Mushroom Stroganoff

Stroganoff was one of my favorite meals growing up. When we became vegetarians, my mom's recipe was a hard one to transfer over. I tried everything: "meatless" crumbles, "meatless" chunks, and even sliced mushrooms.  But each time, the sauce just wasn't right. So, this time, I abandoned my mom's recipe *gasp* and started fresh. And no offense to my mom, but it was definitely worth it.

Mushroom Stroganoff
based heavily on this recipe from Allrecipes' database
Serves 2

• 1 Tb. butter*
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 6 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 Tb. flour
• 1 Tb. heavy cream
• 1 Tb. vegetarian Parmesan 
• 1 Tb. Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 4 oz egg noodles, cooked according to package directions

*The original recipe called for 3 TB of butter! Why in the world do people need so much butter?! I definitely did not miss the extra butter. 

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring until softened. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are limp and browned. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, stir in vegetable broth, being sure to stir in any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture has reduced by 1/3. Reduce heat to low, and return the mushrooms and onion to the skillet.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir together the sour cream and flour; then blend into the mushroom mixture. Stir in the cream and Parmesan. 

Return the skillet to the burner, and continue cooking over low heat, just until the sauce thickens. Stir in the Italian seasoning, soy sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over cooked egg noodles. I like to garnish with a sprinkling of paprika. No idea why. 

Nutritional Information (for half over 2 oz WW noodles): 495 calories, 18.5g fat (10g sat), 7.8g fiber, 18g protein

I was very happy with the results of this stroganoff! The cream was a last minute addition because it just wasn't as creamy as I wanted at first. I'm sure using low-fat sour cream did that. I also just use white button mushrooms because that's what I had in the fridge. However, I'm dying to try this with a heartier mushroom, like portabella or cremini. I'm sure the flavor would be incredible. Just a warning for those of you who don't salt your food while cooking, this is a must. I try to avoid putting extra salt in until it's necessary...but this is just one of those recipes that needs salt to make it taste...perfect.

I finished my final paper yesterday and now I've just got to hunker down on my math final exam....only 42 problems so it's not that long. But that's means they count for ALOT so I'm a tad stressed about getting the right answers. Well, off to finish that before tonight's cookie baking-cleaning the apartment-vegetable chopping frenzy! :)

Winter Spice Cake

Every year growing up, we got oranges in our stockings. Some years, my dad would stick whole cloves in the oranges. I'm sure there is some holiday tradition that warrants this but I always thought it was kinda weird. Even so, the smell of cloves brings back old Christmas memories for me each time.

This cake smells like Christmas to me. It has fabulous flavor. The original cake was pretty hefty in calories and fat so I trimmed it down a bit....without losing the lovely, spicy flavor.

Winter Spice Cake
based on a recipe from Relish magazine
Serves 16

• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 - 3/4 cups sugar*
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups AP flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups cored, peeled and coarsely chopped apples (2 large, 3 medium, or 4 small)
• 2 Tb. amaretto (or another 1/2 tsp vanilla)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

*The amount of sugar heavily depends on whether or not your applesauce is sweetened and to what degree. I used homemade applesauce and I knew that it was sweetened it so I scaled the sugar back. If you're using unsweetened applesauce, you'll need to use the full amount of sugar.

Preheat the oven to 325°rees;F. Heavily grease and flour a large bundt pan (can also be made as a 9x13 cake, just watch the baking time). This is easier with shortening or butter. With oil, I learned, the flour transfers to the baked cake easier.

Combine the applesauce and oil in a large mixing bowl. Beat until well combined. Add sugar and beat until frothy. Add eggs one a time, beating after each addition.

Sift together flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. 

Add flour mixture to egg mixture; blend well. Begin with a wooden spoon and switch to beaters if you'd like.

Prepare apples by cutting off tops and bottoms. Peel them using a peeler. Take out the stem, end, and core. If you do not have an apple corer, like me, then watch this video to core your apples. 

