Almond-crusted Chanterelles

Hey everyone!

It's the perfect time of year for amazing mushrooms. Shiitakes, maitakes, boletes, truffles, oysters, cat's tongues, and one of my personal favorites, chanterelles. A few of my very good friends and I went out into the woods recently and brought back a HUGE bag of chanterelles! (We also acquired some boletes, cat's tongues, shrimp mushrooms, and a bunch of non-edibles that my friend wanted to study!)
Note: Don't go looking for edible mushrooms in the forest unless you're experienced or have someone with you that knows the difference between species! Some species are very hard to differentiate between!

Chanterelles are not only one of my favorites because they have a beautifully smooth, creamy texture, but they're also very common and in abundance this part of the year. When we lived in our last house in BC, I could go for walks in the park next door with a bag and harvest a pound or two occasionally. They're also quite versatile - you can fry, bake, boil, or dry these cute little dudes and they always withstand the treatments I give them. :) A creamy chanterelle soup is a pretty popular (and delicious!!) standby, but I generally like just cooking and eating them!

The best way to bring out their beautiful flavor before adding them to any food, is to dry fry them without oil or salt. They have a high water content so they won't burn. I, however, am a rebel (as you may have noticed), so I'm going to dredge and fry them in their raw form!

Do you remember the Almond-Crusted Tofu that I made? It had such a lovely, crisp texture, and I had a hunch it would translate well to mushrooms. When we came back from our mushroom hunt, I fried these little babies up while Sandra made a huge pot of silky, delicately delicious soup. :) It was such an amazing day, with an intoxicatingly delicious end.

Almond-Crusted Chanterelles

1 pound raw Chanterelle mushrooms
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup tapioca starch
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying (I used coconut oil)

In a deep, non-stick pan or pot, heat oil (about an inch deep) on medium-high heat. You want it just hot enough to make the end of a chopstick bubble if you dip it in.

While the oil is heating, mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Next, dredge the mushrooms in the almond mixture, making sure to get a thick coating. If you need a bit more dry mixture, you can add a couple more tablespoons of meal and a couple teaspoons of starch.

When the oil is hot, gently lay the mushrooms into the pan. They're ready to flip in a couple minutes when they start to turn brown.

When the crispy 'shrooms are browned on both sides, drain on paper towels.


Don't these look like cute little vegan pork chops?! We served these with a raw ketchup (pictured) that I made the day before, which I will make another batch of tomorrow and post next. :)

Also: please forgive the poor photo quality! My camera broke so I'll be using my phone's camera for awhile to photograph my food.

Gluten-Free Review: Viva la Campagna! (con pancakes!)

The coast ranges of Central Oregon don't really have much in common with the coast ranges of Italy's Campagna. More maples and pines, not so many olives and cedars. But we found Campagna Gourmet's delectable Olive and Sundried Tomato Pesto at a country farm stand on the main road from Salem (not Salerno) to Pacific City, and snagged a jar for beach picnicking.

... Which we totally forgot to do. As I was putting away some of the last bits from the wedding trip (read: The "Where the heck are we going to put this?!" boxes) I spied the jar, along with a Hot Pepper Jelly (from the same company) we picked up at the same time.

Pestos are usually loaded with Parmesan cheese, so finding a vegan pesto is always a bonus. The texture is spot-on. It has a smooth yet coarse mouth feel, with just the right amount of oiliness, and little flavor bursts from the herbs.

As a spread, though, the richness of the sundried tomatoes and the oily delight of the olives is overwhelmed by the salt content. Unfortunately, it's just too salty. What this product is perfectly suited for is blending; it would be an exquisite base for puttanesca sauce, or folded into hummous for a flavor boost.

I love savoury pancakes, and the pesto makes a perfect addition (as well as a garnish). Normally my savoury pancakes are full of veggies in varying combinations, but in the interest of letting the pesto take the spotlight, I've simply added some fresh tomatoes and chopped sweet onions. I used amaranth and millet from my bulk grain jars, coarse-milled just before cooking in my coffee grinder for maximum freshness! :)

The pesto adds an intense depth to these rustic cakes, set off by the sweetness of the onions and tomatoes. The kale, with its dark, bitter overtones, is the perfect complement.


Campagna Pancakes

2/3 cup millet flour
2/3 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1 1/4 cups unsweetened soymilk
1/4 cup Campagna Olive and Sundried Tomato Pesto
2 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise and sliced (into little half-moons)
1/4 sweet onion, chopped
1 small bunch of basil, chopped

Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Fold in soymilk and mix thoroughly. Then, add Campagna (I just like saying it - say it with me now: Caaampaagnaaa) Pesto, tomatoes, basil, and chopped onion.

Dip a 1/4 cup measure into the batter and pour into a large frying pan over medium heat (about three per batch). Cook on one side until the bubbles pop and batter doesn't sink back in.

When the down side arrives at a nice dark golden brown, flip! When the second side reaches the same color, go ahead and take 'em out. Next round...

Be sure to serve them hot and crispy, as they lose that nice texture after sitting a while. If you must let them stand, try putting them on a wire grate rather than a platter.

Garnish with chiffonaded basil, a dollop of the pesto and some simple kale (below). Makes about 18 pancakes.

Simple Kale

1/4 sweet onion, chopped
6 kale leaves, stemmed & chopped
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying

In a pan, warm oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until golden. Toss in kale leaves, lemon juice and vinegar, and saute for about a minute, just until the kale brightens in color. Transfer to a bowl to prevent overcooking.

Almond-Crusted Tofu

Deep-fried tofu has always been a favorite of mine - that firm, crispy outside protecting the soft, delicate inside. Needless to say it has always been something I choose at Asian restaurants, and something I make at home as a treat for myself.

This time, I decided to make a slightly different variant on my usual fried tofu with a basic starch batter. I've been experimenting with almond meal a lot, and had a little (starch tainted) leftover from an experiment earlier in the day, so I whipped out my tofu and heated some oil!

I really love the way this turned out - it's definitely not your average crispy tofu. The almond meal gives it a crumbly-like texture on the outside, but it doesn't crumble off the tofu like you'd expect. I should've made three packs and kept the rest for leftovers. This is definitely my new fried tofu standby.

Almond-Crusted Tofu

1 pound firm tofu, drained and sliced into long cutlets
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup tapioca starch
salt to taste
oil for frying (I used sunflower)


In a deep, non-stick pan or pot, heat oil (about an inch deep) on medium-high heat. You want it just hot enough to make the end of a chopstick bubble if you dip it in.

While the oil is heating, mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Next, you can either dump the tofu in and toss to coat (like I did) or you can bread them individually. I found that the mix made just enough to coat a pound of tofu, but if you need a bit more, you can add a couple more tablespoons of meal and a couple teaspoons of starch.

When the oil is hot, gently lay the breaded cutlets into the pan. Check for browning after about 3 minutes - you want a light golden color on the outside. I prefer to flip the cutlets with chopsticks, as it minimizes splatters.

When the cutlets are browned on both sides, drain on a dish towel. (Or paper towel, but dish towels are washable) Plate and serve with sweet pepper sauce* for dipping.


*I couldn't find the brand that I use online, but it's your basic sweet pepper sauce from the Asian market. It's a tall red-labeled bottle that says "Sweet Pepper Sauce for Chicken"


Enjoy!