Sauerkraut and Mushroom Bake

This dish has become a standard on our Thanksgiving table because it goes so well with the other flavors of Thanksgiving. It is a stunningly unusual dish to bring to any potluck and one of those foods that calls you back for seconds. It can be made either as a dairy dish or a vegan dish, as explained below.

Ingredients

1 quart sauerkraut
15 oz. cooked black beans
1 oz. dried Shitake mushrooms
1 Portobello mushroom
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 c. sour cream or tofutti sour cream for a vegan dish
½ tsp. black pepper
Salt to taste

Directions

Simmer the Shitake mushrooms in 3 cups of water for 1 hour in a pot with a lid on it. Save the water from the mushrooms after they have been cooked. Remove the stems and chop or slice the mushrooms. Chop or slice the Portobello mushroom and lightly sauté it in a bit of olive oil (for about 2 minutes).

Rinse the sauerkraut thoroughly in a colander. Rinse the black beans thoroughly in a colander. (The rinsing helps remove gases from these foods so that they are easier to digest.) Combine the sauerkraut, beans, mushrooms, dairy/tofu sour cream, pepper, and salt. Add a little bit of the water from cooking the Shitake mushrooms (no more than a half a cup).

Bake the mixture in a greased baking dish, covered, at 350˚ for one hour. This dish freezes well if you choose to make it in advance. It can be reheated long after it was baked with little damage to the flavor.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!