It's the 1st of March 2025

~ Happy March 2025 ~

May the month ahead be a good one for you

In previous years regular readers will know I usually start each month with facts about the coming month ahead. This year however, a break with tradition, which I hope you are enjoying because the first of each month will feature a lower carb recipe starting with the first letter of that particular month ... so here we go as it's now March and the third month of the year!

M is for ? can you guess ?

Yes, I am talking about mushrooms !

Mushrooms are a type of fungi. There are many different varieties, including those that can be picked in the wild, as well as cultivated mushrooms that are generally sold as buttons, cups or flats according to age. Large flat (Portobello) mushrooms have more flavour than young buttons, and chestnut mushrooms tend to have a slightly stronger taste and firmer, meatier texture than ordinary white ones.

A recipe you may enjoy that features mushrooms is

Mushroom Bourguignon

This vegan/vegetarian casserole is full of rich flavour

and quicker to make than the traditional beef bourguignon.

As stated above, this casserole is full of rich flavour and is much quicker to make than the traditional beef bourguignon, however, if you would like to make a beef bourguignon please see recipe here

Ingredients

Serves Two
1½ tsp olive oil
3 shallots, peeled, quartered and layers separated
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into slices on an angle
100g/3½oz button mushrooms, quartered
50g/1¾oz chestnut mushrooms, quartered
3 Portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
7 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves only, or 1½ tsp dried thyme
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
150ml/¼ pint fruity vegan red wine
200ml/7fl oz vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp yeast extract
1 tbsp cornflour, or plain flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and carrot and fry gently for 5 minutes.
2. Add all the mushrooms and most of the thyme and cook for 5–6 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for a further minute.
3. Add the wine and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes, then turn the heat down and add the stock, bay leaves, tomato purée and yeast extract and stir. Sift in the cornflour and ½ teaspoon salt and whisk in well.
4. Cook for 7–8 minutes, then season with salt and pepper and add the rest of the thyme if preferred.
5. Serve with  mashed swede/rutabaga, or creamy mashed potatoes or a crunchy slice of crusty bread.

Recipe Tips

You don’t need to splash out on expensive wine to make a beautiful pot of bourguignon. Buying seasonal mushrooms will help keep costs down and you can substitute the fresh thyme for dried if needed.

From an idea seen here

Oh, and in case you missed January and February's posts you can see them here and here

~ happy meteorological spring, more about this tomorrow ~

You will find a variety of articles and recipe ideas within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter. If you have any concerns about your health, it is always advisable to consult your doctor or health care team.

All the best Jan