Mushroom Bourguignon

I saw this recipe one of my favorite cooking blogs, http://www.smittenkitchen.com/. Once in a while I find a recipe that I absolutely HAVE to make and put it in my "favorites" and or, copy and paste it into a word document. This recipe made it to both. Tonight it was time to try Mushroom Bourguignon. My Mom used to make beef stroganoff as a child and that is what this dish reminds me of, minus the beef of course. It had a lot of flavor, was easy to make and filled us up. Not sure if this one is toddler friendly yet, as I got started late and Owen was in bed before it was done. I will keep you posted on if he liked it tomorrow when he eats it for lunch : )

Mushroom Bourguignon

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 pounds portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices (save the stems for another use) (you can use cremini instead, as well)
1/2 carrot, finely diced
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef or vegetable broth (beef broth is traditional but vegetable to make it vegetarian; it works with either)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)
Egg noodles, for serving
Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley, for garnish (optional)

*The only thing I did differntly from this recipe was skip the pearl onions. Only because I didn't have any, and it turned out great!

Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid — about three or four minutes. Remove them from pan.

Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme, a few good pinches of salt and a several grinds of black pepper into the pan and cook for 10, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute.

Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature so it simmers for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add the pearl onions and simmer for five minutes more.
Combine remaining butter and the flour with a fork until combined; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste.

To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream (optional) and sprinkle with chives or parsley.

I know, it's on a T.V. tray. We felt like having dinner and a movie tonight...at home : )

Sweet Potato Pancakes

This is a great way to start the day with one vegetable in the tummy! Sweet potatoes are full of antioxidants, beta-carotene and vitamins B, C and E. Owen gobbled them up, and I smiled. When I am wanting to make a new recipe for breakfast, I usually go to my Moosewood cookbook, as it has a lot of different healthy ideas for breakfast. This recipe came from the New Classics Cookbook.

Sweet Potato Pancakes
1 cup peeled and grated raw sweet potato
1/2 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel
1 large egg
1 cup milk
2 TB. oil or melted butter
1 cup unbleached white flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 TB. sugar

In a bowl, combine the grated sweet potatoes, lemon peel, egg, milk and oil or butter. In a separate bowl, stir together the rest of the dry ingredients. Gently stir the dry into the wet ingredients just enough to combine. Do not over stir. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

Warm a lightly oiled skillet or griddle on medium heat. When batter is ready, pour 1/4 cupfuls onto the griddle and flip when you see bubbles popping on the top (about 2 mins). Flip the pancake and cook about 1 more minute until both sides are brown. Serve hot. You can top them with lemon juice (2 TB) and maple syrup (1/2 cup). Or if you want to make a dinner/ lunch out of it, top it with some sour cream and add a side of chunky salsa.

Terri's Baked Ziti

As usual, I needed a quick recipe for dinner tonight. I looked in my fridge for the veggies that needed using and pulled out the broccoli and zucchini. I had the idea of making baked ziti with lentils and veggies to add extra protein and nutrients. This was a super easy recipe and Owen loved it. I will definitely be making this again.

Terri's Baked Ziti
1/2 cup lentils
1 cup water or vegetable broth
1/2 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. olive oil
3 cups whole wheat ziti, spirals or bowtie pasta
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 medium zucchini, grated
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 jar of chunky marinara sauce
1/3 cup pesto
1/2 log of thinly sliced fresh mozzarella, or 3/4 cup grated mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400.
In a medium sized pot, saute the onions in the oil on medium heat for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic to the onions and stir for another 2 minutes. Add the lentils to the same pot and stir. Add 1 cup of water or vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Bring down to a simmer and cover the pot for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large pot, boil pasta until al dente. While the pasta is boiling, throw the broccoli into the pasta water for the last 4-5 minutes. When the pasta is done, drain, and put back in the pot. Mix the marinara, pesto, cottage cheese and zucchini with the lentils and add to the drained pasta. Mix well and put in a glass baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese until it is covered and put in the oven for 15 minutes. Take out when brown and bubbly on top. Serve immediately.

