Mushrooms with Beans and Polenta

Portobello mushrooms… I think I developed a crush on them. From picking them in the farmers market to preparing delicious meals with them, I absolutely love Portobello mushrooms. During the course I did at the Plant Based Academy, I’ve got more familiar with the benefits a mushroom-rich diet.

Since I started eating more plants, I’ve made best friends with beans. At the beginning, the beans I used in my recipes came from cans, and I was able to make a nutritious dinner in less than 20min. Now, I’m boiling the beans using an InstaPot to have more control over the ingredients I use, and to avoid waste. Beans have a lot of bad press, especially because we still digest them after they get out of our stomachs which can be... uncomfortable. Beans are such a nutrient dense food and one of the healthiest ones out there, that the best thing to do is to find what works best for you to consume them. Also, beans are a great source of protein and can make the transition easier to a plant based diet. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, soak the beans for about 8h in filtered water and then boil them for a couple of hours with carrots, onion, garlic and a stripe of kombu (a seaweed that has enzymes which helps digesting the beans). 

In Eastern Europe, polenta is consumed quite a bit. I remember growing up and eating it with different delicious meals made of fish or veggies and garlic sauce. Eating this on a Sunday is similar to the Sunday roast! Since I moved out of my parents house, I stopped eating it, but as I am introducing my Portuguese partner to my culture, I had to find new ways to add polenta to our diet. 

Polenta is a suggestion here as I know it works so well with this dish. Feel free to replace it with a portion of cooked quinoa or couscous and you’ll have a similar result. 

Try my mushroom and beans dish. You’ll want to cook it again!

Mushrooms with beans and polenta

• prep time: 10min
• cook time:15min
• total time:25min

Servings: 3

Ingredients:

• 1 small yellow onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbs of olive oil
• 400 gr portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 ½ cups cooked butter beans
• 2 tbs nutritional yeast
• 2 tbs lemon zest
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 cups polenta fritts
• ½ cup plant based milk (almond, soy, oat or whichever you have in your pantry)
• bunch of fresh parsley

Instructions:

1. Sauté the onion in the olive oil for 2-3min. Add the garlic and sauté 1min more.
2. Add the mushrooms and let them simmer until they are brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the wine and let it soak well.
3. Introduce the chickpeas and the butter beans and broil for 10min on low temperature.
4. Add fresh parsley at the end and let it sit a bit.
5. How to make the polenta? Just boil 2 cups of broth and the plant based milk. Add salt if the broth is not already salted. When little bubbles appear in the pan, incorporate the polenta very slowly while mixing with a wooden spoon. Let it boil on low temperature for about 15min.

Nutrition:

• Serving:427 kcal
• Fat:8.7 gr
• Dietary Fiber:14 gr