Thai Beef in Toast Cups with Mango Salsa

Recipe courtesy of Wanda Baker, Bakersbeans. 

You can’t even tell that there are mushrooms in these Thai Beef Toast Cups! The kids, none the wiser, love them.

Ingredients:

1½ lbs ground beef
1 cup white button mushrooms, finely diced
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soya sauce
½ cup water
1 cup mango, diced small
2 tbsp red onion, small dice
1 jalapeno pepper, remove seeds, small dice
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
salt
½ lime, juiced
6 pieces of normal size bread (like wonderbread) with all 4 sides/crusts removed
Cooking spray
Mini muffin tins

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add beef and break it up into smaller crumbles. Cook a few more minutes and add in your mushrooms. Continue to cook until you get a good brown on the beef. Brown = flavour.
3. In a bowl or cup mix together ½ cup water, fish sauce, sugar, sesame oil, soya sauce and stir. Pour into beef mixture, cook until almost all liquid is gone and flavours combined. Set aside to cool a bit.
4. To make the salsa, in a bowl mix together mango, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, pinch of salt and lime juice. Set aside.
5. To make toast cups, preheat your oven to 350F
6. Cut each the crusts of all four sides of each piece of bread. Cut each piece into four equal squares.
7. Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray or brush with melted butter.
8. Flatten each piece of bread a little with your hand or a rolling pin. Gently press each bread square into a mini muffin cup. Give another quick spray or brush of melted butter. Continue until you have filled all 12 mini muffin cups or if you have two pans, 24. If you do not have two pans, you will need to do this two times.
9. Place in oven and bake for 6-8 minutes or until the bread has turned lightly brown. Remove from pan, place on platter and begin assembling.
10. Scoop a little beef mixture into each toast cup. Top with a small amount of the mango salsa. If you have juice in the salsa sprinkle a little on top. You can either top with a cilantro leaf or serve as is. Serve immediately.

Serves 12

Recipe courtesy of Karen Ahmed, Kravings Food Adventures. 

Mini Meatball Stuffed Mushrooms are a delicious appetizer that has extreme wow factor!

Ingredients:

48 white button mushrooms
1 lb medium ground beef
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp pepper
1/2 finely chopped red onion
1 tsp ground garlic paste
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Coarse salt to taste
2 tbsps olive oil
48 small nuggets of cheese of your choice

Directions:

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare a baking dish with 2 tbsps of olive oil brushed at the bottom and sprinkle with some salt
3. Remove the mushroom stalks and shave the bottoms so they are stand.
4. Chop all the removed bits of mushroom really fine and add to the beef.
5. Add the cumin, pepper, onion, garlic paste, parsley and salt to taste and mix vigorously.
6. For ease of preparation, take 3 – 4 golf size balls of the mixture and blend it in your food processor.
7. Add this to the rest of the meat.
8. Using a small melon baller with a release lever as a guide fill the meat mixture to the level.
9. Continue doing this till you have 48 mini meatballs.
10. Place the mushrooms on the baking tray.
11. Leaving the meatballs aside, stuff the cavity of the mushroom with the remaining meat mixture.
12. Roll the measured meatball into a perfect ball shape and top each mushroom.
13. Cook for 15 – 20 mins.
14. Remove from the oven and top with a nugget of cheese of your choice.
15. Return to the oven for another minute or so.
16. Garnish with more chopped parsley.

This filling is enough to stuff a minimum of 48 mushrooms.

Recipe courtesy of Carole Brown, The Yum Yum Factor.   

Puff pastry Jamaican Patty Pops are a hearty treat! The addition of mushrooms helps keep the filling nice and moist.

Ingredients:

2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed but still cold
1 egg beaten with splash milk and 1/2 tsp turmeric
beef/mushroom filling
Kosher salt or fleur de sel and fresh thyme
popsicle sticks

Beef/Mushroom Filling
2 tbsp butter
250 grams ground beef
100 grams button mushrooms (approx 4 large), rough chop
1 onion, rough chop
3 scallions, greens included, rough chop
2 cloves garlic, rough chop
1 scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and chopped or to taste
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp kosher salt
a few grinds of fresh, black pepper
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
between 1/4 and 1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions:

First whiz up your bread to make your fresh crumbs. I use a crusty Italian style bun and put aside.