Baked Falafels

I had falafels on the mind today. I used to eat them somewhat regularly when I lived in Brooklyn, NY in my early twenties. New York really opened my mind to the world of food. You could find a restaurant that had cuisines from anywhere on this planet. I had my first tastes of Indian, Greek, Moroccan, Thai, Spanish and Ethiopian amongst many others in that great city.

I grew up with the American basics; hot dogs, hamburgers, casseroles, pot roast and potatoes. We would go so far as to include some Italian, Mexican (which the East Coast will never be able to match) and occasionally Chinese, but Indian was unheard of and strange! Once I finally broadened my taste buds to the flavors of the world, there was no going back! Hold the hot dogs, and bring on more baba ganoush please : ) I want Owen to grow up trying as many different things as possible. Don't get me wrong, I still like my tuna casserole and mac and cheese, but a nice curry here and there keeps me happy.A place called The Falafel King on 7th Avenue and 4th Street was just around the corner from my brownstone. On those nights when I was too tired to cook and didn't have a ton of money, this is where you could find me. I am actually not a huge fan of fried foods (unless it's french fries of course : ) so I decided to try and make a healthier version and I think I did pretty good at matching the taste and texture. I searched online for some baked falafel recipes and took bits and pieces from different places and added my own adjustments to create this recipe. With the help of a food processor, this entire meal didn't take more than 30 minutes from start to finish.

Baked Falafels

1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans rinsed and drained

1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (optional)

1 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup cooked quinoa and or couscous

Tahini Sauce

1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt

juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 Tb. of tahini

1 small garlic clove

1 Tb of parsley

Extras

Pita Bread

1 small cucumber

2 medium tomatoes

crisp lettuce leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unless you have left over quinoa or couscous in your refrigerator (like I did), then cook 1/4 of a cup of the grain according to the directions. While that is cooking, Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans. Put the beans, onion, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, baking powder and spices in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Form into balls and slightly flatten. Place onto a cast iron skillet that has 1 tsp cooking oil or is sprayed with cooking spray. Brown for about 2 minutes on each side. Then place skillet in the oven for 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile, puree the yogurt, lemon, tahini, garlic and parsley and set aside. When the falafels are ready, slice a pita in half and stuff each one with 2-3 falafel patties, diced or sliced cucumber, tomatoes and lettuce and as much sauce as you prefer. Enjoy!

Serves 3

*This was a last minute meal for me tonight, so I skipped the pita, and cucumber because I didn't have them on hand. Next time!

Artichoke and Lima Bean Ragout in Lemon-Garlic Sauce

I received lima beans on Saturday from my farmers market pick up. I have had them once in my life and liked them, but it's been years. My Mom never liked lima beans as a child, so I was not exposed to them growing up. They don't have the best reputation as being a well liked legume. I tried them again and don't see what all the fuss is about, I thought they were great! I ate them straight out of the shell, and Owen couldn't get enough of them raw. I wasn't sure what to do with them until I looked them up in the index of my Mother of all vegetarian cookbooks, Passionate Vegetarian, and found several recipes for them. I chose the one that I had all the ingredients for and got to cooking!I had my prep cook/ husband, Adam, shell the lima beans while I diced, minced and chopped the rest of the goods. There is a bit of prep with this recipe, but the flavors are well worth the time it takes to make! It's light, yet filling and the lemon and artichokes gives it a summery feel.

Artichoke and Lima Bean Ragout in Lemon-Garlic Sauce

1 tsp olive oil

1 onion

1 celery rib, minced

1 Tb. finely chopped garlic

3 3/4 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 Tb. tomato paste

8 oz. baby carrots, (or 3 regular carrots scrubbed and cut into 1 in. pieces)

2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch dice

salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs. of fresh lima beans shelled, or 1 16 oz frozen package

2 lemons

1 tsp. butter

1 Tb. unbleached flour

2 10 oz packages of frozen artichoke hearts quartered

1/2 cup minced Italian parsley

Heat 1/2 tsp. of oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute just until it starts to soften, about 4 minutes. Lower the heat and add the celery and 2 tsp. of the garlic and continue sauteing for another 2 minutes.

