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Writing on the Blue Zone site, Robert Beelman, PhD, professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University, describes mushrooms as disease-fighting stars. “In the past, food scientists like me often praised mushrooms as healthy because of what they don’t contribute to the diet; they contain no cholesterol and gluten and are low in fat, sugars, sodium and calories,” he notes.
“But that was selling mushrooms short. They are very healthy foods and could have medicinal properties, because they are good sources of protein, B-vitamins, fibre, immune-enhancing sugars found in the cell walls called beta-glucans, and other bioactive compounds.
Homemade tzatziki:
250ml / 1 cup Greek style / double cream plain yoghurt
1 Mediterranean cucumber, seeded and finely grated
1 small clove garlic, finely grated
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp fresh dill fronds, roughly chopped
For the meatballs:
500g white button mushrooms
500g lean beef mince
1 large free-range egg
½ onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp sea salt
To serve:
Greek salad
6 wholewheat pitas
2 Tbsp za’atar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for serving
Vinegar of choice, for serving
For the tzatziki:
- Squeeze out all the liquid from the grated cucumber and place in a bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
- Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Mix and taste to adjust seasoning.
- Keep in the fridge until serving.
For the meatballs:
- Blitz the mushrooms in a food processor or finely chop.
- Heat a large dry frying pan over medium heat and cook the mushrooms until they release all their liquid and are dry and turning golden on the edges.
- Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Allow to cool slightly.
- In the same pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil and cook the onion and garlic until tender and fragrant.
- In a large mixing bowl combine all the meatball ingredients including the cooked mushrooms, onion and garlic.
- Mix well.
- Form into little balls, around 40g each is a nice size.
To air fry:
- Preheat air fryer to 200ËšC.
- Air fry the meatballs for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and just cooked through.
To oven bake:
- Preheat oven to 200ËšC with the fan on.
- Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown and just cooked through.
To serve:
- Swish the tzatziki onto a serving platter.
- Top with the meatballs on one side and a pile of Greek salad on the other.
- Drizzle the salad with olive oil, vinegar and seasoning.
- Sprinkle everything with a little za’atar.
- Serve the platter family style on the table with warm pitas for everyone to build their own.
- Enjoy!