Mushroom Crostini

A little while ago I had my cousin, Megan, and good friend, Sarah, over for dinner. I wanted to have a warm appetizer for us while we waited for the main meal of a warm goat cheese salad and chicken marbella. I picked up a whole grain baguette and some strong smelling blue cheese from East Village Cheese which is my favorite store for cheese, marinated artichoke hearts and dolmas. I am a huge fan of mushrooms and when mixed with a creamy sauce, I think they taste delicious with pasta, salad, crackers or bread. I served these warm on toasted bread. The leftovers I had the following morning on bread for a sandwich with sun dried tomatoes and spinach. The lovely thing about this mushroom mixture is the blue cheese makes for a subtle tanginess and extra creamy texture. Rather than using real cream for this I decided to use soy milk with provides for a still creamy flavor but much healthier and lighter flavor.

Mushroom Crostini

Ingredients:

12 ounces mixed mushrooms (I used bella button mushrooms and shitake), chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 whole grain baguette, sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the garlic for a couple minutes and add in the mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms are soft, about 4 minutes. Add in the soy milk and sprinkle the thyme in and saute until all the soy milk is absorbed. Then add in the crumbled blue cheese and turn off the heat and saute to melt the cheese. Set mixture aside.
3. On a baking sheet toast the bread slices for about 4 minutes. Remove from oven and top each slice with a generous amount of the mushroom mixture. Place the sheet back into the oven until it is heated through, about 8 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!