Join in on the Power of Pink with these delicious recipes

The annual Power of Pink campaign, which supports the Reach For Recovery (R4R) organisation has kicked off.

In partnership with the South African Mushroom Farmers Association, R1 from every pink punnet of fresh mushrooms sold at Pick n Pay stores nationwide during October will be donated to the R4R’s Ditto Project.

The special project provides free silicone prostheses to breast cancer survivors who cannot afford reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy.

The South African Mushroom Farmers Association shares fun, delicious recipes that you enjoy with mushrooms.

Grilled vegetable platter with yoghurt and herb dressing

(Serves six)

Ingredients

Herb dressing:

1 cup mixed herbs (basil, coriander and parsley work well)

3 tablespoon of olive oil

3 tablespoons of plain yoghurt

3 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Grilled vegetables:

2 large Portobello steaks

400g Portobellini mushrooms, sliced in half

1 red onion, sliced into thick rounds

2 pearl onions, sliced in half

1 head of romaine or cos lettuce, sliced in half

100g/1 bunch of asparagus spears

6 small courgettes, sliced in half

6 baby eggplant, sliced in half

6 patty pans, sliced in half

Olive oil

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Micro herbs and crunchy fresh radish (for serving)

Method

For the dressing:

In a blender, combine all the ingredients.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Thin out with a little cold water if desired.

For the vegetables:

Preheat the braai or griddle pan to medium-high heat.

One vegetable at a time, toss in a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill in batches, flipping once until tender and lightly charred.

To get really defined grill marks press the vegetables down using a metal spatula as you place them on the griddle pan or braai.

Serve the mixed grilled vegetables with a generous drizzle of the herb dressing.

Lentil and mushroom burger with mushroom bun

(Serves four)

Ingredients

Patty:

400g white button mushrooms

2 tins of 400g brown lentils, rinsed and drained

½ red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 tablespoons of smoked paprika

¼ cup of flour

¼ cup of breadcrumbs

Olive oil

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Avocado salsa:

1 large ripe tomato, diced (or use a handful of colourful cherry tomatoes)

½ red onion, diced

2 small/medium sized avocados

¼ cup fresh coriander leaves

Juice of ½ lemon

Freshly ground pink peppercorns, to taste

Salt (to taste)

To serve:

8 large Portobello mushrooms

2 large carrots, peeled and peeled further into ribbons

2 cups of mixed lettuce

Sesame seeds

Side suggestion– sweet potato fries and mayo

Method

For the patty:

Blitz mushrooms in a food processor until finely diced.

Add mushrooms to a hot pan with a drizzle of olive oil.

Cook out all of their water – work in batches if necessary to not overcrowd the pan.

Scrape mushrooms into a large bowl.

Add the lentils to the dry hot pan and toast them until dry.

Add to the bowl of cooked mushrooms.

In the same pan add a fresh drizzle of olive oil and cook the onion until soft.

Add the garlic and paprika and cook for a minute until fragrant.

Add to the bowl of mushrooms and lentils.

Add the flour, breadcrumbs and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix everything well together. Mash some of the mixture against the side of the bowl. Keeping some of the lentils whole and some more mashed gives the patty great texture.

Divide the mixture into 4. The patties will be around 180g each.

Fry patties in a little drizzle of olive oil until golden brown on both sides.

For the salsa:

Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and lightly mash together.

Season well.

To build the burger:

Place the 8 Portobellos on a wire rack on top of a baking tray.

Sprinkle with a little seasoning and roast for ± 7 minutes at 200°C until tender.

Brush with a little BBQ sauce or any brown sauce to give them a glazed and shiny look.

Slice a little off 4 of the Portobello ‘bottom buns’ so they sit flat.

Top with a generous pile of greens and carrot ribbons.

Place a lentil and mushroom patty on each one.

Top with a generous serving of the avocado salsa and finish with the top Portobello bun.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds for a burger effect and serve alongside some crunchy sweet potato fries.