Next, throw your mushrooms into the food processor and pulse until finely ground and put aside.

Now, put the onion, scallion, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper into the food processor and pulse until minced.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a frying pan and saute the scallion mixture for about five minutes until softened but not browned. Using a spatula, scrape the mixture out into a bowl and set aside. Now add the ground mushrooms and the beef to the pan and start to cook it, smashing the beef down with your spatula as you stir so that you don’t end up with big chunks of meat. You want the meat/mushroom mixture to be crumbly.

When it’s almost cooked, add the scallion mixture back into the pan and continue to cook until there is no pink colour at all left to the meat.

Throw in the curry, allspice, salt and pepper, bread crumbs and 1/4 cup of chicken stock and stir well to combine. Cover the pan and let it cook for about ten minutes, checking it from time to time to make sure it’s not getting too dry. You want it to be very moist but not liquidy so if you need to , add a slurp more stock during this time to keep the mixture the right consistency.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the stuff. You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate it until you need it as well.

Preheat the oven to 375F

Lay out one of your sheets of puff pastry (i worked with it right on the parchment it was wrapped up in). Keep the other roll of pastry in the fridge until you need it. If you use something else, put a piece of parchment onto your baking sheet.

Cut it in thirds one way and then into four strips the other so that you have 12 rectangles. Now, cut each rectangle in half so you now have 24 small rectangles.

Now, lay out 12 of the rectangles and brush each one with the egg wash and stick a little popsicle stick on to it, pressing lightly into the pastry. Now put a heaping tbls of meat/mushroom filling in the middle. Top that with another piece of puff pastry and seal all four sides with the tines of a fork. Prick two rolls of holes on top and move to a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Repeat with the second roll of pastry and when you have all 24 pastry puffs on the cookie sheet, brush them all with the egg wash, lay a tiny sprig of fresh thyme on top of each one and sprinkle the whole thing with some coarse salt.

Pop those in the oven and cook them for about 15 minutes, until they have puffed up and are starting to brown a bit. They are best right out of the oven but they are still really good at room temp.

Tip
*if you want to make a larger beef patty, just cut the sheet in half lengthwise and then in quarters the other way so you end up with 8 larger rectangles, skip the popsicle stick and make 8 full size patties. They make a great dinner with a big salad on the side.

They also reheat easily – just pop them on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350F oven for about 6 minutes

Makes approx 24 appetizer sized patty pops or 8 full sized patties

Recipe courtesy of Raj, The Primal Desire.  

A great use of the Blend & Extend concept, Beef Mushroom endive Taco Boats are perfect for guilt-free entertaining!

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef
6 large white or brown mushrooms (finely chopped)
1 red onion (finely chopped – ¼ cup put aside for salsa)
1 red chilli pepper (finely diced)
2 cloves garlic
3 heaping Tbsp taco seasoning (homemade or Paleo variety)
4-6 endives (leaves separated from base – see video above)
1 cup cherry tomatoes (finely chopped)
2-3 Tbsp ghee or grass-fed butter
optional:
½ – 1 can black olives (chopped)
shredded aged cheddar or crumbled blue cheese (if lacto-paleo)

Pineapple Salsa
1½ cups pineapple (about ½ a pineapple – finely chopped – choosing & cutting pineapples)
¼ cup red onion (finely diced – from above)
1-2 Tbsp cilantro (diced)
1 avocado (cubed, salted and coated in lime juice)

Directions:

Pineapple Avocado Salsa (make this in advance so that flavors can blend):
1. Mix ¼ cup finely chopped red onion with pineapple, cilantro, and avocado.
2. Place in fridge until needed.
Endive Boats:
1. In a large frying pan or pot, melt ghee or butter over medium heat.
2. Add remaining onions and mushrooms, cooking until soft.
3. Add chilli, garlic and beef, stirring well to break up ground beef.
4. Once browned, mix in taco seasoning and olives.
5. Fill each endive leaf with ground beef/mushroom mixture.
6. If using cheese, sprinkle each endive.
7. Serve with pineapple salsa and cherry tomatoes to be spooned on top.

