped Mushrooms on Toasted

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The inspiration behind this dish was chipped beef gravy on toast something my mother used to tell me that they ate growing up.  Chipped beef is a salty dried beef that used to to be cooked up in a gravy and served on toast. Instead of beef (obviously) I used reconstituted wild mushrooms.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoons vegan non-hydrogenated margarine
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/4oz mix of dried mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup of hot water for 30 minutes (I used chanterelles Buy Now and black trumpet Buy Now)
  • 1/4t salt
  • 1/8t white pepper
  • pinch cayenne pepper

In a medium saucepan over low heat add the margarine and garlic and heat until margarine is melted. Whisk in flour all at once to form a roux. Whisk in milk, a little at a time and 3 tablespoons of the mushroom soaking liquid, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring, until thickened. Stir in mushrooms, pepper, salt and cayenne, heat through and serve over toast.

Recipe: “Sausage” Stuffed Mushrooms

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“Sausage” Stuffed Mushrooms

These mushrooms make a great appetizer for any dinner or cocktail party. You can make the stuffing ahead of time and fill mushrooms and bake before your guest arrive.  The stuffing would also be delicious in zucchini boats and stuffed squash.  You could also stuff portobello mushrooms and serve with your favorite sides as an entree.

Makes 4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 16 white mushrooms
  • 5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine (you could also use sherry or vegetable broth)
  • 1 vegan Italian Sausage (I used Field Roast), minced
  • 6 scallions, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 4 tablespoons of vegan cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala. Set aside.
  3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, mushroom stems, garlic and green onions cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients.
  5. Turn the heat off and  stir in the cream cheese until it has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy.
  6. Place in a medium bowl and stir in the nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Cool slightly.
  7. Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer.
  8. Bake until the stuffing for 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

Recipe: Pulled Mushroom Sandwich

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The other night for dinner my husband asked if we could have Pulled Mushroom Sandwiches.  Now these are a play off of a pulled pork sandwich and are delicious!  We received a bunch of shiitake mushrooms in our CSA this week and I had some left over cremini mushrooms as well so it was a prefect time to make these yummy sandwiches. I served them with a side of sweet potato fries and steamed brussels sprouts. 

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Pulled Mushroom Sandwiches with Quick Napa Slaw and Spicy Agave Mustard Dipping Sauce (for the sweet potato)

Makes 4 Servings

Pulled Mushrooms:

  •  
    • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
    • 8 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced 
    • 1 lg onion, thinly, sliced
    • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 1/2 T safflower oil 
    • 2 T garlic A-1 steak sauce
    • 2 T BBQ sauce
    • 1 T dijion mustard
    • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Heat the oil in a cast-iron pan over medium high heat and add the mushrooms and onions.  Sauté for 2 minutes.
  2. Turn the heat down to medium low and stir in the garlic. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the mushrooms and onions have caramelized, making sure to stir occasionally. 
  3. While the mushrooms and onions are cooking in a small bowl mix together the steak sauce, bbq sauce and dijion mustard.
  4. When the mushrooms and onions have caramelized add the steak sauce mixture and stir together. Turn to low and let simmer while you prepare the slaw.

 

Quick Napa Slaw

  •  
    • 1 cup shredded napa cabbage
    • 1 T reduced fat vegenaise
    • 1 T Drew’s Smoked Tomato Dressing
    • Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. Toss everything together.

To assemble the sandwich:

Take 2 rolls and place 1/4 of the slaw on the bottom.  Top with 1/4 of the mushroom mixture.

 

Spicy Agave Mustard Sauce- this goes great with the sweet potato and brussels

  •  
    • 1/4 cup of Dijion mustard
    • 1 T agave
    • 1 t chipotle chili powder
  1. Mix together.