Organic "Mushroom sauce free" stroganoff

Well, this is my first post on Aubrey's blog, but having recently re-discovered a childhood recipe with a healthy alternative, I had to blog it. I combined this with my as of late fascination with fermented foods to create an all new sauce that closely mimics that used in my childhood favorite, beef stroganoff:

appetizingly delicious: Mushroom sauce
and grass fed beef

Ingredients

• Kefir cultured from organic milk
• Tahini
• Qt. Mushrooms
• 1 Ibs Free range grass FINISHED ground beef (or 100% grass fed)
• Black pepper
• Organic brown rice

1. Culture a batch of kefir for 4-5 days (or just buy the regular Lifeway plain stuff
2. In a blender, blend on high your kefir and tahini to taste. You should end up with a greyish looking cream sauce that tastes reminiscent of smoked mushrooms. Let sit in fridge for 2 days to gain viscosity.
3. Start cooking your rice (this is the longest step)
4. Pan cook your beef and using the spatula, mash into fine pieces.
5. Chop mushrooms and add to beef.
6. Add cream mixture and stir.
7. Serve rice with stroganoff topped over.

Red Wine Poached Beets and Goat Cheese a la Mexique

Every time I go to Mexique, chef Carlos presents another meal that I just can't live without!  Of course, rather than keep going every week, I've figured out how to make it at home and am sharing it here with you.  This is a beautiful looking dish, listed on their menu as "betabel," perfect this time of year.

Fragrant, savory

Beets.  It is what's for dinner.

Delicious, healthy

Ingredients

• 2 medium beets
• 3/4 cup of red wine
• 3/4 cup of water
• balsalmic vinegar
• goat cheese (5 oz or so), frozen
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• flour
• watercress (or another sweet green) 
• cooking oil

1. Peel the beets and cut into slices.
2. Over medium-high heat, warm the beets, wine and water (to cover the beets) until boiling.  Cover the pot and reduce heat to medium.  Simmer 30 minutes, or until beets are soft enough to eat.
3.  Cut the frozen goat cheese into four pieces.  Dip each piece into the egg to coat, and then the flour to coat.
4. On each plate (this recipe serves four), drizzle balsalmic vinegar.  Top with watercress, then 2 slices of beets.
5. Turn up the heat on the liquid that held the beets and boil to reduce to a more syrupy texture.
6. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the coated goat cheese over medium approximately 5 minutes on each side, until browned.
7. Place one slice of fried goat cheese on each plate and drizzle with the redwine reduction.