Happy New Year! I went to the Queen of Hosts yesterday 🙂 (Tracey Fenner is the Queen!) for a wonderful New Years Eve visit  – there was amazing food, lots of laughs and even some tractor driving thrown in! Now, I don’t think anyone has ever left Tracey’s home hungry – maybe rubbing their belly because they over induldged but never hungry! So, there were snacks before we went for our country walk and then a massive meal when we came home – and our snack before we set off was this amazing mushroom pate served on toast. I always plan to pace myself and eat delicately but this was just too good and very tasty so I just got stuck in! This is a great dish to serve as a starter or when having friends over and will be my new favourite for a snack. As mushrooms are full of vitamin D – they actually help fight off colds – they also contain selenium which helps support the immune system and prevent damage to cells and tissues.
So get some toast or crackers and get involved 🙂

Ingredients
2 x cups of mushroom, chopped (choose your favourites or a mixture)
1x onion, chopped
6 x cloves garlic – grated
1 x tbsp olive oil
2 x tbsp soy sauce or tamari for gluten free
1 x tsp dried thyme
1 x tsp dried rosemary
1 ½ x  tsp dried sage
½ x tsp black pepper
salt to taste
½ cup (60 g) walnuts (or what ever nuts you like or have to hand)
water as needed for blending

Method 
In a large frying pan gently warm the oil. Saute the chopped onions for about 4-5 minutes until they are starting soften (don’t brown them).
Now, grate in the garlic, herbs, pepper and chopped mushrooms. Cook everything down, until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat and add the soy sauce (or Tamari).
Take another frying pan and on a medium heat toast the walnuts or whatever nuts you are using until they are golden brown. Let everything cool down.
When everything is cool, add the mushroom mixture and nuts to a high speed blender. Blitz and then add your salt to taste. Depending in your mixture you may need to very carefully add a little water so that you have a spreadable paste. Blitz until you have your required consistency.
Store in the fridge until ready to use – set out with some nice lighlty toasted bread and watch it dissapear!