Letha’s Asian Health Secrets

 We love all kinds of mushrooms at our house. They provide protein, fiber, and polysaccharides, which protect health and beauty. Shiitake are easy to find at the supermarket. I steam fresh shiitakes with potatoes or cook them in an omelette. I buy them dried in Chinatown. A handful, simmered for 20 minutes in a quart of water, makes a soothing, cancer-prevention daily tea. This week’s recipe uses portabella veggieburgers. Another variation is a mushroom casserole spiced to suit your liking.

There are some vegetable ingredients that you can use in just about any dish. They include mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery. (If you are diabetic, avoid carrots and beets because they are too sweet.) Variations in taste and cuisine style in dishes come from using spices. Here is a quick mushroom stew recipe with herbs used according to the type of national/ethnic cuisine you want to create.

Basic Stew Ingredients:

Mushroom patties or veggie burger patties cut into cubes
diced white or red potatoes
diced carrots, onions, celery
(optional) for a sweet flavor add some parsnip root

Wash all fresh produce in water, a drop of healthy dish or castile soap and vinegar. Then rinse thoroughly to remove any pesticide residues.

You can simmer the ingredients in water for a few minutes then add one of the following group of herbs/spices according to your preference. Simmer the strew for at least ten minutes so that the vegetables can absorb the flavors. Add the fresh herbs at the last minute to avoid excess cooking:

Mediterranean seasonings:
Tomato juice
garlic
thyme, parsley, sage leaves, oregano, rosemary

Mexican Flavors:
garlic
Tomato juice
cumin, cilantro leaves, canned green chili peppers, goat cheese crumbled on top

East Indian Spices
powdered cumin, mustard seed, turmeric, hingvastaka, salt,
shredded coconut
goat’s milk

Your Veggie Casserole:

People who have no time to cook love casseroles. They are so easy to make. Load your vegetables into a glass baking dish. If you want to be fancy, layer your vegetables–cubed potatoes, sliced mushrooms, carrots, onions, etc. one layer on top of the other.

Mix your herbs and spices into your liquid (for example tomato juice or milk) then beat an egg into the liquid. Pour the liquid over the vegetables.

Cover it and bake for an hour at 400 degrees. Then check to see if it is done. Let it cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

For information and to order mushroom medicines, see Fungi Perfecti and for online world research on mushrooms, their growing, current research and conferences, see mushworld.com For additional resources, see mushrooms.com