Mushroom Sage Cream Sauce

Somebody recently said something about mushrooms and sage and I remembered my Thanksgiving Mushroom Stuffing and how much I liked it. And then I remembered that I had squash/sage pierogies in my freezer from One Sister Pierogies. From that, a wonderful meal was born:



Ingredients:

• Mushroom medley (mostly cremini, also oyster, porcini and shitake)
• Dried sage
• Butter
• Shallots
• Milk
• Black Pepper
• Olive oil

1. Heat about a tablespoon or two of butter with a bit of olive oil over medium heat in a thick-bottomed skillet. Add the chopped shallots (about half of a bulb) and saute 2 minutes, until soft.
2. Add chopped mushrooms (if reconstituting them from dried, reserve the water they were simmered in and add to the butter and shallot mixture at this time).
3. Add sage (about 2 tsp).
4. Simmer until liquid is reduced a bit and the mushrooms have lost much of their size.
5. Cover in milk and simmer until liquid is further reduced (10-15 minutes) and season with black pepper.

I poured this sauce over my squash/sage pierogis, but made enough to pour over a squash I plan to bake later in the week.

Alu Roti

Not only is this tasty, but it is a LOT of fun to make! It is great for a snack or for a side item at a meal. Next time I make it, I'm going to stuff some veggies in there too for some extra nutrition and texture!

Warm, crispy pockets
Filled with anything you want
On hand in a pinch.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 6 Tbsp ghee (easy to buy at Whole Foods, or you can make your own)
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 medium potato, peeled and quartered
• 1/4 cup minced onions
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp fresh green chilies, minced
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• Juice of 1/4 of a lemon
• 1/4 cup ghee, melted
• Plain, drained yogurt

1. Combine flour and 4.5 Tbsp ghee with your hands in a large bowl until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add water and knead until it forms a firm, smooth dough. If dry, add more water, 1 Tbsp at a time, and knead again. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
2. While the dough rests, cook potatoes in a large pot of salted, boiling water until they're soft, about 20 minutes. Drain, mash, and set aside.
3. Heat 3 Tbsp ghee in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft (5 minutes). Add salt, cumin, garam masala, chilies, and potatoes. Stir until mixed well. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro and lemon juice.
4. Divide dough into 6 evenly sized balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into 4-inch circles.
5. Place 1/6 of the filling in the center of each circle. Carefully bring the edges of the dough up and pinch them together to enclose the filling.
6. 
7. Gently flatten each roti down into a 4-inch circle. Keep them covered with a damp cloth until you are done.
8. Cook roti in a dry heavy-bottom or nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Flip over and cook other side.
9. Brush the roti with a little melted ghee, and cook oiled side for 2 minutes. Then brush some melted ghee on top, flip, and cook for 2 minutes more, until lightly browned on both sides.
10. Serve with a dollop of plain, drained yogurt.

Recipe from Yoga Journal, March 2009.
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Sweet Potato Latkes

This is a wonderful dish that smells delicious and can be changed up in so many ways (sweeter, more savory, crisper, as a scramble to be topped with an entree.....). I made it tonight just for myself (had to brave my food processor again) and it was just perfect after an appetizer of cheese and crackers and with a glass of wine (what doesn't go with wine though?), though I can see it making a nice brunch dish as well!

Sweet potato cakes
Served with whatever topping
You're in the mood for!

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded
• 1/2 cup grated onion
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 eggs

1. Combine sweet potato, onion, flour, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Shape into 1/4-inch thick patties.
2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray; add 1 tsp oil and half the butter. Add 3 patties. Cook 3 minutes; flip, and cook 2 minutes more, or until browned on both sides.
3. Drain on paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining oil, butter, and patties.

I had trouble keeping my pancakes together at first, but the crispier they were, the better they held. I topped mine with a little bit of plain drained yogurt, mixed with a bit of maple sugar and found it to be EXCELLENT.

For a vegan variation, replace the butter with oil and the egg with 1/4 cup baked, pureed sweet potato.

Recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times, January, 2010.
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Curry Quinoa Salad

I had this salad recently at a Superbowl party and loved it. I called the host and found out it was premade and from Whole Foods. Now, Whole Foods is great - and convenient! But, if I have all the ingredients already or can get them from a local source, and I'm not crunched for time, I'd rather make it myself. This is my first attempt at replicating it and am quite pleased with how it has turned out. You want to make this a day ahead of time so that all the flavors can settle together.

Always have on hand
A salad with no lettuce
A quick, healthy snack!

