As we have arrived at the end of our 21 Day Meditation of Shedding the Weight: Mind Body and Soul, I think it might be nice to highlight food that might enhance our meditation.
I don’t know about you, but when I meditate, I drink tea. It’s soothing and enhances the meditation. Tea is simply relaxing, and it’s no wonder that the British drink tea in the afternoons or after coming home from work. This got me thinking about high tea time and making it a practice with our meditations at the end of the day. What might a meditation tea party look like?
Surely, we can make it just as pretty as any afternoon tea invitation with dainty sandwiches and gourmet tea, but consciously with wellness in mind.
I started off think about British tea time, not what the Queen may have with her tea, but what the average man might enjoy. Mushroom Toast is an original British dish that is enjoyed during tea after a hard day’s labor. It is simple to make and hearty enough to satisfy after coming home from work. It can also be served as a light meal. The original British Mushroom Toast is made by simply sautéing mushrooms in butter with garlic, a bit of parsley, salt and pepper, and finished with crème friache. The mushrooms are then topped on a thick slice of toast.
A great tea time dish, but I took it a step farther by turning this into lovely canapes. I thought about how Americans will often have stuffed mushrooms for starters or appetizers – mushroom stuffed with a spinach and cream cheese mixture, then topped with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. I took all these ingredients in one form or the other and created beautiful Mushroom Toast Canapes. It’s very simple to make with sliced mushrooms cooked just as the British do it. Then I took my toast, layered thick with cream cheese, fresh spinach, the sautéed mushrooms, and parmesan. It turned out beautiful.
Mushroom Toast Canapes
Ingredients
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 small shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 small clove of garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
2 teaspoons fresh parsley leaves chopped
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pieces of toast made from a hearty bread (I used whole wheat to be healthy)
2 oz. cream cheese
Handful of baby spinach
1 tablespoon of freshly grated parmesan cheese
Method
Heat the butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until they are softened. Add all the mushrooms and stir. Add salt, pepper and parsley and allow the mushrooms to cook through and any liquid to evaporate. Set the mushrooms aside.
Cut the crust off your toast and cut the toast in half or quarters if you prefer them smaller.
Spread thick layers of cream cheese on each piece.
Add a thin layer of baby spinach (one leaf may suffice).
Top each with a tablespoon of the mushrooms.
Sprinkle parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately.
Optional: place the canapes in the broiler for 5 minutes and allow the cheese to melt before serving.
