by popular request: holiday mushroom tarts!

Hosting a party? Make these! Plus how to sauté mushrooms without oil (don't use water!)

For me the holiday season is about using my hands and making things — things to gift, things to eat, things to share, things to enjoy together. Most of us don’t have the time (or desire) to make all the things from scratch, so we pick and choose the little projects that bring us joy and meet our needs.

For example, I will happily toil over the stove making cookies, cakes, and casseroles. I love feeding others (and myself) over the holidays. But a homemade wreath or a do-it-yourself gingerbread house? Not my cup of green tea!

I also use the holidays as an excuse to showcase and share plant-based recipes in hopes of debunking any plant-based myths. It’s always a great conversation starter, and I get a little buzz every time someone says “No! That’s vegan?!”. Because eating a whole food diet goes way beyond carrots and hummus.

What’s the saying? “The way to the heart is through the stomach”? I’ve seen many hearts and minds changed by eating something delicious (that also just happens to be vegan).

If you love sharing plant-based cuisine and also enjoy rolling your sleeves up in the kitchen, then I think you’ll love these (kind of miraculous) mushroom tarts. They’re the quintessential two-bite party snack or appetizer.

So, throw on some Mariah Carey, dig out your rolling pin, pour yourself something good (ahem, red wine), and dance around your kitchen to get in the holiday spirit!

RECIPE STEPS

The recipe looks long but the text is mostly thorough instruction on how to prepare the dough. Here are the steps required (time estimates don’t include oven time):

1. Make the cashew sour cream (5 minutes)

2. Prep and sauté the mushrooms (5-7 minutes)

3. Make the pastry, cut out the tarts. (15 minutes)

4. Add the sour cream and mushrooms to the tarts (5 minutes)

5. Garnish and serve! ( 3 minutes)

HOW-TO VIDEO

I’ve included a how-to video so you can see exactly how to prepare the whole-food pastry. I highly recommend watching it before making the tarts. As soon as I turned the camera off, I shoved three tarts in my mouth. I debated a fourth but it was well after midnight.

SAUTÉING MUSHROOMS WITHOUT OIL

I recently heard a well known chef condemn sautéing mushrooms without oil. And as she described the issues with using water, I couldn’t help but think I needed to clarify this misunderstanding.