Tip
This is great with aged cheddar or even blue cheese if you eat lacto-paleo. If not, it’s still a really nice balance of flavors to share with everyone!

Recipe courtesy of Laureen Fox, Fox in the Kitchen. 

Made primarily with naturally gluten free Real Food ingredients, this is my new favourite appetizer! The ‘Maple Dijon’ Sauce adds a nice ‘Canadian’ flavour.

Ingredients:

Meatballs
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbsp cooking oil, divided
1/2 lb mushrooms, diced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 extra-large egg
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 lb extra lean ground beef

Sauce
1/4 Cup maple syrup
1/4 Cup dijon mustard
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Garnish (Optional)
sprig fresh rosemary, chopped

Directions:

Meatballs
• In a thick-bottomed skillet over medium heat, sauté chopped onions in a small amount of cooking oil along with a pinch of salt (the salt helps to release the onions sweet juices). Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until the onions are deeply golden, brown, and caramelized (about 15-20 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking pan with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl mix chopped mushrooms with oil. Layer mushrooms evenly on prepared baking pan.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5-7 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and reduced in size. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Process in a food processor until finely chopped but not puréed. Set aside.
• Turn oven temperature down to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, or mortar and pestle, combine spices.
• In large bowl, lightly beat egg. Add cooled onions, roasted mushrooms, spice mixture and tomato paste. Stir until blended. Add ground beef, stir until combined.
• Form into meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place on prepared pan. Recipe makes about 24 meatballs.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until meatballs are nicely browned and cooked through. For even cooking, spin the pan after 10 minutes.
• While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce. Sauce • In a small saucepan, combine syrup, mustard, oil and vinegar, whisk to blend. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes or until reduced to a glaze-like consistency. Remove from heat. Note: Be careful when stirring, as the hot liquid bubbles up, sputters and splashes. Serving
• Once finished cooking, arrange meatballs on a serving plate, top each one with a dollop of sauce, insert fancy toothpicks, sprinkle plated meatballs with chopped fresh rosemary, and serve warm, as appetizers.

Sauce
• In a small saucepan, combine syrup, mustard, oil and vinegar, whisk to blend. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes or until reduced to a glaze-like consistency. Remove from heat.
Note: Be careful when stirring, as the hot liquid bubbles up, sputters and splashes.

Serving
• Once finished cooking, arrange meatballs on a serving plate, top each one with a dollop of sauce, insert fancy toothpicks, sprinkle plated meatballs with chopped fresh rosemary, and serve warm, as appetizers.

Makes 24

Recipe courtesy of Isabelle Boucher, Crumb: A Food Blog.

A big bowl of hearty beefy meatballs and tender noodles smothered in a creamy mushroom sauce made all the more comforting by the knowledge that you’ve only got one pan to wash up at the end of the night.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
½ lb sliced cremini mushrooms
1 lb lean ground beef
¼ cup finely diced onion
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
½ tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
Stroganoff Sauce and Noodles:
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
3 cups uncooked broad egg noodles
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup parsley (plus more for garnish, if desired)

Directions:

Make the Meatballs:
1. Using a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the mushrooms until very finely chopped.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped mushrooms with ground beef, onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
Make the Sauce and Noodles:
3. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet set over medium-high, cook the bacon in olive oil until browned and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
4. Add the meatballs to the hot pan, and cook for 3-5 minutes or until well browned all over. (They are quite fragile at this stage, so be gentle when turning them over!) Transfer the meatballs the same plate as the bacon, and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.
5. Add the onion to the pan and saute for 6 to 8 minutes, or until soft and lightly golden. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms start to soften. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
6. Whisk in the broth, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Stir in the noodles, along with the bacon and meatballs, and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and let simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the noodles are soft and the meatballs are cooked all the way through.
7. Remove from heat, and stir in the sour cream and parsley. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Dana Blacklock, Killing Thyme.

