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.

Mushroom Tostadas

We eat this all of the time at my house. It is quick, easy and delicious! Well, my family and I think so anyway. Lol! Enjoy! =)

Ingredients:
Flour Tortillas
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/2 Onion, chopped
6 Mushrooms, sliced (I love mushrooms, so I usually add more, but it is totally up to you)
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, sliced into very thin strips
1 Zucchini, thinly sliced
2 Carrots, cut crosswise into thin slices
fresh Cilantro, finely chopped (you can use 1 teaspoon dried cilantro if you can't find fresh or don't have it on hand)
dash Salt and Pepper
couple handfuls of shredded Jack Cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
1. On broiler pan, lay tortillas flat and bake in hot oven for 2 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and set aside to be used later.
2. In large skillet, heat the vegetable oil on medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini, carrot, and cilantro. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are brown and the moisture is gone from the pan. (Drain off any excess liquid)
3. Spoon vegetables over tortillas on broiler pan, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the jack cheese. (Don't roll them up.)
4. Return to hot oven and bake for 1 to 2 minutes, or just until the cheese is melted.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

This is a easy and yummy dip. I heart it.

2 8 oz cream cheese
1 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers (drained, do not use the marinated kind its yucky)
1 clove of garlic
1/2 c. parmesan cheese (please don't use the powder stuff)
1/4 cup parsley (you can use dried, if so only like 3 T.)

Blend all together in food processor until smooth and creamy. Now dip veggies, bread, crackers or whatever! Enjoy!

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

Artisan Bread

I got this from one of my friends. I'm not sure where the original recipe came from but this is a easy, healthy, 4 ingredient, bread recipe. It is a freeform bread (baked on a cookie sheet, or baking stone, instead of in a bread pan) with a crisp crust and a moist, almost spongy, inside. It also makes awesome pizza dough. This recipe makes 4 1-lb loaves. Make the dough, and then store what you don't use in the fridge for up to two weeks. So whenever you want fresh baked crusty on the outside deliciously chewy inside artisan bread(or pizza dough) just grab a chunk from the fridge. The recipe says to use an ice cream bucket, but you can use any container of roughly the same size as long as you remember to cover it loosely.

3 Cups warm water

1 1/2 T yeast

1 1/2 T salt

6 1/2 C flour

Mixing:

Wisk dry ingredients together in ice cream bucket. Add water and mix with wooden spoon. Makes a very wet loose dough. (It will be a little dry while mixing and then after it rises it will be very sticky.)

Rising:

Put on lid loosely. Do NOT snap lid on tight, the gases need a way to escape. Allow to rise at room temp for 2 hrs, then store in the fridge.(Don't knead the dough) You can use dough any time after this period. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work. (Can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. After the first week it will start to taste more like sourdough and the taste will get stronger the longer it sits. Discard any unused dough after 2 weeks.)

Baking:

Cut off a grapefruit size piece. Gently fold edges under with floured hands. Let rest on greased cookie sheet on counter for 20 min. Then preheat oven to 450 with empty pan (NOT GLASS) on bottom shelf. Let bread rest on counter until oven in preheated and then slash 1/4 inch deep right before putting in oven.

1. Place cookie sheet with bread on the middle rack (or if using a pizza stone slide bread onto preheated stone)

2. Pour 1 C of hot water in the empty pan and quickly close the door. Be careful to not be burned by the steam that will come up.

3. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Variations:

Apple Cinnamon

reduce salt to 1 1/4 T

reduce yeast to 1 1/4 T

add:

4 apples, peeled and chopped

4 T sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Bake as you normally would but just after you slash the dough and right before you put it in the oven, sprinkle the loaf with the streusel topping.

Streusel Topping:

4 T sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp flour

2 T soft butter

Mix all ingredients with fork in small bowl until crumbly.

Herb and Cheese:

add:

3/4 tsp dried basil

3/4 tsp oregano

2 C grated sharp cheese
(I have made some with chopped fresh basil and oregano and about 1tsp. garlic powder, it was yummy, especially for pizza dough.

Bake as you normally would except mix the cheese with the flour before you add it to the remaining ingredients. This will help to distribute the cheese more evenly.

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!

Avocado Salsa

This stuff is magically delicious. Perfectly chunky and fresh for scooping up with tortilla chips, or you can slap it over a burrito, nachos or whatever. Yum.

2 avocado's -cut into bit sized chunks
3 tomatoes -cut into bit sized chunks
1 bunch of green onions chopped
about 1 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
1 can of corn(you may use frozen or fresh of course)
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 packet of Good Seasons dry Italian dressing made according to directions

Toss all together in a bowl and let marinate in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Once again YUM.

Greek Salad Pitas

For those of you that don't know, I consider myself an "almost vegetarian". By this I mean, I basically stick to a vegetarian diet, but I will occasionally eat chicken or fish. I can't give up the sushi. Lol! That being said, I try to find/create vegetarian recipes that make you feel like you aren't missing anything just because meat isn't apart of the meal.

These Greek Salad Pitas are so delicious and they are good for you too. These are great if you are wanting to have a light, refreshing lunch. You could also add chicken if you would like to try these, but don't want to make them vegetarian style. I found the recipe in The SuperMarket Diet CookBook by Janis Jibrin, but I have tweaked it a bit. Enjoy! =)

Prep: 20 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans a.k.a. chickpeas
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I use Greek style yogurt for this recipe)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, peeled
4 pita breads (pockets or 6 to 7 inch circles)
3 cups lettuce (You can use whatever you like. I usually use romaine or baby spinach)
1 large tomato, diced
1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Directions
1. In food processor with knife blade attached, or in a blender, combine garbanzo beans, yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic; puree until smooth.

2. If using 6 to 7 inch circles instead of pita pockets, cut off top third of each pita to form a pocket. Use half of the bean mixture to divide evenly inside pockets.

3. Combine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and feta; use to fill pockets. Top with remaining bean mixture.