Red Root

 Oyster Mushroom Saute
Nutty - Meaty - Goodness

- Ingredients -
1 lb fresh Oyster Mushrooms
1/2 bunch Organic Lacinato Kale & Organic Collard Greens
or greens of choice (very good w/ bok choy)
2-3 cloves Organic Garlic
1 small Organic Red Onion
1/2 -1 cup Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
1 tablespoon Organic Coconut Aminos
1 teaspoon Umeboshi Plum Sauce
1/2 fresh finely sliced Organic Thai Chili Pepper or
1 teaspoon Thai Chili Pepper Sauce

(you can also substitute the coconut aminos & umeboshi plum sauce for peanut sauce & coconut milk
with organic dry unsalted peanuts..yum!)

Begin by chopping up all solid ingredients into desired sizes. Then add coconut oil to fry pan and let melt slightly, before adding onion, garlic, kale, & mushrooms, then let sauté with lid on for 5 minutes on medium to low heat. Then add coconut aminos, umeboshi plum sauce, & thai chili pepper/sauce, and let sauté for another 5 to 10 minutes on low heat. Then eat atop rice, eggs or alone. I like to sauté on low to medium heat for shorter amounts of time to preserve the nutritional quality, vitality & texture of my food.

Oyster Mushrooms . Pleurotus ostreatus

Of all mushrooms commonly consumed, oyster mushrooms in the genus Pleurotus stand out as exceptional allies for improving human and environmental health. These mushrooms enjoy a terrific reputation as the easiest to cultivate, richly nutritious and medicinally supportive. Oyster mushrooms are also renowned for their ability to degrade environmental toxins, particularly hydrocarbon-based contaminants. Their role as guardians of the biosphere becomes clear as new research into their complex biochemistry proves their potential to combat hunger, improve immunity and clean up polluted lands.

Oyster mushrooms are native to both deciduous hardwood and conifer tree species. Recognized as wood decomposers, they are ubiquitous in forestlands around the world. Fruiting both in the spring and fall, oyster mushrooms, particularly Pleurotus ostreatus and its close relatives, attract cultivators and entrepreneurs for their numerous advantages and unique ecological interactions. Most significantly, nearly all oyster mushrooms are primary saprophytes, meaning they do not require a composted substrate. They grow readily on dead wood, straw, grasses (wheat, rye, rice, fescues, corn, bamboo), cotton, cacti, Scotch broom, hemp, coffee wastes, paper products, and practically any other dried cellulosic plant material.

Although oyster mushrooms have been studied extensively and support health in a number of ways, it is also extremely important to always cook oyster mushrooms! Oyster mushrooms contain a novel, heat-labile, hemolytic protein called "ostreolysin," which can be toxic unless the mushrooms are cooked at temperatures exceeding 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This compound is found in developing and mature oyster mushrooms yet is absent in the mycelium. Nevertheless, this is another good reason -- among many -- that all mushrooms, with the exception of truffles, should be cooked to best take advantage of their beneficial nutritional properties while deactivating heat-sensitive toxins. -Paul Stamets