I discovered and fell in love with oyster mushrooms for the first time while working at a restaurant in the city a few years ago.  I always toss them in my pastas to add some extra texture, so when someone suggested frying them I became overly excited because who doesn’t love fried food?! I know I do! I have one rule when cooking vegan foods and thats not to listen to anything the vegans say is good lol (I kid I kid..not really).  I only say this because I believe most long time vegans tend to forget what real food tastes like.  Like… guys cauliflower can not be a substitute for fried chicken, it just isn’t.  I don’t care how delicious your batter for it is IT IS NOT FRIED CHICKEN. PERIOD. lol ok now that I’ve gotten that out let me pay the vegans a compliment so they won’t come attacking me with carrots and celery (insert crying emoji). Fried oyster mushrooms in place of oysters is actually dead on.  Like, they got this one SO right that I will forgive them for their other transgressions. I just had to create a yummy batter and dipping sauce to go with these bad boys (which are not vegan) and I was totally on board.  Now, the batter can be made vegan (look at notes in the recipe) and I’m sure vegans can recommend a completely vegan dipping sauce but I will say nothing is like a real buttermilk batter and real blue cheese dressing.  I love to serve these up with my blue cheese dressing, hot sauce and my creamy grits for brunch.

I’ve made this recipe on my Instagram account they are in my highlight on my page if you need a little help just head over there.  I hope you guys enjoy and keep tagging me on those recipes you all try I love seeing them!

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Fried oyster mushrooms

Servings

Ingredients

• 4 Bunches oyster mushrooms
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup franks hot sauce
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1-1/2 tsp herbs de providence
• 1 tbsp seasoning blend
• Flour Dredge
• 1 cup cornmeal or corn flour
• 1 cups ½unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp crushed red peppers
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp seasoning blend (Cajun,Emeril, etc)
• Canola or peanut oil for frying

Servings Ingredients 4 Bunches oyster mushrooms 2 cups buttermilk 1/2 cup franks hot sauce 2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp paprika 2 tsp garlic powder 1-1/2 tsp herbs de providence 1 tbsp seasoning blend Flour Dredge 1 cup cornmeal or corn flour 1 cups ½unbleached all purpose flour 1 tbsp corn starch 2 tsp sea salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp crushed red peppers 2 tsp cayenne pepper 2 tsp turmeric 2 tsp paprika 1 tbsp seasoning blend (Cajun,Emeril, etc) Canola or peanut oil for frying

Instructions

1. Break your oyster mushrooms apart and place into a strainer for cleaning. * Run under warm water being sure to remove any dirt.
2. In a large bowl mix together your buttermilk, hot sauce, and seasonings. Once everything is completely blended together place your mushrooms into this bowl being sure all mushrooms are submerged in buttermilk. I like to let this sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. While you are marinating your mushrooms heat your oil and make your flour dredge.
3. In a bag or another large bowl whisk together your cornmeal, flour, and seasonings.
4. Once oil is hot remove mushrooms from the fridge and strain out the liquid. Take your mushrooms one at a time (being sure to shake off any excess buttermilk) and toss in your flour and place in hot oil. Repeat until all of your mushrooms are cooked. Serve up with some blue cheese or a sauce of your choice!
5. While your mushrooms are cooking place a paper towel on a baking sheet and a put your wire rack over the paper towel, this is where you will place your mushrooms to drain when they come out of the oil. Doing this will keep your mushrooms from getting soggy while any excess oil drains off.

Recipe Notes

To make this a vegan dish, use non-dairy milk instead of buttermilk and pour in 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes.

Mushrooms don't have to be broken into single pieces for, some will need to broken in to small groups to avoid breaking mushrooms.

As promised, here is one of the dishes I make using my versatile cheese sauce recipe.  This recipe is super gooey and cheesy and amazing and I could go on and on.  I only make this as a personal dish to keep myself from over indulging.  You can adjust the serving size to make it for the family as well,  but just like I said with this recipe you will still only need about half of the egg amount the recipe adjuster will tell you to use.  This is one of my favorite Mac and cheese recipes (I have like 3 that I use often).  I hope you and your family love this recipe as much as me and my girls do. Comment below and tell me what you thought about the dish once you try it out!

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Personal Mac and cheese

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

15-20 minutes

Servings

person

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg you only need about half of the egg
• 3/4 cup Mary's versatile cheese sauce
• paprika
• cracked pepper

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 15-20 minutes Servings person Ingredients 1 cup cooked elbow macaroni 1/2 cup sharp cheddar 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese 1 egg you only need about half of the egg 3/4 cup Mary's versatile cheese sauce paprika cracked pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small saucepan cook your pasta according to the package, make sure you leave it al dente or else your pasta will be mushy once you make your mac and cheese.
2. Once pasta is cooked, drain it and transfer to a medium bowl. Add your cheddar cheese(leave about 3 tbsp of cheddar to sprinkle on top), cheese sauce, and egg stir until its well combined. Pour this mixture into a greased ramekin and top with remaining cheddar cheese and parmesan and sprinkle your cracked pepper and paprika. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Let it cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

You can definitely make this a family sized dish just use the serving size controller in the recipe and it will alter the recipe to the serving size you need for your family.  Make sure you use the link to my cheese sauce recipe I've provided in the blog for the best results.

