Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Oyster Mushrooms over Beet Greens Millet and Sweet Potato

Categories : easy peasy, lent, main dishes, potatoes & vegetables, pulses & grains, Recipes, Slow Cooker @en, vegetarian or vegan

Delicious barbeque pulled mushrooms made easily in the slow cooker and served on a slow cooker “baked” sweet potato with a side of beet greens millet. Does it sound like a complicated meal? It isn’t, I promise. It is however super nutritious and more importantly, full of flavour, so read on!

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Oyster Mushrooms over Beet Greens Millet and Sweet Potato www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A close view of some pulled mushrooms on a small ceramic plate.

Does this meal sound way too healthy? Is it making you roll your eyes and say oh dear not another one telling us what we should be eating..? I’m not going to bang on about all the benefits of each individual ingredient, I’ll spare you all that. I mean, you can probably tell that it’s good for you. There’s oyster mushrooms, there’s greens, there’s sweet potato, it’s all from scratch… There’s even millet involved, and it would seem millet is a nutrition powerhouse. I know it’s bird food, Mrs. D. has already told me a few times, lol, but it’s also a pretty good human food too.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Oyster Mushrooms over Beet Greens Millet and Sweet Potato www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A close view of a sweet potato loaded with beet greens millet and topped with pulled mushrooms.

The flavours though… this is what it’s all about. This is such a delicious meal. You can make it as suggested with all the components and enjoy it that way, or, you could make each element separately and pair with other things. For example, the pulled oyster mushrooms would be delish on these olive oil truffle mashed potatoes. The beet greens millet would be great with a nice organic fried egg on top. And you don’t need me to give you suggestions for the sweet potato! Another alternative is to combine two of the elements instead of all three. Anyway, I’ll leave you to decide all that. Just keep in mind these are really versatile – all you need is your imagination.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Oyster Mushrooms over Beet Greens Millet and Sweet Potato www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A close view of some pulled mushrooms on a small ceramic plate. The plate is on a distressed wooden surface.

Another plus to this meal is that it’s completely plant based and very satisfying at the same time. I’ve been making a conscious effort lately to incorporate much more plant based food in my diet, and I’m happy to report that this is a really good meatless option, for your Mondays or any day of the week!

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Oyster Mushrooms over Beet Greens Millet and Sweet Potato www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A close view of a bowl containing millet cooked with beet greens. Inside the bowl is a small spoon with a wooden handle.

Oh dear, I’ve been rambling for so long and I haven’t even mentioned yet that the pulled mushrooms and sweet potatoes are both made in the slow cooker! Unfortunately not together, but you can make the sweet potatoes the day (or night) before. Better yet, why not make a big batch of them to keep for lunch all week? You could combine sweet and regular potatoes for variety. If you haven’t tried “baking” them this way, you really really REALLY must. Honestly, it’s brilliant.

Let’s see how it’s all done.

Ingredients

sweet potatoes, washed well (you’ll need 4 smallish ones for this meal or batch cook as many as you want)
a few drops of olive oil

For the pulled oyster mushrooms
500 gr oyster mushrooms, cut into medium chunks (very hard stalks removed, if any)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs ketchup
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs apricot jam
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 tsp prepared English mustard (the fiery stuff)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sage, dried
1/4 tsp black pepper

For the beet greens millet
1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced
250 gr beet greens, including stalks, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste, depending on how salty your stock is)
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
100 gr (about ½ cup) millet
240 ml (1 cup) vegetable stock

Step 1

To make the sweet potatoes: Rub them with a little olive oil, put them in the slow cooker (without water or anything else) and cook on low or high until easily pierced with a sharp knife. Time will depend on the size of the potatoes and how many are in the slow cooker. If it’s quite full it might take about 8-9 hours on low.

Step 2

To make the pulled mushrooms: Place the mushrooms in the slow cooker with the onion. Combine the olive oil, ketchup, balsamic vinegar, apricot jam, soy sauce, garlic, mustard, salt, cumin, smoked paprika, sage and pepper in a clean jam jar with a lid. Shake well until smooth and pour the mixture over the mushrooms. Mix well to coat them and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until the mushrooms are soft. Pull them apart with two forks and let them rest in the sauce until serving. (If you have a non-stick pot transfer the mushrooms before pulling them as you might scratch the surface)

Step 3

To make the beet greens millet: Heat the oil in a large frying pan with a lid over medium high, add the garlic and cook stirring continuously for a few seconds (don’t let it catch). Add the beet greens, salt and pepper, and sauté for about 2 minutes until wilted. Add the millet and stir for about a minute or until it starts popping (it might make you jump!). Quickly add the stock and when it comes to a boil turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer for about 10-13 minutes or until the millet has softened. The millet will absorb all the liquid so keep an eye on it while it simmers. Add water if necessary during cooking, a few tablespoons at a time.

Step 4

To serve, cut open the sweet potatoes, spoon some beet greens millet over them and top with the pulled oyster mushrooms and their sauce.

Note: You might notice some parsley and walnuts in the photos. The parsley is purely for styling purposes although it tastes fine on the dish. The walnuts I thought would make a good addition flavour-wise but I didn’t love them in the end. So they didn’t make the ingredients list.

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