Coarsely chop but be sure not to leave huge pieces of apples. Apples shrink while baking and giant pieces of apples will leave holes in your cake. If you do this at the beginning because you're scatterbrained like me, cover tightly with plastic wrap to slow the browning. Try to leave as little air in the bowl as possible because that is what causes the browning. 

Add amaretto and vanilla extract. Beat in and then add apples. Stir until evenly distributed. 

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Be thankful that you don't have to share these fantabulous beaters. 

Bake until golden brown and a wooden toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour. The cooking time will vary depending on your pan. I started checking every 10 minutes after 40 minutes so that it wouldn't over bake. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before removing.

Remember what I said about the oil? If this happens, stay calm and just use your hand to lightly brush off the flour that you can. The rest doesn't really affect the flavor (I promise!) and gives it a kind of rustic look. 

I was going to healthify the glaze as well. But my healthified glaze recipe had me a little worried. Plus, I accounted for too much sugar from the applesauce and the cake was lacking a bit in sweetness. So I went ahead with the original glaze and don't regret it at all. :)

Brown Sugar Glaze

• 4 Tb. butter
• 6 Tb. white sugar
• 2 Tb. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tb. heavy cream

Do not begin this glaze until the cake is ready to be served. It hardens pretty quickly. This makes for a gorgeous cake but it also makes it hard to spread after it cools. 

Melt 4 Tb. butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugars. 

Stir in vanilla and cream. Bring to a boil and reduce heat; let simmer 4 minutes. Drizzle over cake top or cake slices and serve.

Nutritional Information (for 1/16 cake without glaze): 255 calories, 8g fat (0.8g sat), 1.3g fiber, 3.7g protein

Nutritional Information (for 1/16 cake with glaze): 311 calories, 12g fat (3g sat), 1.3g fiber, 3.8g protein

I think the glaze was worth the additional calories. However, if you do not, you can simply dust the finished cake with powdered sugar. It has a gorgeous effect while adding minimal calories. I think this cake is a splurge, of course, but it's a pretty healthy splurge when considering the other options during this time of year. The original recipe has 420 calories and 22g fat per 1/16 serving...that's 109 calories and 10g fat shaved off per slice, even more if you leave off the glaze! And this cake is delicious - perfectly moist with a crunchy crust. A perfect holiday addition.

It snowed yesterday. Well, there was some flying white stuff.

Welcome to Georgia.

Roasted Vegetable Stew

Hello all! I hope you like the new look!! I'm still working on some of the new features but notice the menu bar now has a button for recipes! That takes you to an archive of all the recipes I've posted on here, separated into categories and alphabetized for easy access. There's also a new search feature and new social networking buttons! So be sure to follow me on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, and subscribe via e-mail to keep your updates coming. :)

Now onto the food! I tried this recipe last year with chicken and remembered that I really liked it. So, I decided to just try it without the chicken and see what happened. Success.

Roasted Vegetable Stew
adapted from a Cooking Light recipe
Serves 2

• 4 cups, unpeeled, cubed red potatoes (about 3...russet works fine too)
• 2 cups whole baby carrots (or 4 large peeled carrots, chopped)
• 1 cup chopped red onion (1/2 large)
• 2 Tb. balsalmic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 dried tsp thyme
• 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup trimmed green beans (didn't have so I left them out, but I sure missed them)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (veg broth can be subbed but the flavor won't be as good)
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 3 Tb. flour

I have an excellent roasting pan. Top-notch. However, I had never used it because I never roasted whole chickens or turkeys. After turning vegetarian, when I saw it in the cupboard, I was sad that I didn't get to use it. I normally just roast vegetables in a casserole dish but decided to use it for this stew. Never thought a pan could make a difference but WOW. All vegetables were perfectly roasted in 15 minutes less! I am sold on my roasting pan. Which will be used constantly now. :)

Preheat oven to 425° F. Spray a large roasting pan with non stick spray. Add potatoes, carrots, onions, vinegar, oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon rosemary, tarragon, salt and pepper. Mix well. Roast, uncovered for 30 minutes.

