I was reading through my recent Cooking Light Magazine and came across a Mushroom Carpaccio that seemed interesting. I put it on the menu board to be made, but somehow we over looked it for a couple of weeks. Then, the other night I came back to that  recipe and decided that I would make it. I pulled out the mushrooms and sliced them as thin as could. Set them in the tart plate that I have, and moved onto the herbs. Then I realized, I didn’t have what I needed to make the recipe as it was written. What rotten luck! Oh well, improvising is something we do often here, so instead of parsley, I used cilantro and spinach. This turned out really nicely, and when we made the real recipe days later to  compare, we ended up liking our improvised version better.

I didn’t get to take a picture until the salad was half gone, but it was quite delicious and really easy to throw together.

Mushroom Carpaccio

4 – 6 large button mushrooms, sliced very thin
1 cup cilantro
1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 garlic clove minced or 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp lemon rind (rind of 1 lemon is fine)
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp grana padano or parmesan

Slice the mushrooms and place onto a higher sided serving dish. I use a tart plate. Spread mushrooms around so there is about one layer with mushrooms over lapping. Set aside.

Chop cilantro and spinach and reserve in a bowl. Add minced garlic or granulated garlic and lemon rind and stir to mix well. Set aside.

Juice lemon and add olive oil. Stir in salt and white pepper. Pour this over the mushrooms evenly. Top with cilantro mixture and spread 2 tbsp shredded cheese over the top. Let sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serve 4 for 3 points per serving.