Mushrooms & Kale: a Body and Soul Warming Bowl 

By Hilary Metcalfe 

Sweet potatoes can boost progesterone (needed for conception) and cruciferous vegetables like kale help rid the body of excess oestrogen that can interfere with our hormonal functions. 

I adore these ingredients and reach for them, especially now as Autumn is arriving in Amsterdam and I’m craving warming comfort food eaten from bowls. What’s even better? Eating from a bowl with your hands. It makes a much more tactile, sensual dining experience. The fun is in making sure there’s enough texture, subtlety and flavour to give variety to each mouthful, lest it be boring or too hard to pick up. 

Kale, gently sweet potato and creamy white beans smothered in fresh herbs speak autumn to my palate. The medley of mushrooms adds complexity: oyster, shiitake, enoki, boletus or chanterelles all work here. Common brown or white button mushrooms can serve as a filler but lack flavour. If you use them, make sure they are no more than 30% of the total mushroom amount. Be sure to space your mushrooms properly during cooking for a lovely, seared steak quality.

 

INGREDIENTS:
200g of mushrooms: Chanterelles, Oyster, Shiitake, Porcini or a mix
300g of washed young kale (cavolo nero, bumpy kale is very nice)
150g of white beans (cannellini), cooked or canned
150g of watercress, roughly chopped
1 large sweet potato 

4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves stripped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 stalk of green onion (green part only), sliced thinly
1 small handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) or flat-leaf parsley
4 tablespoons or 60ml of extra virgin olive oil, ghee or 50/50
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 a lemon

RECIPE 

Serves 2
Cook Time: 45-60 mins for sweet potato, 15 mins to throw together
Prep: 15-20 mins 
Make Ahead: roast sweet potato 1-2 days ahead to make this a 15-20 min meal!

Flexitarian:
3 generous pinches of shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, and/or
2 poached eggs

Vegan:
300g fermented tofu (150g per person), shaved or thinly sliced
Coat in olive oil and roast alongside the mushrooms in the oven. The sour nuttiness of the tofu gives a cheesy quality and combines well.

HOW TO 

Preheat oven to 200C. Bake sweet potato until a knife easily pierces it, or about 30-60 mins depending on size (check from 20 mins). Set aside to cool. Allow your cooked white beans to come to room temperature or drain and rinse the beans if using canned.

Slice mushrooms one fingertip wide. Toss them in 2 tbsp of olive oil, set on baking paper and space them on a tray, barely touching. Season with salt and pepper and broil until golden brown on the edges. Keep a close eye after 10 mins to avoid burning.

Once the mushrooms are in the oven,  fill a pan with water up to 3-4 fingers high of water, add a dash of vinegar and set to boil for the egg poaching, if desired. I used coconut vinegar, but any light one will do: white wine, or plain white.

Warm the garlic in 2 tbsps of olive oil or ghee in a pan with half the thyme leaves on medium to low heat. Avoid smoking the oil as this degrades it. Add in the chopped kale and toss in the oil until bright green and softened. Add the eggs to the pan of simmering water for 3 mins. Chop the sweet potato into medium size chunks meanwhile and set aside.

Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain. Quickly add white beans and sweet potato to the kale and toss, cooking over medium-low heat until warmed through. Remove mushrooms from the oven, they should be golden brown and crispy. Season the veg with salt and pepper and finish with a squeeze of the lemon..

TO FINISH 

Toss the fresh watercress in with the cooked veg, top with the egg or tofu, a handful of mushrooms, and a pinch each of fresh coriander or parsley (or both) and green onion. Sprinkle with the cheese (flex) and freshly ground pepper. 

 

Lifehack: a baked sweet potato, cup of cooked, whole quinoa or rice, lentils or beans are great to have on hand as a meal starter and time saver. You can do this easily while cooking one day (I like Sundays for this). Then you have the basis for a couple days worth of 15-20 min dinners.

Bon Appétit!

 

About Hilary 

Hilary is the Co-Founder of the SABI, a Holistic Nutritionist, natural, whole foods Chef, product developer and advocate for women getting to know their bodies, cycles and selves better. Born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Baja California, Mexico, she now lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands with her partner and her dog, Flint.