Mushrooms, glorious Mushrooms!

I'm not sure if it's a pregnancy craving or just a renewed love of mushrooms, but I can't seem to get enough of them these days!!  I'm thankful that the other tongues in my house can tolerate and even enjoy them, wheew that's a relief!

My newest and most favorite way to add the delicious, savory, buttery, earthy, goodness to my meal is with Garlic Herb Mushroom Quinoa! It's amazing (I want to put an exclamation point here, but know I've already used too many).

My version is a combination of two different recipes and just some of the typical "what's on hand" adaptations.
Here is one of the original recipes and here is the other.

Or...here is my version.

1-2 cups of quinoa, cooked to the package directions (slightly under versus over cook)

This isn't a recipe that needs specific proportions to turn out, so make as much quinoa as you would want to eat and season with as many or as few of the herbs that smell good to you..make it your own :)

In a skillet with medium heat melt
-1-2 T. Butter
-4-5 cloves of minced Garlic. You don't want to brown the garlic, just cook for a minute to get rid of some of the pungent raw garlic-ness. It will continue to cook with the mushrooms, but I wanted to make sure there were no raw pieces.
-1 8oz package Mushrooms, washed and cut to your size preference
-pinch (1/8 -1/4 t.) of Rosemary.  PLEASE crush the rosemary sprigs in the palm of your hand with your opposite thumb before adding to the mushrooms as they will not cook long enough and in not enough moisture to soften the springs and it will feel like you are eating a dried out Christmas tree :(
-1/2-1 t. Thyme
-1/2 t. Parsley
-1/8-1/4 t. ground Sage (optional)
-1/4 t. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Let it cook until the mushrooms have browned and become soft. Add more butter if needed to keep everything from sticking to the bottom of the pan. You can use a lid to help it cook quicker and not need to stir as often.

When mushrooms are soft add:
3-5 T (drizzle over the top of all the mushrooms) Balsamic Vinegar
Let this cook without a lid to reduce (cook off or evaporate) the balsamic vinegar until it is just a glaze over the mushrooms and the bottom of the pan - stir continuously.

Add more butter (1-2 T.) to pan, once melted, stir in the cooked quinoa. Stir to coat quinoa in herbs and butter/vinegar glaze and distribute mushrooms throughout quinoa.

-Salt to taste. I find that when I cook with butter I don't usually need to add butter, so try it first before adding any.

Squash Crisp or Pumpkin Custard Crisp

It's that time of year again: orange vegetables, cinnamon, ginger and steamy mugs all calling out to us. Whether you pair this dessert with ice cream, Greek yogurt; coffee or tea, it's bound to be a winner. It is similar to pumpkin pie, but easier (as there is no crust or rolling) and it has a richer more custard like flavor and consistency. I hope you try it and enjoy it!

3-3 1/2 c. Squash/Pumpkin/Sweet Potato/Yam, cooked till soft 
  *you can use only of the above listed vegetables, but my favorite is to combine many for a more interesting well rounded flavor, ie: squash and yams
3/4 c. Milk (dairy or almond milk)
4 Eggs
2 t. Vanilla
1/3 c.  Butter or coconut oil, melted

1/2 c. Brown sugar

3 T. Flour (wheat or a gluten free option)

1 t. Baking powder

1/4 t. Salt

1 T. Cinnamon

1/4 t. Cloves

1/8 t. Nutmeg

1/2 t. Ginger

Combine all ingredients and blend (with immersion blender) until smooth and velvety (similar to the consistency of a pumpkin pie before baking)

Pour into a greased 9x9 - 9x13 (3 quart) pan. Top with your favorite crisp topping or crushed gingersnaps (1/2 c.) and butter (2 T. melted).
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until knife comes out of center clean.

My favorite crisp topping:

2 c. Old Fashioned Oats

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. butter or coconut oil

1 shy T. cinnamon

1/2 t. ginger

1/4 c. walnuts or pecans, chopped

pinch of salt

Enchiladas

An Old Family Favorite.
When we were little this was the most requested birthday meal, which is as good as saying it was our all time favorite meal! The recipe is vegetarian, but can easily be adapted with hamburger or taco meat to meet your family's needs. Actually most of this meal can be adapted once you know the base.

Enchilada Filling:
2 - 15 oz can Refried Beans
1-2c. Cottage Cheese

Basically that is what I think is "necessary" and everything else is optional.

Black Beans about a 1/2-1 c. (or one can, drained and rinsed)
1/2 c. Green Pepper, chopped (1/2 a pepper)
Flax or Wheat Germ 1/8c.
Black Olives, sliced (about a 1/2 can)
Cooked Quinoa (about 1/4 c. - this is for Denver, to give the meal more heft)
Taco Seasoned Ground Beef (1/2 lb??) for the meat lovers in your family!
Shredded Cheese, depending on how much you like cheese anywhere from 1/2c. - 2c.

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly in a large bowl. Fill Corn or Flour Tortillas with the bean mixture and roll up tortilla. Place seam side down in a greased 9x13. (I don't know that the pan NEEDS to be greased - I just always have.)

