Vegan Portobello Stroganoff

There are like 5 dishes my dad rotated through in the 70's: tuna casserole, spinach souffle, baked chicken and rice, chili, and beef Stroganoff.  The Stroganoff was one of his prize dishes, and it totally reminds me of my dad.  You don't see much of this Russian dish around these days, and probably for good reason:  it's extremely unhealthy with all that sour cream and beef.  However, this version would make my dad proud.  Completely animal-product-free, you can eat to your heart's content. Miss you, pops.

3 Tablespoons earth balance (or other butter alternative)

2 organic shallots, minced

2 cloves of organic garlic, minced

3-4 organic portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 cup organic vegetable broth

1/2 cup white wine

2.5 Tablespoons organic AP flour

1/2 cup sour cream alternative (Follow Your Heart makes a great one)

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons organic tomato paste

2 Tablespoons fresh organic parsley, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

12oz whole grain vegan fettuccine (or other long flat noodle)

Boil water for pasta and drop the noodles in once you get the mushrooms cooked.  In a large skillet, melt butter over med/high heat.  Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook until limp and browned. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, stir in the vegetable broth and wine. Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid has reduced by 1/3. Turn heat to low and return the mushroom mixture to the pan.  Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the sour cream and flour.  Return the skillet to the burner, and cook for one minute.  Add the soy, Worcestershire and tomato paste.  Continue cooking over low heat, just until the sauce thickens. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately over hot noodles.

Baked Penne with Tomato Sauce

This is comfort food at its best.  So simple, yet so satisfying.  This recipe makes a nice big casserole, good for sharing with friends or for leftovers.  It also makes a nice dish to take to a friend: just prep everything, cover, and let them bake it.  If I lived in San Diego, this is what I would take to my good friend Nicole who had twins a couple weeks ago.  :)

16 ounces organic whole wheat penne pasta (or similar noodle)
2 cups organic part-skim ricotta
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1.5 cups grated Parmesan
2 cups organic shredded part-skim mozzarella
Salt and pepper
Double recipe of Basic Tomato Sauce
6 to 12oz. meatless ground crumbles, ex: Boca (optional)

Preheat oven to 450F.  Boil pasta just shy of al dente: you want it to still have a little crunch in the middle as it will cook more in the oven.  Combine the ricotta, eggs, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, and 1 cup of the mozzarella in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper. In a large casserole dish (13x9ish), spread half of the tomato sauce on the bottom.  Top with the pasta, then the ricotta mixture, then crumbles (if using), then remaining sauce.  Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella over the top.  Cover with foil and bake 20-25 minutes, removing the foil for the last 5-10 minutes to let the top brown.

Portobello Tampiquena

Tampiquena is a traditional Mexican dish usually made with steak.  I had a portobello version down in Mexico that was so amazing, I had to try to recreate it at home.  This Christmas our family did a Mexican potluck, and I figured it was a good opportunity to give this a shot.  Make the marinade a day ahead, then let the mushrooms marinate for just a couple hours before cooking.  You can serve it with enchiladas, chilaquiles, or just beans and rice.  I did a simple layer of cheese quesadillas on the bottom then a giant layer of the mushrooms on top.

Marinade:
1/2 cup EVOO
1 organic yellow onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups soy sauce
1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup fresh organic cilantro, chopped
1 serrano chile, diced

6 portobello mushrooms, cleaned
cilantro for garnish

Place marinade ingredients in a large zip bag and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.  2 hours before cooking, put the mushrooms in the marinade (you may need 2 bags at this point.)  Preheat oven to 400F. Place mushrooms on a rimmed baking sheet and top with some of the goodies from the marinade.  Cook about 5-7 minutes on each side.  Remove, let cool slightly and slice.  Top with cilantro.  Serve over cheese enchiladas, chilaquiles or with rice and beans.
Serves 4-6

Swedish Pancakes

I'm mostly Swedish, but I honestly don't make a lot of Swedish food.  The Swedes eat a lot of random meats: like Reindeer and Elk, but there are some traditions from my childhood about Swedish food that I can't give up.  I no longer eat Swedish meatballs, but I do love Swedish pancakes on Christmas.  We usually eat it with Matzo Brei (my mother-in-law's husband is Jewish) and a big fruit salad, which makes it a nice diverse meal.  When I was a kid, we ate them stuffed with a berry jam and powdered sugar mixture, but now I let people top them with whatever they want (yogurt, fruit, jam, syrup, etc.)

4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup unbleached AP flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 Tablespoon organic cane sugar
1 pinch salt
2 Tablespoons melted butter or earth balance
Powdered sugar for sprinkling on top
Berry jam and/or syrup for topping

Preheat a large skillet on medium heat.  Beat eggs, milk, flour, sugar, salt and butter in a large bowl with a wire wisk.  Pour batter on skillet and cook until small bubbles appear and top dries out a bit.  Flip and cook another minute or two.  Roll pancake up and place on a platter.  After making a couple pancakes, adjust heat as necessary.  If making a double or triple recipe, keep pancakes warm in an oven (200F) until you are done making them and ready to serve.  Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar and serve with berry jam or syrup.
Serves 4