Did you get your Vitamin D today? Exercise Physiologist Karen Nelson helps keep Tucson healthy with all kinds of news. This week she asks how much Vitamin D you’re getting. Because of the growing press around this special vitamin, its important to get the facts. Very few foods in nature contain Vitamin D and mushrooms are among them. Take a look to find out how much D is safe and what you can do to get more.

Cold and Flu? Not You! RedBook knows how to dish out some interesting ways to boost your immunity against the flu. Germ-fighting foods, laughing and dancing are among some suggestions that we can all incorporate into our lives. Specifically, we were interested in how Shiitake mushrooms, which contain Lentinan, a carbohydrate found in these tasty shrooms, may boost cells’ response to infection.

Culinary Confidence -  Mushroom Dip perfect for holiday tables Preconceptions about food kept Beth Flaherty of the StarNews from eating mushrooms for years. Then she got with it. We find her basking in her love of mushrooms suggesting a dip for the approaching holidays. Check out the various mushrooms used for this dip which calls an “economical, delicious and a real crowd-pleaser at parties.”

Celebrating Mushrooms It’s Fall! How are you celebrating the season’s produce and flavors? Mushrooms — plentiful this time of year — bring out the earthy and hearty flavors of any dish. Marilyn Campbell reassures us that most types of mushrooms are wine-friendly (yay), easy to use for meatless meals like the “steak” sandwich recipe she provides and she shares basic tips on how to clean and keep mushrooms fresh.

Eat these foods and feel better Perhaps you’re already up to your neck in tissues kind of sick. Though foods alone can’t make you feel better, they sure do help when they’re as tasty as the list created by Detroit Free Press. Strawberries, salmon and mushrooms’ “superhero”-like qualities may be just what you need to “save your life” according to author Dave Grotto. Check out the full list and a meal idea that may be the trick for feeling better.

Meat off the menu as Windsor Castle goes vegan Countless royal banquet have been held in Windsor Castle with plates of chicken, apple-stuffed pigs and more throughout its history. On November 3, that all changed when a banquet for 200 guests including leaders of nine different faiths with all types of dietary requirements met for a celebratory lunch. The feat of putting a menu together was quite tricky for Xanthe Clay who decided to use the scrumptious Portabella to “save the planet.”

You have been busy. And yes, I mean “you” in the collective sense.  We have also been busy.  Busy reporting back on two of the big adventures we took in October (FNCE and IFEC). My oh my though, we missed one week of Recipe of the Week posts and suddenly your delicious (and might I say attractive?) posts have popped up like…well, like mushrooms.

With that in mind, it’s time to dig in because there’s a lot of appetite to get through today!

First up we have Burgundy Buttons from Heather at Home Ec 101. For something that’s relatively easy to put together, this is a versatile one.  Served on steaks, in baked potatoes or even on pasta, this is four ingredients to a relative umami bomb. One of our featured contributors, Rachel,  pointed these out to us and then made them for her own family that same night!

Next up we have a new face in the crowd. I was combing through food blogs tonight (favorite pasttime, don’t you know) when I came across this beautiful site.  I thought I had my post all sealed up but when I saw this photo series, the recipe looked too good not to feature. Go say hello to Sprouted Kitchen and her Stuffed Portabellas with Herb Sauce.  Your eyes will be glad you did. Though you may need to answer to your appetite later.

Do you see the picture above? Of course you do. And you saw the one before it? This is us proving a point. When you’ve seen one stuffed portabella, you’ve not seen them all. Not even close.  Aside from being an all-around gorgeous shot, this is everything I want in my dinner tonight. It’s hard for me to believe but I already have everything in this masterpiece on hand and there’s a good chance you do too. Frozen spinach, can of artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, an onion and a portabella mushroom…the things happy kitchens are made of. This Stuffed Portabella with Balsamic Reduction from Love and Olive Oil is most certainly what a happy kitchen is made of.

Next up we have Stuffed Mushrooms with Sundried Tomatoes from That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles.  Now to be fair, this was originally posted a couple weeks ago but we’re officially past Halloween now and into the high season of party-planning and I don’t think these could be more perfect.  Elegant, appealing and can be assembled ahead of time- the ideal passed poppable. And just to keep things current (and because, when asked to choose between things I like,  I prefer “both” ), I encourage you to check out her Pumpkin Porcini Soup as well.

Last but most certainly not least, we have our favorite rancher to bring this week’s highlights home. We love The Pioneer Woman and not just because she loves us back.  Because she very simply loves food and loves to share it. Photos like this don’t hurt the cause but I can’t imagine many folks hear mushrooms, brie and garlic in a recipe without taking a look. This is another great candidate for party poppables although a completely different flavor profile. Mushrooms Stuffed with Brie from The Pioneer Woman, because it sounds like a good idea and it is.