Ingredients:

• Quinoa (1/2 cup precooked)
• French Green Lentils (1/2 cup precooked)
• 2 medium carrots
• 3 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• 6 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh)
• 1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp Curry powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Black Pepper

1. Simmer the lentils, covered for 30 minutes, or until tender, but still retaining shape.
2. Simmer the quinoa, covered for 12 minutes. Drain both and mix together in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
3. Chop the garlic and ginger and add to a measuring cup, mashing both together. Add the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, spices and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
4. Grate the carrots into the quinoa-lentil salad and then chop and add the cilantro. Mix together and add the vinegar dressing.
5. Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil over the top of the salad and add freshly ground black pepper. Mix, cover, and refrigerate until the next day when it makes a wonderful side dish or a hearty snack!

Wash and dry your knife immediately! And to get the garlic smell off your hands, first rinse your hands with cold water, then rub your fingers with salt, wash it off, and wash your hands again with warm water (first beware of any cuts you might have on your skin! I have been watching Julia Child's cooking show, and though I'm not into French cooking, she impresses important techniques upon her viewers such as these, which I'm happy to incorporate into my less-refined cooking!
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Russian-Style Aubergines

I got this recipe out of a Romanian cookbook that was given to me, and as usual, I was looking for a new way to cook what I already had in the house. In Romanian, this is called Mincare de Vinete Preparata Ruseste (with various accent-type marks that I don't know how to duplicate on Blogger).

Warm, mushy veggies
Satisfying and tasty
In these winter months

Ingredients:

• 3 aubergines (eggplant)
• salt
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 4 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 carrot
• 3 large potatoes
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 lb. tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp chopped dill
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Pepper

1. Cut the tops off the aubergines and slice them into circles 3/4 inches wide. Sprinkle the slices with salt and leave 1 hour.
2. Next, squeeze out all the water in the slices and dry them well with paper towels. Flour the slices on both sides.
3. Fry in oil over high heat, 3 minutes per side until golden. You will have to do this in stages - remove already fried eggplant slices to a plate while you continue frying the rest.
4. While the eggplant slices are being fried, thinly slice the potatoes, carrot and celery.
5. Remove the fried eggplant slices to a plate and with the remaining oil (I found that I had to use a little more than this recipe called for), cook the vegetables, over medium heat for 15 minutes, until all the vegetables soften.
6. While the vegetables are cooking, let the dog out, make some tea, and slice the tomatoes. Arrange, in a baking dish, a layer of sliced tomatoes. Top with a layer of eggplant and a bit of the garlic.
7. Once the vegetables are ready, top the eggplant-tomato dish with some of the vegetables. Continue layering in this way until you are out of eggplant and vegetables. Top with one last layer of tomatoes.
8. Mix the tomato sauce with the dill, parsley, sugar, more garlic, more salt, and pepper. Pour over the vegetables.
9. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and serve hot.

I only had one eggplant, so I only used one potato. And a third of everything else that could be divided. I found this recipe took some time since the eggplant slices had to be fried in shifts. This would be delicious with a dollop of sour cream (or plain yogurt for the more health-conscious) or maybe some crumbled goat cheese on top.

Recipe from The Art of Romanian Cooking by Galia Sperber.
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Vegetable Samosa PotPie

I have been into Indian spices recently, so it was convenient when I found this recipe in Vegetarian Times. Usually when I peruse for recipes, I'm looking for something that will use what I already have in the house. This delicious recipe fit the bill! And as a plus, it is satisfying, tasty, a good winter comfort dish and it is healthy to boot!

Now, who wouldn't want
Nutrition, warmth and flavor
In one piece of pie?

Ingredients:

• 5 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• Piecrust (just the top)
  
• 1 Tbsp black or yellow mustard seeds
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
• 2 medium carrots, diced (1/2 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 tsp agave nectar or sugar
• 2 Tbsp milk

1. Cook the potatoes in boiling water 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain, return to pot, and mash, leaving small chunks.
2. While potatoes are cooking, stir together mustard seeds, curry, ginger, cumin, and red pepper flakes in a bowl; set aside.
3. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Ad onion, carrot, and garlic, and saute 5 minutes, or until carrot is tender.
4. Move onion mixture to the side of the pan, and add mustard seed mixture in the center. Toast for 30 seconds.
5. Stir in peas and broth. Fold onion mixture into potato mixture; stir in agave nectar. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
   
6. Spread filling in a 9 inch pie pan and place the crust (either handmade or frozen, whatever) on top.
7. Cut an X in the center to vent steam; brush with milk just before baking. Place pie on baking sheet, and bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until crust is golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Don't burn the roof of your mouth. You'll be tempted - it smells so good!
   

Since there is no bottom crust, the serving is not going to be beautiful. I had mine with a dollop of plain yogurt on top. If you need meat, use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. If you practice vegan eating, use soymilk or hempmilk instead of cowmilk.

For an idea on how to use this as part of a meal, check out this Indian Food menu.

Recipe from Vegetarian Times, January 2010.
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