Beef and Shiitake Wonton Cups are a delicious appetizer. It’s a different way to use ground beef and mushrooms, and dang – the flavours!

Ingredients:

15 wonton wrappers
Olive oil cooking spray

For filling
1lb of ground beef
2 cups of shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger

For sauce
1/4 cup low sodium Kikkoman soy sauce
1 tablespoon of rice wine
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
2 tablespoons of Hoisin sauce
For slaw
1 cup of slaw (broccoli, cabbage and carrot)
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of wasabi paste

For garnish
1/2 cup of unsalted cashews, chopped
1/4 cup of scallions, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and place two wonton wrappers in each holder, one wrapper at a time. Give the wontons a quick spritz with the cooking spray.

Put them in the oven for approx. 7-8 mins. or until golden brown.

Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce. Mix well, and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, and stir until partially browned. Add the sauce. Cook until all of the beef has browned, and then add the shiitake mushrooms and the freshly grated ginger. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the mushrooms have softened up. Remove from heat.

For the slaw, simply mix the mayonnaise and the wasabi (amount of wasabi can be adjusted to your taste). Then, mix it into the slaw thoroughly so that everything is evenly coated.

Cashew crushin’ time! This sounds tedious, but it can be really simple. My favourite way to chop up cashews is to grab a handful, place them on a chopping board, and use the back of a large knife and press down on them. This way you get a nice variety of chunk sizes, and it’s efficient.

Finally, assembly time!

Spoon the beef and shiitake mixture into the wonton cups with a tablespoon. Then spoon the slaw on top (approx. 1 teaspoon).

Garnish with crushed cashews and sliced scallions.

Tip
Serve with Sriracha sauce for an extra kick!

Recipe courtesy of Heather Lang, The Tasty Gardener.

Add some Mexican flavours to your weekend entertaining with these Beef and Mushroom Taquitos with Chili Lime Avocado Crema.

Ingredients:

For the Taquitos
1/2 lb extra lean ground beef
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms
1 red pepper, seeds and stem removed
1 jalapeno pepper. seeds removed
1 medium onion, peeled
1 large tomato
5 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cup cojito cheese (or monterey jack), grated
24 corn tortillas
oil or chicken broth

For the Avocado Crema
3 avocados, skin and pit removed
1 cup sour cream
2 (2oz) jars of chopped green chilis
2 tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

To prepare the taquito filling:
1. In a food processor chop the mushroom until fine.
2. In a large skillet over medium high heat brown the ground beef and chopped onion together until beef is cooked through and liquid is almost gone from the mushrooms. Make sure to break up the beef into small pieces while cooking.
3. In the same food processor pulse together the red pepper, onion, jalapeno, garlic and tomatoes.
4. Stir the vegetable puree into the beef and mushroom mixture and cook until all liquid is evaporated and vegetable are heated through. Season by taste with salt and pepper.
5. Remove filling from the pan and into a large bowl. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Once cool stir in the cheese.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
7. In a small skillet over medium heat add about 1/2 inch of either chicken stock or oil.
8. Working one taquito at a time place a tortilla into the hot liquid for no more than a couple seconds. This is to make them pliable for rolling.
9. Remove tortilla from liquid, place on work surface and add approximately 2 tbsp’s of filling along the length of the tortilla. Tightly roll up into the shape of a cigar and place seam side down on your cookie sheet. (I like to cover the taquitos with a wet cloth on the cookie sheet while I’m working to keep them from drying out.)
10.Repeat one tortilla at a time until all the filling has been used. Based on how full you fill them you will end up with anywhere from 18-24 taquitos.
11. Place in preheated oven and bake for 15-20 or until browned.