Enchilada Sauce:
2 c. Water
2 T. Flour or Corn Starch  - whisk the flour or corn starch in as you add it to the water to prevent lumps
3 T. Oil
1-2 T. Chili Powder
1 T. White Vinegar
1/2 t. Garlic Powder
1/2 t. Oregano
1/2 t. Salt (or less)

Mix all ingredients of the sauce together in a sauce pan. Heat on medium-high heat until boiling. Let boil for 5 minutes (reduce the heat slightly if it is boiling out of control).  Stir periodically to prevent sticking to the bottom of your pan.  Pour (hot!! be careful) sauce evenly over the enchiladas that are in the pan, seam down. Top with grated cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350* uncovered.  The sauce will be boiling when they are heated all the way through.
Caution!! These stay hot for a very long time! I'm pretty sure all of my siblings and I burned the roof of our mouths, in impatient haste of consuming our favorite meal. So, consider yourself warned :)

Eat Mo' Veggies

Roasted Veggies or Confetti Veggie Bowl

If you like a party, you are bound to enjoy eating your veggies this way. The colors are so bright and cheerful. There are no rules, your imagination and tongue can dictate how this side turns out.

Veggies we have used:
  Broccoli, Cauliflower, Beet, Sweet Potato/Yam, Zucchini, Carrot, Potato, Rutabaga, Radish
Veggies I want to use:
  Sweet Peas, Asparagus, Brussle Sprouts, Red Pepper
Edited Entry:  The asparagus was not the best choice. It did not cook in time with the other hard vegetables and the flavor did not blend well.

Start with washed and peeled vegetables.
Chop into uniform size pieces.
To get even cooking, cut the soft vegetables larger than the hard vegetables.  Ex. Zucchini is cut into larger pieces than sweet potato or beets.
Put everything in a large bowl.
Pour enough olive oil over cut up veggies to coat. Stir to make sure they are all evenly coated with oil.
Mince garlic into the bowl (1 garlic clove for 1 bunch of broccoli, and add a total of 3-4 garlic...depending on how much garlic you like). Stir again.

Pour veggies onto a low pan (jelly roll pan, prepared with tin foil) to cover the bottom of the pan, but only enough for a single layer of veggies. If you pile the pan full the cooking will not be uniform.
When your pans are filled with veggies, sprinkle lightly with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt.

Cook at 375-385* for 15-25 minutes. Check the "hard" veggies around 15 minutes to see how firm they still are and add time accordingly.

We enjoy these veggies drizzled with balsamic vinegar. They are a lovely side to almost any meal. You can vary the veggie combinations and have a different dish (from the same recipe) every night of the week.

Recently I added a large scoop of basil pesto and generous dusting of Parmesan cheese and stirred it up with the olive oil - and it was amazing! The Parmesan cheese makes a bit of a crusty coating which perfectly contrasts the soft inside of the sweet potato. I omit the garlic, salt, pepper and balsamic when I use the pesto and Parmesan. 

Cashew Red Pepper Cream

This is the delicious cream sauce that tops the Quinoa Cakes

Here again is the original recipe & following is how we made it.

• 3/4 c. cashews
• 1 (sm) roasted red bell pepper, from a jar
• 1/3 cup water (or less)
• 1/2 small clove of garlic
• 1/8 (very small amount) cup red onion
• 1/2 T lemon juice
• pinch of salt, add more to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on High for about 30 seconds, or until everything is well blended and smooth. Make sure to have the cover on tightly as this splatters when blending (don't ask me how I know).
 
You should have a smooth creamy-pink cream sauce when you are done. We found a half batch perfect for the two of us (that's what I have listed above). We then made a second half batch for our leftovers and we (accidentally) left out the onion, which was a nice omission.  So, I would recommend making a full batch with half the onion (or less).

Leftovers would make a great chip or veggie dip.

Quinoa Cakes

The flavors of restaurant meals are usually spectacular. Sometimes I wish my meals made at home could be just as fun and flavorful. Something different, but tested so I'm not wading through many ok or bad meals to find that one amazing meal. Well, let me sift out this gem for you!  Last night we feasted on deliciousness and now you can too! And it gets better, this recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian and I'm trying to think of how it could become dairy-free.

Quinoa Cakes topped with Cashew Red Pepper Cream

mmm...I just had leftovers for lunch. Not quite as delicious, not as popping of flavors as last night, but still an exceptional leftover.  They reminded us something like a mix between latkes and falafel, mostly in the style of the meal: a fried patty with cream topping.

Here is where I got the recipe from. I will write how I modified the recipe.

• 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large scoop (a little less than 1/4 c.) basil pesto
• 1/4 c. finely minced red onion (less than 1/2 the onion)
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (we didn't have fresh, but used the dry stuff in the bottle)
• 1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
• Olive oil for pan frying

It should be a bit sticky so it holds together when fried

Mix all together and place on a med-hot pan (with oil) in about 1/4 c. amount. I spooned it onto the pan then used the back of a spoon to flatten into a patty. [I tried to make a patty with my hands and much of it stuck to my hands = bad idea.] Let the first side brown up before flipping. It should be a couple minutes at least on each side. We liked the patties thinner so they got crispy, but then found we preferred them cooked at a lower temp so the onions cooked more.  Play with the temp and thickness to get the results that you like. Or I suppose you could also pre-cook your onions & garlic.

Top with Cashew Roasted Red Pepper Cream sauce (recipe in next post) & enjoy hot! We talked about how good they were all evening, wishing we were hungry enough for a second dinner.  I wonder what we will have for dinner tonight :)