Image courtesy of Martha Stewart.
Mushrooms are a healthy food that taste great in a number of applications, and they come with some benefits that you may not even be aware of. As a whole, mushrooms will provide you with many nutrients, and the nutrient profile that is offered is different depending on the type of mushroom. Lion’s mane mushrooms are a type of mushroom you don’t come across in the supermarket everyday, but they come with many benefits that will make you eager to add them to your diet.
You can find many mushrooms in fresh, dried, or even powdered form, and if you figure out the best way to eat lion’s mane, you will enjoy eating it while getting the nutrients it provides. If you like mushrooms, finding new ways to eat them will make breakfast, lunch, or dinner more fun. Read on to learn everything about lion’s mane mushrooms from where to find them to how to eat them.
What Are Lion’s Mane Mushrooms?
Lion’s mane mushrooms get their name from their appearance. They are wide, pale, and fuzzy, and look similar to a lion’s mane. It is one of the most nutritious mushrooms out there, providing so many benefits that it has been used for health purposes over the years. These mushrooms contain bioactive substances that have beneficial effects on different parts of the body, and those parts include the brain, the gut, and the heart.
Lion’s mane mushrooms can also be known as pom pom mushrooms, and also tend to grow very large. They grow on dead trees and logs, as well as on living trees that are injured, and can grow up to 10 pounds. They grow most from summer to winter, and get their nourishment from the trees they grow on. Lion’s mane can be found in some Asian markets and is growing in popularity when it comes to American markets. It's not as easy to find as portobello as of now, but it's not as hard to find it as it would have been just a few years ago.
These mushrooms are tender, spongy, and slightly sweet. Due to their taste and texture, they have been growing in popularity as a substitute for shellfish like crab and lobster. If you prepare them the right way, they can make a pretty great replica. They are best eastern cooked because of the stomach upsetting chitin in their cell walls, and they taste amazing in soups, broths, and sauces.
Lion’s Mane Benefits
Lion’s mane mushrooms have a significant impact on the brain. These mushrooms contain special compounds that stimulate brain cell growth and lead to positive effects. The special compounds in them are called hericenones and erinacines, and are presumed to help prevent brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. Hericenones promote nerve growth and erinacines enhance nerve growth. They work together to help regenerate parts of the brain that lose some of their function. These brain diseases are degenerative, and so enhancing cell growth in the brain can help slow them down or prevent them.
Lion’s mane mushrooms have high anti-inflammatory properties. They reduce inflammation and levels of oxidative stress in the body, two things that are believed to be the causes of various illnesses. Out of more than a dozen different species of mushroom with a high level of antioxidants, lion’s mane was found to have the fourth highest antioxidant activity out of all of them.
Lion’s mane mushrooms lowers triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of fat lipid in the blood that can raise your chance of suffering from strokes or heart attacks when concentrated in high amounts. Lion’s mane also lowers blood pressure levels, something else that contributes to illnesses like heart attacks and strokes. This mushroom can even cause cancer cells to die off faster, making it harder for them to multiply enough to become an issue.
Lion’s mane mushrooms are even known to boost the immune system. It does this by increasing the activity in the intestine’s immune system, protecting the body from any bad bacteria that enters your body through the mouth, and even through the nostrils. It does this in part by adding to the beneficial bacteria in your gut, and when your gut is populated by a lot more good than bad bacteria, it functions at its best. Bad bacteria overwhelming the gut can lead to different illnesses. One of the bad bacterias that lion’s mane can prevent from overwhelming the gut is H. pylori. H. pylori can cause ulcers, a painful condition, and lion’s mane can help prevent it.
The Best Ways To Eat Lion’s Mane
Lion’s mane mushrooms should always be eaten cooked, and there are ways to cook it that make it taste best. You should avoid frying them, since it can ruin the flavor, and they taste amazing when they are covered in sauce. Most people will agree that these mushrooms also taste best when they are seared. You can enjoy lion’s mane fresh and cooked, dried, and even in powder form. Different versions can be found in different places. Here are some ways to eat lion’s mane in all its forms.
Fresh
Lion’s mane mushrooms are at their best when they are cooked fresh. The best way to cook them is to sear them on the stovetop and add a sauce to them at the end. You won’t find too many recipes for it online since it is not that popular as of yet, but you can use it in any recipe that normally contains small cuts of chicken or shellfish. You can easily replace the meat with the mushrooms and end up with a similarly delicious meal.
Creamy Lion’s Mane Mushroom Pasta
Lion’s mane mushrooms taste great when seared and covered in a creamy sauce, and this creamy lion’s mane mushroom pasta accomplishes both of those things. It has a distinct taste and texture that will only make you want more, and if you’re used to making creamy pasta, this will be a great new take on it.