To Make the Crema
1. In your food processor blend together the avocado, sour cream, lime juice and green chilis. Season by taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with baked taquitos.

Makes 18-24

Recipe courtesy of Charmian Christie, The Messy Baker.  

Beef and Mushroom Samosas would be a hit at any get-together. Try them yourself at home!

Ingredients:

Filling:
1/2 pound mushrooms
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup corn, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Wrap:
1 454 g package phyllo, defrosted
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

Filling:
Place the mushrooms in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until the mushrooms resemble couscous, about 10 pulses. If you don’t have a food processor, mince by hand with a knife. Transfer the minced mushroom to a large bowl and mix with the ground beef.

Peel and quarter the onion before placing it in the food processor. Pulse until minced. Alternatively, the onion can be minced by hand.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, salt and dried chilli flakes. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly to ensure the spices are well distributed.

Add the mushroom/beef combination and cook 5 to 7 minutes or until the beef is no longer pink.

Place the beef mixture in a sieve and allow to drain five minutes to remove excess liquid. Too much moisture in the filling can cause the samosas to burst while cooking. Transfer the strained mixture to a large bowl, stir in the lemon juice, peas, corn and cilantro. Allow to cool. The filling can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Wrapping:
When you’re ready to wrap the filling, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Unwrap the phyllo and it lay flat. Cover it with a slightly damp tea towel to prevent it from drying out. Remove one sheet, and brush lightly with oil using a pastry brush. Fold in thirds lengthwise so you have a long, narrow strip three layers thick. Place 1/4 cup filling at the bottom of the phyllo strip, about 1/2 inch from the left edge. Fold the bottom right corner over the filling to form a triangle. Fold the filling up the sheet of phyllo, maintaining the triangle form. Place on a baking sheet, brush with more oil and sprinkle with black sesame seeds, if using. Repeat with remaining phyllo and filling.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve hot as is or with tamarind sauce.

Makes 16 samosas

Recipe courtesy of Chef Chris Pires, Food Inspires. 

Beef and Mushroom Lettuce Wraps are easy and fun to make, and can be used in a formal or informal setting, as an appetizer or a main.

Ingredients:

The Filling:
1 lb beef, cut philly cheesesteak style – thin and in pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup Cremini mushrooms blended with 1 medium onion in a processor – rough chop
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce, Sambal Oelek
2 tbsp chili flakes
Olive oil, salt and pepper – to sauté, and to taste

The Sauce:
½ cup yogurt
1 lime, zested and juiced
½ cucumber, deseeded and chopped fine
Salt and pepper to taste

The Topping:
½ cup peanuts
2 tbsp Sriracha

The Base:
1 pkg Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried thoroughly

Directions:

The Filling:
Brown the beef breaking up the bits that clump together
Drain any fat that comes into the pan, add about 2 tbsp olive oil to the beef and add the diced onion – you only want to soften the onions
Add the Worcestershire sauce, sambal, salt and pepper – taste, season and taste again
In a separate pan (or empty the beef/onion mixture to a bowl), add 1 tbsp olive oil and the mushrooms and onions – you want to remove the extra water from the mushrooms and onions so sauté until they are almost dry – flavor with some salt, pepper and chili flakes – remember, taste, season and taste
Once the liquid from the mushroom and onions has almost dried up, add the beef/onion mixture – stir to combine – That’s it for the filling!

The Sauce:
Combine all ingredients and let rest for 30 minutes before serving (or use right away)

The Topping:
Coat the peanuts in the sriracha, let dry on their own on the counter for about 30 minutes or in a 325F oven for 10 minutes (make more than you need, they won’t last and you will regret it!)

The Base:
Arrange lettuce on a plate, top with the beef and mushroom mixture, dollop with yogurt, top with peanuts – enjoy! Note if lettuce doesn’t lie flat, trim the bottom (middle stem) so there is a flat edge, stand it up in this edge