Mushroom & Onion Keto Quesadilla

Breakfast, lunch, or snack - you can’t really go wrong with quesadillas. Especially when they’re keto and packed with real food ingredients like onions, spinach, and mushrooms. And not just one, but three different types of mushrooms, making these mushroom and onion keto quesadillas the ultimate triple-mushroom treat. A treat that’s sure to satisfy your cravings, while at the same time supporting your nutritional needs — specifically your brain’s needs, with the powerhouse, brain-supporting mushroom known as Lion’s Mane.

Behind the scenes with culinary, medicinal mushrooms:

Now, most people would not associate quesadillas with a healthy way to support your brain. But, when they’re made with whole foods and boosted with Lion’s Mane, it’s a different story. This medicinal mushroom has important compounds known as nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. These proteins actually stimulate the creation of new cells in your body, while at the same time - strengthening existing ones. While nerve growth factor is helping your brain function more efficiently, brain-derived neurotrophic factor is helping your brain adapt more easily to stress (which we could all use some help with!). Lion’s Mane is unique in that it stimulates the creation of both of these two compounds, thereby giving your brain a healthy boost in focus and mood.¹ With its icicle-like teeth (when found in nature), Lion’s Mane will definitely be keeping you sharp and on top of your mental concentration game.

Another powerful component of Lion’s Mane is beta-glucans, which are found in the cell walls of fungi. These anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory fibers offer a number of health benefits ranging from immune support, to nervous system regulation, to blood sugar stabilization, and so much more.² One way to get all of these amazing benefits is, of course, high quality and high potency 100% mushroom extracts with no added fillers like we at Real Mushrooms offer. Another way is cooking with them!

In fact, even if you choose not to boost this recipe with Lion’s Mane, these mushroom and onion keto quesadillas stand out on their own nutritionally. We love to encourage our customers and readers to get creative in the kitchen and experiment in different ways using the fungi kingdom.

Fragrant and Dancing Mushrooms

In this recipe we also use maitake and shiitake, but you can use whatever you have available. If you do have access to maitake and shiitake, you’ll be getting some tasty and beneficial upgrades.

From the shiitake, known as the Fragrant Mushroom, you’ll be getting support for your immune system, liver, and cardiovascular health. Loaded with B-vitamins, shiitake will also help control your blood sugar levels and reduce inflammation. Bonus is that it just happens to taste delicious too... a winning scenario.

Maitake on the other hand, is known as the Dancing Mushroom (or Hen of the Woods) and it helps to regulate your immune system and blood pressure. It just so happens to be very tasty as well, with a pleasant earthy flavor. Another health-boosting win! Throw in the Lion’s Mane extract, and you have that Triple Mushroom Treat that just keeps giving in flavor and benefits. It’s a win, win, win scenario. Now, let’s get to the recipe!

Sidenote: Of course, if you find you’re looking for an easy way to get all of the benefits of Maitake and Shiitake daily, while not spending time in the kitchen, our 5 Defenders Organic Mushroom Blend contains both. And as always, with all our mushroom supplement products, you’ll be getting the full potency of the mushrooms because we use only the mushroom (fruiting body) with no added fillers.

Mushroom & Onion Keto Quesadilla:

Tools you’ll need:

• Sharp knife
• Skillet
• Cheese grater
• Spatula

Recipe Substitutions:

In the video, we used maitake and shiitake mushrooms, but feel free to use whatever mushrooms are available to you.
For the tortillas, if you want to keep it low-cab, you can use almond flour, coconut flour, or cauliflower tortillas. Cassava tortillas work too. Of course, you can use the real deal and get some great quality organic corn tortillas.
If you can’t tolerate dairy, you can substitute a cashew cheese or other non-dairy cheese.

Servings: 3 large quesadillas (about 3 servings)
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Mushroom & Onion Keto Quesadilla Ingredients:

• 8 oz mushrooms (we used shiitake and maitake)
• 1 onion
• 1 cup grass-fed cow or goat cheese
• A couple of handfuls of spinach
• 6 tortilla wraps
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 TB avocado oil
• Optional booster - 1 teaspoon Real Mushrooms Lion’s Mane
• Top and serve with any of the following: sauerkraut/cilantro/avo/yogurt

Instructions:

1. Prep work: Slice your onion. De-stem and slice your mushrooms. Shred your cheese.
2. In a skillet, heat 1/2 TB avocado oil over medium heat.
3. Add your sliced onions and cook until they are caramelized.
4. Add your mushrooms and cook until tender. About 5 minutes.
5. Add your salt, Lion’s Mane, and spinach. Mix and keep on the heat until the spinach is slightly wilted.
6. Move the onion & mushroom mixture into a separate bowl.
7. Wipe the pan clean if you need. Heat 1/2 TB of avocado oil in the pan over medium heat.
8. Place a tortilla on the pan and cook for about a minute.
9. Flip the tortilla with a spatula and spread a thin layer of your cooked onion and mushroom mixture.
10. Sprinkle a handful of cheese on top.
11. Place a second tortilla on top of the cheese, pressing it gently with a spatula.
12. Delicately flip and cook the other side until it’s a nice and crispy brown. The cheese should be melted.
13. Remove the quesadilla and place it on your plate.
14. Repeat the process with your other tortillas.
15. Enjoy with sauerkraut, cilantro, avocado, or yogurt!

Note: if you think you’ll have a hard time flipping once the second tortilla has been placed (step 12), only spread the mushroom and onion mixture on half of your first tortilla, then gently fold the other side on top, like a taco. Then, flip and cook.

Enjoy your mushroom quesadilla in good health

In the long term, a little bit of Lion’s Mane in your diet each day is sure to positively affect your brain, making you more resilient in the face of stress. And in the day-to-day fluidity of life, being mindfully present in each moment is sure to positively affect your peace and happiness. With every food we eat, with every thought we think, we have the opportunity to hardwire in happiness and strength.

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Lion’s Mane has the power to change your brain, but so too does mindfulness and paying attention to what you place your focus on in each moment.

One way to get the dual power of both mind and mushroom is to whip up some quesadillas, boost them with Lion’s Mane, and be mindfully present during the whole cooking and eating process - all the way down to the last delicious crumb.

Be intentional with your ingredients, play with different mushrooms, and try something new in the kitchen!

Easily give your other recipes a power boost

In fact, we at Real Mushrooms would love to see you expressing your creativity in the kitchen. If you don’t want to use Lion’s Mane in this recipe, feel free to try out another functional mushroom. There are a number of wonderful options in our lineup of medicinal mushroom supplements, each with their own unique profiles and benefits. To learn more, you can read this article which highlights the top 7 benefits of the main medicinal mushrooms. Bottom line, just have fun, get creative, and show off your work!

Join the mushroom recipe challenge! Get creative in the kitchen with different ways to get more mushrooms in your diet. Invent your own recipe and share via insta @realmushrooms. We will feature the winner’s recipe on the blog & give you a coupon for any Real Mushroom product of your choice!

SHOP MUSHROOMS!

References

1. Neurotrophic Properties of the Lion's Mane Medicinal Mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Higher Basidiomycetes) from Malaysia. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. <doi.org/10.1615/intjmedmushr.v15.i6.30>
2. Friedman M. (2016). Mushroom Polysaccharides: Chemistry and Antiobesity, Antidiabetes, Anticancer, and Antibiotic Properties in Cells, Rodents, and Humans. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 5(4), 80. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5302426/>