Stir once, halfway through cooking time. Add green beans and roast for 10 more minutes. Meanwhile, pour wine into a saucepan. Add remaining ½ teaspoon thyme and ½ teaspoon rosemary. Bring to a boil. (I know this seems odd but the liquid actually should be hot when added to the vegetables. If the liquid has to get hot, it will undo the crustiness of the roasted vegetables.)

When vegetables are done, pour 2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth into the pan and use a wooden spoon to get up the bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the vegetables and wine to a large stockpot. Bring to a boil.

In a small bowl, combine flour with remaining ½ cup broth and stir until lump-free. Add flour mixture to stew. Cook until stew is bubbly and has thickened, about 3 minutes.

Nutritional Information (for half): 546 calories, 7.8g fat (1.2g sat), 10.8g fiber, 10.8g protein

I served a ciabatta roll with our stew and the crustiness of the roll was just perfect. I didn't have any white wine to use and I could definitely tell a difference in flavor. This stew was good but I know it would have been better with the wine. And those balsamic roasted vegetables? I could just eat those as my meal. To me, there are not many foods that are more comforting than roasted vegetables. Super good.

I'm very excited for this weekend. One of my bestest friends is coming! I'm keeping the food simple because I want to get to spend time with her, not the kitchen. But I will be making a winter spice cake before she gets here and overnight French toast for breakfast! Now off to get all my homework so I have nothing else to do this weekend but enjoy...or maybe sleep on a pile of warm clothes.

Have a great weekend :)

Pardon my Dust

Hello dear readers. The blog is currently getting a makeover so things may look funky for a day or two. I'll be back soon with a brand new look and some great recipes! :)

Pasta with Brie, Mushrooms, and Arugula

If I had four words to describe this meal: Grown-up Mac and Cheese. I bet I have your attention now.

This recipe had some firsts for me. Cooking with Brie. Cooking with arugula. I had had baked Brie, of course, with crackers and arugula in salad mixes....but this recipe had me a little nervous. But I got a free container of Brie from Earthfare and I had mushrooms that had apparently been bought without a purpose. The first time I made it, I also had a yellow bell pepper that needed to be used so I sliced that up and threw it in with the mushrooms. A perfect addition. I was sad that I didn't have another one when I made it again the next night.

Yup, this meal was so good that it appeared two nights in a row. It was the whole, "well, I have another half container of Brie, mushrooms, and arugula to use anyway..." excuse. :)

Pasta with Brie, Mushrooms, and Arugula
from Martha Stewart's recipe database
Serves 4

• 12 oz penne pasta
• 1 lb. button mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (vegetable/chicken broth)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 8 oz brie, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 cups baby arugula

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot. I did this simultaneously with the other steps so that the pasta would still be hot enough to melt the cheese when the time came. Also, I used a vegetable pasta to amp up the veggie quantity. Sneaky sneaky.

The original recipe called for 1 Tb. of olive oil to saute the mushrooms in. Just fyi, this oil is very rarely needed. Especially with a nice, nonstick pan. It's a waste of calories in my opinion so 9 times out of 10, I omit it. (Unless the recipe needs extra calories and fat, which some do...but most don't.) So, I sauteed the mushrooms in a beautiful nonstick pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine, salt, and pepper and cook until the mushrooms brown, 5-6 more minutes. 

The recipe also called for onion. But I was lazy and didn't feel like chopping. I'm glad I didn't too. I think the pungency of the onion would've taken away from the creaminess of the cheese. 

To be honest, I don't know the rules of Brie. But we tried it with and without the rind. Definitely better (in my opinion) without the rind. So, I cut off the rind and then cut into 1-inch pieces.

Toss the pasta with the Brie and reserved cooking water, until the pasta is coated and the cheese is melted.

Stir in mushrooms.

Add arugula.

