Friday, August 31, 2012

Mushroom Dip

I've been really missing cheese lately and recipes containing cheese,so I determined to try to make some kind of "cheese substitute"; something thick and rich to take it's place. I couldn't come up with anything that really resembled actual cheese, so I decided to go in a completely different direction and just make something paste-like that would taste so good I wouldn't miss the cheese. Why not real cheese? Sadly, I seem to be casein intolerant, according to my naturopath.... All I know is, my digestion is vastly improved without dairy or beef. I tried different types of milk... raw milk... goat milk....nothing worked. Oh, well.

 I've used this Mushroom dip in recipes where cheese would be in the layers rather than as a topping, it was especially good with rice noodles and greens, tasting much like a Thai dish using bean sauce.

Actually, it's very good just on its own, as a dip.

We ate it all before I remembered to take a photo. It was thick, and gooey, and , um, brown.

Mushroom Dip

3 cups chopped mushrooms
1 chopped onion
2 tsp. spices (I used basil and bee balm)
1/2 cup olive oil
salt if, you need it, to taste

Sweat the mushrooms and onions in the olive oil until they are quite soft. Add the spices and simmer for about 3 minutes more. Add salt if you like, but taste it first, because the onions and mushrooms are pretty flavorful. Let cool a bit. Add the whole thing to a blender or food processor and mix until smooth. I like this better served warm.

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