Kuchisabishii wild 'shroom courgetti

Name: Kuchisabishii wild 'shroom courgetti
Total time: 900 s
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 25 g dried Asian or European/American mushrooms; 2 large courgettes; spray oil; 75 g (3) shallots or a medium onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; sprig thyme leaves, leaves removed; 200 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced; 1 tbsp mushroom ketchup; 1 tbsp porcini paste; 1 tsp truffle paste or fresh truffle (optional); few grinds salt and black pepper; 2 tbsps fat free cottage cheese, sieved; 1 tbsp parmesan, grated; sprig parsley; squeeze lime juice

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

Warmer days are on the horizon and thoughts of how to get a summer bod spring to mind. Strenuous exercise regimes and dietary restrictions whether that be reducing calories, carbs, fats or sugar are being pondered and then suddenly one has a Kuchisabishii moment.

Kuchisabishii (lonely mouth) is a Japanese word that refers to eating, not because one is hungry but because one’s mouth is lonely i.e. snacking for no reason. If one eats a balanced, healthy diet, there should be no need to snack due to carb craving. However, it's hard to find flavoursome ingredients that aren't high carb yet low calorie without any saturated fats or cholesterol.

Just one courgette fulfils two of the five-a-day as well as being packed full of essential vitamins and minerals and the potassium helps tired muscles. Mushrooms are low in sodium but have a savoury flavour and make a great meat substitute. They contain compounds that inhibit the production of cholesterol, block cholesterol from being absorbed and lower the overall amount of cholesterol in the blood.

Chestnut and rehydrated porcini mushrooms provide a deep, rich, meaty punch to a sauce made from onion, garlic, parsley, thyme, and fat free cottage cheese (alternative to cream). For that full-on umami flavour, truffle, parmesan, porcini paste and mushroom sauce are used to finish the sauce.

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

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Ingredients

15 minutes

2 servings

25 gdried Asian or European/American mushrooms
2large courgettes
spray oil
75 g(3) shallots or a medium onion, finely chopped
2garlic cloves, finely chopped
sprigthyme leaves, leaves removed
200 gchestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 tbspmushroom ketchup
1 tbspporcini paste
1 tsptruffle paste or fresh truffle (optional)
few grinds salt and black pepper
2 tbspsfat free cottage cheese, sieved
1 tbspparmesan, grated
sprigparsley
squeezelime juice

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Steps

15 minutes

1

Soak the porcini mushrooms in room temperature water. Spiralize the courgette and set aside (no need to salt as this will make the texture less crunchy).
2

Place a spray (or splash) of oil in a non stick skillet and add the onion. Stir and cook the onion for 5 minutes, adding the garlic for the last 2 minutes. Add a splash of water if it becomes dry. Strain the mushrooms to remove any grit, reserving the liquid. Chop the rehydrated mushroom and add to the pan with the chestnut mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes.
3

Add the strained mushroom liquid to the pan along with the thyme leaves, parsley stalks, cottage cheese, mushroom ketchup, porcini and truffle paste. Lower the heat and cook gently for 2 minutes to thicken the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and stir through the parmesan and parsley leaves. Add a squeeze of lemon and the courgetti and toss to coat.