Mushroom and Thyme Toasts
Prepare these toasts for a satisfying snack or a quick lunch paired with fresh fruit. The smooth flavour of the mushrooms is enhanced by cooking them with garlic, herbs and a dollop of tangy low-fat sour cream. The mushrooms taste wonderful piled on top of whole-grain toast spread with ricotta cheese.
1⁄2 cup (125 mL) light ricotta cheese
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
3 tbsp (45 mL) finely chopped parsley
Good pinch of cayenne pepper
1 lb (500 g) button mushrooms
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp (25 mL) low-fat sour cream
1 tsp (5 mL) lemon juice
Salt and pepper
8 (1-inch/2.5-cm) slices cut from a small loaf of whole-grain bread
• Though there are over 2,500 varieties of mushrooms grown throughout the world, not all are edible — some are even poisonous. All edible mushrooms are a useful source of several B vitamins.
• Because of its high moisture content, ricotta cheese is lower in fat than many other varieties of soft cheese.
- Place the ricotta, celery, parsley and cayenne pepper in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until needed. Preheat the oven broiler to high.
- Leave any small mushrooms whole and halve larger ones. Place them in a large, heavy, non-stick skillet and add the garlic, thyme, sour cream, and 1 tsp (5 mL) water. Cover and cook gently until the mushrooms are just tender and have given up their juices, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the lemon juice and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- While the mushrooms are cooking, toast the bread slices on both sides under the broiler. While still warm, spread one side of each piece of toast with some of the ricotta mixture, then cut it in half.
- Arrange the toasts on individual serving plates. Spoon the hot mushroom mixture over the toasts and serve immediately.
preparation time 10–15 minutes
cooking time 10 minutes
serves 8
Each serving provides calories 148, calories from fat 36, fat 4 g, saturated fat 1 g, cholesterol 6 mg,
carbohydrate 24 g, fibre 4 g, sugars 3 g, protein 8 g.
Choices per serving: Carbohydrate 1, Fat 1
Excerpted from Eat to Beat Diabetes, available now in the Best Health Store