Hey guys I’m back! I can’t believe it’s been about 2 weeks since my last post, but I had to take a much needed break.  Don’t worry I spent all of that time cooking and if you follow me on Instagram you already know I have a few recipes that I’ve promised you.  So, heres the first one! Let me be honest ladies and gents, I normally hate stuffed peppers… like REALLY HATE.  However I do not believe in trying something once and just swearing it off, I have this theory that there is usually always a way to make something work to your liking.  I also have this believe that it’s usually not the actual food that you don’t like its probably just how it was prepared.

My first time trying stuffed peppers was the traditional taco mix stuffed in a green bell pepper, once again HATED IT lol.  So this time I knew immediately that if this was going to work I would have to swap out the bitter green bell for one of the other less bitter colors.  This time I went with the yellow bells and boy, I’m happy I did.  Also, since I’m trying my best to eat healthier I decided to use seafood as my protein and focus more on loading these peppers up with vegetables and OH-EM-GEE (insert praise hand emojis).  These are legit the best peppers I’ve ever had, they were so damn good! I enjoyed this mixture so much I even used it to top some sweet potatoes I made the following day.  This recipe is so cool because you can truly make it your own and use whatever seasonings, veggies, and protein you prefer.  I advise reading the recipe in a full as well as the notes before you get started.  If you give this a try don’t hesitate to tag me in your pictures on Instagram

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Shrimp and scallop stuffed peppers

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Servings

peppers

Ingredients

• 2 strips bacon
• 1/2 red onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup+2 tbsp. cup EVOO
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup vegetable stock
• 3 cups kale rough chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup portabella mushrooms diced
• 1/4 cup mini sweet peppers diced
• 1 tsp fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup uncooked couscous
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 cup pinto beans
• 8 red or yellow bell peppers deseeded and halved
• 1 avocado
• 4 scallions
• 2 tsp sea salt
• cracked pepper to taste
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp mitmita seasoning
• 1/2 lb. medium or large scallops diced
• 1/2 lb. wild caught shrimp diced
• 1/2 cup cheese optional

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Servings peppers Ingredients 2 strips bacon 1/2 red onion diced 2 cloves garlic minced 4 cups cherry tomatoes 1/4 cup+2 tbsp. cup EVOO 1/3 cup white wine 1/3 cup vegetable stock 3 cups kale rough chopped 1/2 cup shredded carrots 1/2 cup portabella mushrooms diced 1/4 cup mini sweet peppers diced 1 tsp fresh cilantro 1/2 cup uncooked couscous 2 tbsp. tomato paste 1 cup pinto beans 8 red or yellow bell peppers deseeded and halved 1 avocado 4 scallions 2 tsp sea salt cracked pepper to taste 1 tsp crushed red pepper 1 tsp turmeric 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp mitmita seasoning 1/2 lb. medium or large scallops diced 1/2 lb. wild caught shrimp diced 1/2 cup cheese optional

Instructions

1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. On a large sheet pan spread out your cherry tomatoes and toss in ¼ cup of EVOO sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place in oven and roast for 20 minutes or until tomatoes start to burst.
2. In a large skillet fry your bacon on a medium/low heat. Once bacon is fully cooked remove the strips from the grease and turn your heat up to a medium heat. Add your garlic and red onion to the pan, sauté for 3 minutes then add your tomato paste. Once your cherry tomatoes are finished roasting add those to your pan (make sure you include whatever juices are in your pan from your tomatoes also) smash your tomatoes using your spoon or a potato smasher. Allow your tomatoes to cook for 5 minutes, then add your veggie stock and white wine. Let this simmer for 5-7 minutes then add your cilantro, veggies (minus the avocado and scallions) and seasonings and let this sauté for about 3 minutes or until kale has cooked down, mix until everything is well combined.
3. Add your seafood and cook for 5 minutes (don't cook seafood fully it will finish cooking in the oven). Mix your pinto beans and couscous in well and add more broth (1/4 cup) if your mixture doesn't still have fluids. Spoon mixture into your bell pepper halves and sprinkle with cheese. Bake on 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Allow peppers to cool for 5 minutes, top with avocado and scallions and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

This can easily become a vegan/vegetarian meal just leave out the seafood. You can also substitute any protein you prefer. I used brown sugar bacon, it provides a yummy sweet flavor to your mix. I used sweet Riesling, this also provided a sweet flavor to the mix. The sweet notes in the mix help cut the bitterness of the bell peppers. You can use any color peppers you'd like. I advise taking the extra time to cook dry pinto beans. I do not recommend canned beans (health reasons). Check your local store for frozen that's also a healthier option. The seasonings I listed in the recipe are optional, you can absolutely use your preference in seasonings to make it your own.