Learned something today. On the website I visit for Primal/Paleo today is a recipe for baked spinach and eggs. He used mushroom powder to thicken the cream for the spinach. I had never heard of that before.
He explains: "Mushroom powder is dried mushrooms of your choice, ground in the coffee grinder until fine. This homemade, savory powder can be added to just about any sauce to thicken it slightly and add mushroomy flavor."
What a great idea. I just happen to have a big container of mixed dried mushrooms in my cupboard. I'm going to grind up some and keep a container of mushroom powder for thickening sauces. !!!
Here's his recipe for baked spinach and eggs.
Get a head start on your daily intake of nutrient dense leafy greens by eating a serving first thing in the morning. Maybe salad isn't exactly what you want to pair with your morning cup of coffee, but an omelet or frittata stuffed with greens is. Or, try a new recipe like baked eggs with creamy spinach.
Besides the fact that it's loaded with spinach and is an easy one-pan meal, another great thing about baked eggs with creamy spinach is that it tastes really good when made with frozen spinach. It's not a bad idea to always keep a bag of frozen spinach in your freezer, and not just so you can make this recipe regularly. Also, because freezing food preserves the nutrient content, so frozen spinach is often more nutritious than the "fresh" spinach on grocery stores shelves.
What's the easiest way to defrost frozen spinach and get all that moisture out? Put the spinach in a fine mesh strainer or colander with really small holes and run warm water over it until the ice is gone. Press down on the spinach with your hands to remove moisture then put the spinach in the middle of two paper towels (spinach won't stick to paper towels). Fold the paper towels over the spinach, like a little square package, then squeeze until most of the moisture is gone. Voila - dry, defrosted spinach without any mess.
The creamy part of this recipe is coconut milk (although you could use whole cream). Mushroom powder is whisked into the coconut milk, both to give the dish savory flavor and to thicken the coconut milk a bit. Mushroom powder is dried mushrooms of your choice, ground in the coffee grinder until fine.. This homemade, savory powder can be added to just about any sauce to thicken it slightly and add mushroomy flavor.
Servings: 4
Time in the Kitchen: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
20 ounces frozen chopped spinach (567 grams)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30 ml)
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dried mushroom powder (see explanation above) (30 ml)
1 cup coconut milk (240 ml)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (2.5 ml)
4 eggs
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 °F/232 °C.
Put frozen spinach in a fine mesh strainer or a colander with very small holes and rinse under warm water to defrost. Use your hands to push/squeeze out moisture. Put half of the spinach into the middle of two paper towels and fold the paper towels over the spinach to form a square package. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Dry the rest of the spinach the same way. Set the spinach aside.
In a skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Cook the shallot until soft, 2 minutes.
Whisk the mushroom powder and salt into the coconut milk. Pour into the skillet. Add the spinach. Cook for a minute or so, until the spinach absorbs most of the coconut milk.
Scrape spinach into an 8×8 pan (20 cm x 20 cm) or smaller pan, or a small, ovenproof skillet.
Use a spoon to make 4 deep wells that an egg can be dropped into. Crack an egg into each well and bake 7 to 10 minutes, until the whites are set but yokes are still soft.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/baked...#axzz37HaRcVwH