Ingredients:
- Pasta: Spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini
- Garlic
- Butter
- Thyme
- Heavy cream
- Lion’s mane mushrooms
- Parmesan cheese
To make this pasta, you will need to saute onions, butter, thyme, and garlic after searing the mushrooms and then put some water on to boil for the pasta. You will then add back in the mushrooms along with some cream. Lastly, you will add back in the pasta and parmesan and then stir it up and serve.
Lion’s Mane Mushrooms With Balsamic Pan Sauce
Lion’s mane mushrooms go well with pan sauces, and they taste especially great with a balsamic pan sauce. This sauce is packed with flavor and complements a nice sear on the mushrooms very well. You can even try making this meal with a mushroom medley and have it taste great.
Ingredients:
- Olive oil & butter
- Lion’s mane mushrooms
- Spices: rosemary, sage, red pepper flakes, salt
- Garlic
- Red wine
- Heavy cream or cashew cream
- Balsamic vinegar
- Yellow cornmeal
- Water
To make this meal, you will need to start off by adding the oil and butter to a pan, searing the mushrooms, and then add the garlic, rosemary, sage, and red pepper flakes. You will then need to add more butter and then add in vermouth. Once the alcohol is cooked out, add in the heavy cream, and then add the salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. You will make the cornmeal separately and pour the mushrooms and sauce on top.
Dried
Dried mushrooms can make amazing meals just like fresh ones do, but in somewhat different ways. Dried mushrooms work best in liquid rich meals like soup, stew, and braised meat. It will add an umami flavor to your food that will make the flavors more deep and intense. They can be simmered for broth or even rehydrated to add to meals.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Compound Butter
Compound butter is a butter flavored with any seasonings you want, and dried mushrooms have a strong enough flavor to make compound butter taste great. Dried mushrooms have a strong and concentrated flavor that will mix well into some butter and then add a lot to anything you add it to. You can add a lion’s mane flavored butter onto your steaks, pastas, stews, and anything else you can think to add it to for a hint of umami flavor.
Ingredients:
- Lion’s mane mushrooms
- Butter
To make this dried mushroom compound butter, you will need to soak the mushrooms to rehydrate them and bring out the flavor. You will then get the butter to a creamy consistency so that you can mix the mushrooms in after chopping them up to make them smaller. You will then mix it together, place the mixture into your desired container, and then put it in the fridge. It will be ready to use very soon!
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Broth
Compound butter is a butter flavored with any seasonings you want, and dried mushrooms have a strong enough flavor to make compound butter taste great. Dried mushrooms have a strong and concentrated flavor that will mix well into some butter and then add a lot to anything you add it to. You can add a lion’s mane flavored butter onto your steaks, pastas, stews, and anything else you can think to add it to for a hint of umami flavor.
Ingredients:
- Lion’s mane mushrooms
- Olive oil
- Onions
- Ginger
- Tamari
- Kombu
- Black peppercorns
To make this dried mushroom broth, you need to start off with sauteing the onions until they are soft. You will then add the water, garlic, ginger, tamari, and pepper, and let it come to a boil. Lower the flame, add kombu, and let the broth simmer for one hour. After an hour, let the mushroom broth cool and then use a strainer to get all the big pieces out, and pour the broth into a container for later use.
Powder
Another way you can enjoy lion’s mane mushroom is through consuming powdered mushrooms. Powdered mushrooms is one of the least popular ways to consume it, but if you aren’t the biggest fan of mushrooms and still want their benefits, or if you simply aren’t a fan of cooking, you can always add mushroom powder to your drinks or meals. Mushroom powder is used the way any powdered food is, and you can try to disguise the flavor or use it to play up the flavor of other meals. There are several meals you can enjoy with lion’s mane mushroom powder, and they include coffee and tea, smoothies and shakes, soups and stews, and even dessert.
Beet Mint Smoothie
A smoothie packed with vegetables will give you lots of nutrients, and with lion’s mane added to the mix, you will get even more. This beet mint smoothie is something you can have in place of a meal to give you energy, and with the addition of plenty of fruit, will taste great.
Ingredients:
- Lion’s mane mushroom powder
- Steamed beets
- Purple cabbage
- Berries: blueberries, raspberries, or a blend
- Hemp seeds
- Fresh mint
- Vitamin C powder
What you need to do to make this smoothie is combine all the ingredients together in a blender and blend it up until it reaches the right consistency. You can add water to thin it out if you need to. Then you can just pour it into a glass and enjoy it with a straw.
Lion’s mane mushrooms make a great addition to anyone’s diet for health and taste reasons. Like most mushrooms, they can be eaten in a number of different ways, and you can choose whichever way you like best and end up getting the same great benefits. So whether you prefer sauteed mushrooms in sauce or powdered mushrooms in a soup, you likely won’t regret trying lion’s mane.
