Vegan and Gluten Free
I LOVE MUSHROOMS.
I love them. I don’t know about any other vegetarians out there, but the only thing I kind of miss from eating meat is eating chewy food. Vegetables can be crunchy and tempeh and tofu can be crumbly, but there isn’t much chewy food in a vegetarian diet. (Unless you count chewy worms and jelly snakes, which I do…) So whenever I feel like all I’ve been eating is soft and mushy food and get scared my teeth are about to fall out, I crave mushrooms.
Last week the farmers market had the best mushrooms! We bought four boxes of them! I ate mushrooms in four different meals in a row. By the last one I will admit I was feeling a little over-mushroomed. We made mushroom stir fry, baked mushrooms, mushroom pasta sauce, and my favourite way; chilli basil mushrooms on toast.
The number one crime when making mushrooms on toast is to only use one type of mushrooms. ESPECIALLY if you just use button mushrooms. Button mushrooms are great, but they aren’t very flavoursome by themselves. They need the help of their little mushroom friends enoki and oyster. I went to Bill’s Cafe with some friends recently and got the mushrooms on toast, and I think there must have been four different types used! It was incredible. This recipe is partially inspired by that breakfast because it was amazing!
The number two crime is overcrowding the pan. Don’t do that. Mushrooms release juices when they cook and your pan will fill with liquid and they will broil. You will be sad. They will be sad. Make sure there’s lots of room for them to get brown and crispy and soak up all the flavours you add. (Thank you Julia Child!)
I’m so excited to keep posting savoury recipes on this blog. This recipe is so easy, even if I haven’t quite mastered the ‘how to take a photo of a hot pan without burning yourself’ skill yet. But I’m hopeful for the future. I used sour dough bread as the base of choice but the recipe is really about the mushrooms, so you can use gluten free bread or serve it over pasta or rice if you want.
For the chilli jam I used a homemade jar made by a friend, so you could either make your own or buy a good quality one from a deli or market. I wouldn’t recommend a commercial brand just because they’re so much sweeter and less spicy than homemade, but if that’s all you have I’m sure it will taste fine. If you don’t like spice, you can also leave it out.
You can put a poached egg on top too if you eat eggs. That’s what my sister did this morning, after I finally let her have the plate when I was finished photographing it. And it did look pretty good! Enjoy!
One Year Ago: Wholemeal Brown Sugar Strawberry Cake
Chilli and Basil Mushrooms on Avocado Toast:
For 2 people –
30 ml (1.5 tbsp) olive oil
2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
2 big handfuls chopped field mushrooms
1 handful oyster mushrooms
2 handfuls mixed other mushrooms like enoki, button, flat etc
2 tsp chilli jam
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 handful torn basil leaves, split in half
2-4 pieces of bread (gluten free fine)
1/2 an avocado
Optional: poached egg, grilled tomato, lemon juice to serve
salt and pepper, to serve
Fry the garlic in the oil in a large pan on a gentle heat until soft. Increase the heat to medium and add in the mushrooms, chilli, and vinegar and sauté. Fry the mushrooms so that they become crispy and brown. Taste to check the seasoning. Grill your toast and spread with avocado. Squeeze on some lemon juice if you want and spoon over the mushrooms. Top with salt and pepper and extras, if you want. Serve hot!
These mushrooms on avocado toast looks delicious! Using a mixed variety sure does make a difference in flavor and it looks pretty too.
Anyway, great tips on cooking the mushrooms. I think I actually may have committed a few crimes but I’ve learned my lesson now! 😛
Thank you! Haha I know I wish I’d known sooner! So many soggy mushrooms came before this 🙂
Gahh!! You are making my stomach rumble! This looks so good! I am the only one I know who likes mushrooms, so if I made this, it would just be all for me. Which I am totally ok with 😉
Thank you! Sharing is definitely optional with these haha 🙂
I am so glad I finally have time to visit my favourite blogs again. Always love visting yours as I know for certain you have something pretty waiting for me 🙂 This recipe just blows my mind: I look at it and it makes so much sense it should really be something that I make regularly…..but then I have never ever thought of combining avocado spread with fried mushrooms. And the basil is a pure touch of genius! Love it!
Aw thank you! I love basil with everything and it actually goes so well with mushrooms!
I totally get what you are saying. I think texture has a lot to do with feeling full. You are right, mushrooms are the only chewy food in a vegetarian diet. Hmm, a big portabella mushroom always hits the spot 😀 This Avocado toast with mushrooms sounds yummy! Great idea and combination!
Portabello mushrooms are so good! They have a really strong flavour as well which helps 🙂 Thanks!
I love mushrooms too – but am guilty of often just using standard button or field/portobello mushrooms. I need to branch out a bit 😉 This looks lovely and beautiful photos too!
Portabello mushrooms are some of my favourites! I love all mushrooms so standard works for me 🙂 Thank you!
This looks really lovely. We love mushrooms and we love avocados, but I don’t think we’ve ever eaten them together! Great idea!
Thanks Amy! They go great together!
I love avocado and mushrooms on toast, so delicious! Lovely recipe! 🙂
Thanks Jess! Such a perf combo 🙂
Wait what – a savory dish?! :O Haha, I’m just joking.
This looks amazing! I love mushrooms so much. Please keep posting savory recipes 😀 This looks almost too good 😉
Hahaha I was quite nervous putting it up! Thank you I will 🙂
I’m still working on the “liking mushrooms” requirement of being a vegetarian. Ha! But this toast does look super appealing..so maybe I’ve made some progress?
Don’t worry that’s me with tempeh haha (it just tastes so strange!) thanks!
I think you just invented a new word, Lilli – ‘over-mushroomed’. Love it! The meal sounds delicious, too. Some great mushroom-cooking tips, too!
Haha I think I create way too many new words on this site! Thanks Helen 🙂
looks delicious – I always use mushrooms if I’m cooking for vegetarians. Dried mushrooms I find to have an even more meat like texture.
OMG!!!!! I too fail to understand how anyone CAN NOT like mushrooms!!!!!! I love them!!!!!! on practically ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING! And this is just the evening snack that my stomach is craving!!!!!!! Delicious!!!!!!!
Thanks Samina! How great are mushrooms 🙂
Guess what I just had for my lazy sunday morning breakfast on some rye bread – this is such a winning combination I am sure I am going to be having it regularly! Thank you so much for the inspiraton!!
That makes me so happy! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Just a small thing: as far as I can tell you mention the vinegar twice. I presume you meant to add it only at the end. I thought I would put this in a seperate comment so you can just delete this comment 🙂
Thanks for pointing that out I didn’t even notice!
Oh my goodness. I’ve just discovered your blog and I have to go and make a coffee and dedicate some serious time to reading it. I, too, love mushrooms as a vegetarian. I normally go the thyme/shallots route but I love the thought of basil and chilli jam. Two of my favourite breakfasts are avocado on toast or mushrooms on toast but I never thought to COMBINE THEM! Love it.
Woe thyme and shallots sounds so good! I can’t believe I haven’t tried that combo before! I love your blog too I can’t believe I haven’t stumbled on it before 🙂 how good is avocado toast!