Stir until well incorporated.

Easy peasy! Seriously. One of the easiest meals ever. But it definitely doesn't taste easy. It has such a gourmet and grown-up taste. But even while stirring the cheese in, it smelled like mac n cheese! Talk about comfort food! Plus, the stats for this comfort food are right on target...

Nutritional Information (for 1 serving): 550 calories, 18g fat (10g sat), 4.5g fiber, 27g protein

I was nervous about it not being filling enough or not enough for a whole meal. Definitely nothing to worry about there. This was a very generous portion of pasta that was very filling...a great protein option for vegetarians! I was a little worried about how the arugula would go with everything. It was absolutely perfect...I can't imagine the dish without it! This one was so good, it made the list. Yup. The list.

In other news, my sister got her professional pictures from her wedding. They look fabulous!

the bridesmaids right before the ceremony

sisters ♥

the bridesmaids

bridal party

me & the bride

the bride & groom

I think the photographers did such a good job. Soo cute.

Lately I've felt so overwhelmed. Idk why. I just haven't been able to keep up with everything. The apartment is always a mess throughout the week and then I have to spend an entire weekend cleaning it up. I hate it. But I have no drive after getting home from work lately. Maybe it's the cold. ;)

If you follow me on twitter, you know that all last week I was trying to win a custom blog design from Simply Fabulous Blogger Templates. All that tweeting worked! I'm so excited! Her blog designs are always adorable and I had so much fun picking graphics and colors. So be on the lookout for the new design soon :)

Until next time...♥

Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole

One thing I learned from making dishes on Thanksgiving? I am excellent at cooking on a schedule. It made me really, really want to host a whole holiday meal once. Not sure how my family would react to a Thanksgiving with no turkey though. Sigh.Thanksgiving is famous for over eating and over indulging so I was very excited to try this lightened up version of a favorite of mine.

Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole
by Ellie Krieger for Food Network Magazine
Serves 8

• Cooking spray
• 3 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (1-inch chunks)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tb. packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350°rees;F. Don't be scared by the small size of the dish...it will all fit, I promise. 

Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a large stockpot with a steamer basket in place. Put the sweet potatoes in the basket and cover. Steam sweet potatoes for 20-25 minutes, or until tender. Don't have a steamer basket? Me neither. I used a large colander and just placed the lid flush in the colander. Not a technical because some steam is able to escape, but it gets the job done! My potatoes were ready to go after 20 minutes.

Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Add the honey, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. The original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp cinnamon in the sweet potatoes and the other half in the topping. But we really like cinnamon. So I added an extra 1/2 tsp to the sweet potatoes. 

Whip with an electric mixer until smooth. Beautiful.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish. 

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and pecans. Spread evenly across the sweet potato mixture. Note: the picture shows double topping and the use of light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar may have been worth the upgrade for this one though. I will definitely do it next time. Plus, if you're doing a double topping, I would suggest sprinkling all the brown sugar and cinnamon down evenly then doing the pecans. This makes it melt easier. Bake for 40-45 minutes. 

Yummm. This was the bomb! Seriously, I loved how creamy the sweet potatoes were and the honey was the perfect sweetener. If yours comes out with not all the brown sugar melted like mine, just cover it with aluminum foil. By the time I got to the house, the steam had melted the brown sugar to perfection. And of course I forgot to take a picture of it. Lame. That is one thing that cooking a schedule makes me forget. I focus on the food and not the pictures! :)

Nutritional Information (for 1/8 with a single recipe topping): 160 calories, 4g fat (1g sat), 3g fiber, 3g protein

Nutritional Information (for 1/8 with a double recipe topping): 198 calories, 7g fat (1.3g sat), 3.5g fiber, 3.5g protein

Even with the double topping, this was a very nutritious (and delicious!) side to have on the table. I recommend this for all future holiday feasts :)

Enjoy a picture of a precious kitten trying hard to stay asleep while his mama keeps flashing light in his face. 

Until next time...♥