Mushroom Stroganoff

Yet another recipe found on Pinterest. Originally from The Svelte Gourmet.

1 T butter

1 large onion, diced

32 ounces mushrooms of your choice

1/4 C white wine

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. flour

1 C light sour cream

12 oz. whole wheat egg noodles

1/2 tsp. dill weed

Heat salted water and cook noodles until al dente. In the meantime, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Cook onions until slightly soft, then add mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release some of their water. Add flour, stirring well to combine, then add white wine, salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire. Cook on medium until liquid reduces and begins to thicken and mushrooms are tender. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and dill. Add hot, cooked noodles and stir gently so sauce coats noodles.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Gouda Cheese Sauce

I found this recipe on my new favorite website (read: addiction) Pinterest. It combines two of my favorite things: gnocchi and cheese. For those of you that don't know, gnocchi are Italian dumplings usually made from potatoes. It's one of my ultimate comfort foods. Original recipe from The Noshery.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Gouda Cheese Sauce

Gnocchi:

1 lb. sweet potatoes (yams), rinsed, patted dry, pierced all over with fork.

6 oz. fresh ricotta cheese

1 T light brown sugar

1 tsp. + 1 T salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 3/4 C all-purpose flour

Sauce:

2 C milk, heated

1/4 onion

3 sage leaves

Salt and white pepper, to taste

3 T unsalted butter

3 T all-purpose flour

1 C Gouda cheese, shredded

Line a large sheet with parchment. Place sweet potatoes on plate; microwave on high until tender, about 5-6 minutes per side. Cut in half and cool. Scrape sweet potato flesh into bowl and mash; transfer 1 1/2 C to large bowl. Add ricotta cheese; blend well. Add Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg; mash to blend. Mix in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto floured surface; divide into 3 equal pieces. Rolling between palms and floured work surface, form each piece into a 20-inch-long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if sticky. Cut each rope into 20 pieces. Roll each piece over tines of fork to indent. Transfer to baking sheet.

Bring large pot of water to boil; add 1 T salt and return to boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until tender, 5-6 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to clean rimmed baking sheet. Cool completely. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

In a small sauce pot combine milk, onion, garlic, and sage. Place over medium heat and heat until tiny bubbles appear around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes. Do not boil. Remove pan from heat and let stand for about 10 minutes. Remove and discard onion, garlic and sage leaves. Cover to keep warm. In saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, until blended, 1 minute.

Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and continue to whisk until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Dip a wooden spoon in the sauce to coat it. Pass your finger through the sauce on the back of the spoon, it should leave a clean track.

Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan. Whisk in 1 C of Gouda cheese. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Baked Zucchini Sticks with Caramelized Onion Dip

GAH! I am so sorry that it has been so long since I've posted any recipes. My life has been so crazy that I haven't had time for blogging! Anyway... I'm going to make up for it by posting a bunch of recipes I've tried out lately. As we all know, late summer/early fall is zucchini season. As soon as I whipped up something with one zucchini, there would be three more in my garden. Here is one recipe that became a hit at my house. You can find the original recipe from King Arthur Flour here. Just a side note, I make the dip while the zucchini drains in the sink.

Baked Zucchini Sticks with Caramelized Onion Dip

Yield: about 3 dozen sticks

Dip:

1 T butter

1 medium sweet onion, about 1/2 pound, peeled and sliced

2 T cider vinegar

2 T honey

1 T prepared mustard

1 C mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Zucchini Sticks

3 medium zucchini, unpeeled, cut into 3" long sticks

1 T salt

1 C panko bread crumbs

1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

1 T Italian seasoning

Olive oil spray

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1. To make dip: Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat, and add sliced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, then caramelize. This should take between 10 to 15 minutes. The lower the heat, the longer it takes, but the less likely you are to burn the onions.