Add two cups of vegetable stock along with the wine and tomato paste. Raise the heat to a boil and drop in the carrots and potatoes (I didn't have as many carrots or artichokes as called for, so I added diced zucchini and green beans with the carrots to make up for it). Lower the heat to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, half covered, until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add the lima beans, stir well, and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Grate the rind of the lemons, then squeeze out their juices discarding the seeds.

Heat the remaining oil along with the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, then slowly whisk in the remaining 1 3/4 cup stock and 1 tsp. garlic along with the lemon juice and rind. Cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Scrape the sauce into the simmering vegetables.

Add the artichoke pieces, stir well and cook until just heated. Add half of the minced parsley.

Serve hot with the remaining parsley and grated Parmesan cheese (optional) sprinkled over the top. Feel free to serve with crusty bread, or on top of pasta, quinoa or rice.

4 B's Pancakes

I bought a quart of buttermilk just for this recipe yesterday. This is an easy and healthy (you know me) pancake recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks (thanks Lauren); Passionate Vegetarian, by Crescent Dragonwgon. Yes you read it right, the author's name is Crescent Dragonwagon, odd name, I know. This cookbook is 1068 pages long (NOT including the index) and does not contain one picture! I have made quite a few recipes from here, and have barely scratched the surface of the meals I will be attempting to make in the many years of cooking I have ahead of me. I have yet to make a meal I didn't like from this cookbook. If you have one lonely old banana that you need to find a use for, this is the recipe for you! One banana isn't quite enough to make banana bread (which I make often), but it's perfect for banana pancakes!

Banana Blueberry Buttermilk Buckwheat Pancakes

1/3 cup unbleached white all-purpose flour

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup buckwheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 large egg

2 Tb. vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 very ripe banana well mashed

3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

In a medium bowl, combined all three flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, buttermilk and banana. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until blended.

Heat a cast iron griddle or heavy non stick skillet over medium heat. When it's hot give it a spritz of cooking spray. Drop the batter by 1/4 cupfuls leaving plenty of space between. Flip the cakes when bubbles appear and pop on the top surface. Allow half as much time for side two to cook. Turn the heat down slightly after the first batch is done.

Serves 3-4

Mediteranian Stuffed Peppers

I had two meals in mind for tonight and tomorrow night's dinner. However, both called for tomato paste. In my mind I had several cans of tomato paste in the pantry. In reality, I had zero. Instead of going back to the store, I created a new recipe with what I had in the fridge. With the produce I just picked up this weekend, I had a lot of options ahead of me (decision making is not one of my strong suits when it comes to dinner....too many options, too little time).

Adam took Owen for a bike ride while I opened up a bottle of wine, put on my apron and got cooking! Here is what I came up with from a few different recipes. I might add, this is super healthy, and SUPER delicious! Though on a plate it doesn't look like much, this meal is packed with protein and is very filling. You get 5 servings of vegetables, complete proteins, whole grains, cheese, and legumes in one little package! It's a winner in my book!


Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers

1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
5-6 Red Bell Peppers
1/2 of a red onion, chopped
1 medium to large zucchini, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
3/4 cup drained diced canned tomatoes (or halved fresh cherry tomatoes)
1 15oz can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained.
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium pot, soak quinoa in warm water for 5 minutes, then drain. Bring vegetable broth and the quinoa to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on. Meanwhile, cut 1/2 inch off the tops of the washed peppers and take out the seeds and the white membranes. Place peppers upright in a lightly sprayed baking pan and bake for 15 minutes.

Spray a large non stick skillet with cooking spray and saute onions on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and carrots and saute until soft. Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans, salt and oregano and stir a few more minutes. Turn off the heat, toss in the feta cheese and add the quinoa. Mix well and stuff the peppers with the mixture. Bake for 15 minutes on 350. Enjoy!

Oh and for dessert, we had "homemade" (Trader Joes Mix) brownies with peanut butter drizzled through the middle, served with coffe bean ice cream. I would have posted a picture if I had thought about taking a picture before it was all gone! Sorry.