Marinated Portabella Mushrooms with Lemongrass Pesto and Cashew Polenta

Adapted from this recipe at Raw Epicurean

As you saw in the last garden update, the lemongrass in our herb garden is going crazy right now. It is huge, lush, and beautiful. I was so excited to have an abundance of lemongrass- which, by the way, is about $5 for 3 stalks at Whole Foods when they happen to have it.

Then I realized... I don't actually know what to do with lemongrass. I've eaten it. I like it. But I've never actually cooked with it.

So, I Googled for lemongrass recipes. The first few pages showed lots of fish recipes. Hmm, interesting, but not what I was looking for. So I Googled again- this time for vegetarian lemongrass recipes. That resulted in many Asian recipes, mostly for soups. Sounds delicious, but it's waaayyyy too hot outside for cooked soup. So I Googled raw vegan lemongrass recipe. Bingo! Raw Epicurean had this recipe using Lemongrass Pesto.

I was nervous about the portabella. I have not specifically been tested for mushroom in my food allergies, but my physician warned me not to eat fungi. I haven't touched a mushroom since 2007.

I considered replacing the mushroom with something else, but in the end, decided I'd try the recipe as written. I do love mushrooms, after all, and if I could eat them, that would offer some more dietary options. (end result, I was OK, but mild symptoms, so probably not something I should eat much of or often).

I have to tell you, those marinated and dehydrated portabellas were amazing. They tasted cooked. They were fabulous. If you can eat mushrooms, I would highly recommend the marinating and dehydrating technique- using whatever herbs suit your tastes. These mushrooms could top a salad, or a raw spaghetti dish, or a raw vegan pizza, or be tossed in a raw "pasta" salad. They do not become "dried" as you might imagine when you think "dehydrated"- they are just warm and juicy and infused with whatever you marinated them with. Delicious!

Marinated Portabella Mushrooms with Lemongrass Pesto and Cashew Polenta
Serves 2

I was going to post the recipe here, but I didn't change very much, so I will refer you to the original post on Raw Epicurean for the recipe. Below are the changes I made:

Marinated mushrooms: I omitted the white truffle oil*
Lemongrass pesto: I omitted the parsley, and substituted 1/4 cup pine nuts for the sunflower seeds
Assembly: I omitted the tomato

That's it! The rest followed the recipe. It was absolutely delicious.

*Allergy tip: white truffle oil is actually a blend of oils, most commonly olive, sunflower and truffle. If you choose to include it, make sure you find one that is safe for your needs.