2. Once onions are a medium brown, remove from the heat and add vinegar.

3. Place onions and vinegar into a small food processor. Add honey and mustard, and process and blend until smooth.

4. Add mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste, stirring to combine. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

5. To make zucchini sticks: Place zucchini sticks in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with the tablespoon salt. Let the zucchini drain for 1 hour or longer; rinse and pat dry.

6. Combine panko, Parmesan and Italian seasoning; set aside.

7. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment, and spray parchment with olive oil.

8. Dredge sticks a few at a time in the egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place sticks on baking sheet.

9. Bake sticks for 12 minutes, turn over, and bake for another 8 minutes until golden-brown and crisp.

10. Serve immediately with sweet onion dip.

West Coast Grilled Vegetable Pizza

AAAHHHH!!!! I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything, but that's what going on vacation will do to you. In honor of my West Coast vacation, I bring to you West Coast Grilled Vegetable Pizzas from everydayfood.com. This is another yummy vegetarian recipe that my carnivorous family now loves and asks for all the time. Instead of pizza dough, I just got scone dough from Dick's Market, and it tasted great! Oh, and I ended up getting a pound of dough per person, which made enough to have leftovers the next night. Enjoy!!

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced crosswise

2 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced

1 log (5 ounces) soft goat cheese, crumbled

Coarse salt and ground black pepper

1 bag (5 ounces) baby spinach

1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1. Heat grill to medium. Brush a large rimless baking sheet (or an inverted rimmed sheet) with 1 tablespoon olive oil. On a lightly floured work surface, roll and stretch dough to two 8 inch ovals or rounds. Transfer to prepared sheet. Brush tops with 1 tablespoon oil.

2. Transfer dough to grill. Cook, without turning over, until undersides are firm and begin to char, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs and a large spatula, place crusts on baking sheet, grilled side up.

3. Scatter crusts with tomatoes, scallions whites and cheese; season with salt and pepper, and slide back onto grill. Cook, rotating occasionally, until cooked through and cheese begins to melt, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to cutting board.

4. In a medium bowl, combine spinach, avocado, scallion greens, vinegar and remaining oil; season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Pile mixtures onto pizzas; halve and serve.

Serves 4

Black Bean Burgers with Cilantro-Lime Mayo

Summer is FINALLY here, and we all know that means: grilling and BBQ season. As a quasi-vegetarian (can't give up my seafood), finding something to eat can be somewhat of a challenge among all the hamburgers, hot dogs and steaks. My amazing friend Lindsay gave me the recipe for these black bean burgers, and I no longer feel awkward when invited to BBQs. These burgers are SO yummy, my (previously) strictly carnivorous family is addicted to them. The recipe calls for the patties to be cooked in an oiled skillet for a couple minutes, but when it's BBQ time, I like to cook them for only a minute or two, and then place them on the grill for a couple minutes more. Oh, and you can find the cotija cheese at Smith's. The taste is similar to feta cheese, but it crumbles easier.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

2 T olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper, membranes and seeds removed

1 tsp. ground cumin

1-15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice

2 tsp. fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Cilantro-Lime Mayo

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tsp. fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Whole-wheat buns

1/2 cup cotija cheese

1 large tomato, sliced

12 slices avocado

Burgers:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft. Add garlic, jalapeno, and cumin. Saute for additional 2 minutes.

Scrape the mixture into a food processor or blender. Add black beans, brown rice, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pulse until the beans are chopped, but not pureed. Scrap the black bean mixture into a large bowl. Add half the breadcrumbs and chopped cilantro. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until combined.

Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form into patties. If the mixture is too moist to form patties, add more breadcrumbs. Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and cover with additional plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet (preferably not nonstick, so a good crust can form) set over medium heat. Add burgers and cook for 4 minutes per side.

Cilantro-Lime Mayo

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, lime juice, cumin, cilantro, and pepper.

Lightly toast the whole wheat buns. Spread 2 tablespoons cilantro-lime mayo on each bun, and top each with a black bean patty, 2 T crumbled cotija, 1 slice tomato and 3 slices avocado. Enjoy!