Quick & Easy is not just for the bedroom!

So for vegetarians a good "meaty" mushroom dish is great to find!

In the recipes they use the same dish for stove top and oven. If you have one of those cast iron pans that would work great. I don't so I transfered to a casserole dish with no problems.

I actually used two different recipes and combined to make this. They can be found here and here.

Basically, it ended up looking like this:



1 Onion, diced
1 pound crimini mushrooms, generously sliced
1 portobello cap, generously diced
4 medium sized carrots, generously sliced
1/2 stick butter, unsalted
1 1/2 cups Vegetable broth
1 cup red table wine
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon flour, for a roux if needed



Preheat oven to 350º.

In an ovenproof and stove top friendly casserole, melt butter over medium heat. When melted, add onions. Cook over medium heat until browning, about 10-12 minutes. Butter will also brown, this is ok.

Add generously sliced mushrooms to onions. I cut jumbo mushrooms in thirds and halved regular sized ones. Stir to coat. Saute 5-7 minutes, until brown.

Add carrot. Then add ground pepper, herbs and garlic. Stir and saute another 2-3 minutes.

Add wine and bay leaf Let wine come to a simmer.

Once wine is simmering add Veg stock. Let come to a simmer again. Add tomato paste. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer again.

Let simmer for 5 minutes. In this time put 1 tablespoon flour in a bowl and add broth from pan to make a roux. Return roux to pan to thicken. Incorporate.

Taste. What do you think? Depending on your stock, it may need salt. Add a pinch if necessary.

Place a sprig of fresh or dried thyme on top of bourguignon and cover pan. Put in pre-heated oven for :30 minutes. Serve immediately! Make sure to take your bay leaf out!

We served it on top of eggs noodles and with french bread covered in butter. :X



Enjoy!!

My recipe was adapted from Food Network's Vegetarian Pot Piel






1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped (about 2/3 cup)
12 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced (about 5 cups)
1 small russet potato, peeled and diced small (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup whole milk
1 cup frozen baby green peas
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 large egg yolk
7 ounces store-bought puff pastry or pie dough, defrosted if frozen


Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Melt butter over medium heat in a 3- to 4-quart Dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan. When it foams, add onions, and carrots, and cook until just soft and onions are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and potato, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring rarely, until mushrooms have let off water and are shrunken, about 6 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over vegetables, stir to coat, and cook until raw flavor is gone, about 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully add broth and milk, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, add peas, thyme, and vinegar, and stir to coat. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn filling into an 8 by 8-inch baking dish.

Whisk egg together with 2 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt until evenly mixed. Set aside.

With kitchen shears, cut dough to fit over the baking dish. Place dough over filling and tuck into the edges of the dish. Brush dough with egg wash and cut slits in the top to vent. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and mixture is bubbling, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving.


Side note - I LOVED how the puff pastry held up (even though it sunk on one corner) but Brian still prefers a more "pie crust" topping. You could also add a layer of crust on the bottom if you like that as well!

Also, make sure you taste as you go! I had to add a little salt before I poured it into the casserole dish.

Since I've had Weight Loss Surgery, I can not eat sugar without getting very sick.  Now, that doesn't mean I don't still jones for chocolate, so today I'm making Hungry Girl Brownie bites.  Easiest recipe EVAR.

1 box of Pillsbury Sugar Free Devils Food cake mix
1 15oz can of pumpkin
1 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  You can either do a regular sized muffin pan or two mini muffin pans.  Spray them good with non-stick cooking spray or use liners.

In a large bowl, dump in the cake mix, the pumpkin and the pumpkin pie spice.  Mix it all together.  It will be a very thick batter, and you will be tempted to add liquid, but don't.  It is supposed to be that thick, and just think of the tricep workout you'll get from it!!

Now, divide the mixture up into your muffin pans, and bake for 20 minutes.  Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, and then cool on a wire rack.

Then, nom accordingly.

Now that I'm writing this I'm hating that I don't have the stuff to make it!




Mushroom Stroganoff

3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 pound mushrooms, sliced (Note: I used Portobello and white buttons)
1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable stock
3/4 cup non-fat yogurt (Note: You can use a combination of low or non-fat Greek yogurt and light sour cream, or use one exclusively)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Half a bag of wide egg noodles
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles, and cook according to your desired level of doneness. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring until softened.

Add the sliced mushrooms, cooking until they are softened and lightly browned.

Next add the stock, soy and Worcestershire sauces. Bring the sauce to a boil, and cook until the mixture has reduced by 1/3.

In a small bowl combine the yogurt and flour. Add this mixture to the pan and stir. Continue cooking over low heat, just until the sauce thickens. Pour mushrooms over noodles. Serve, seasoning with salt and pepper.


I serve with additional veggies and corn bread muffins.

So I make the vegetarian version of this, which is basically to use everything except the meat. BUT, since it seems more people on here eat meat, I'll post the original recipe.



This is actually a Christmas meal we eat at my dad's side of the family. It's always requested, and easy for mom to make vegetarian.


Ingredients:
8 manicotti shells
1 lb. ground beef (Or none! You can totally skip it! ;)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 (15 1/2 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
Cook manicotti shells according to package directions; drain. Rinse in cold water; drain and set aside.

Saute' ground beef and garlic, stirring to crumble beef; until beef is no longer pink; drain off pan drippings. Add cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, salt, and mayonnaise to skillet. Stir well.

Stuff manicotti shells with meat mixture; arrange shells in a lightly greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over manicotti. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 additional minutes.

6 skinless boneless chicken breasts

12 ounces backfin crab meat

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 dashes tabasco sauce

3 ounces parmesan cheese, grated

6 thin slices of smoked ham

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 teaspoon old bay seasoning

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

6 ounces bread crumbs

In a medium bowl mix together well the crab meat, mayonnaise, old bay, tabasco sauce, worcestershire sauce and onion. Make sure to mix gently to keep the crab meat in lumps. Make a cut lengthwise down the sides of your chicken breasts but not all the way through you just want to make a pocket. Fill each breast with the crab meat stuffing and then wrap each breast with a slice of smoked ham. Place all of the chicken breasts in a large greased casserole dish or in individual dishes season slightly with pepper and top each breast with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 6.
 

 You need:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked through and pulled apart with fork (or cubed, or whatever floats your boat)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 soup can of milk
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1/2 stick butter ( slice it up to help it melt faster... I also feel like it's more evenly distributed this way, but I'm funny like that)
1 can garbanzo beans, undrained (or whatever... kidney, black, limas... the original recipe calls for garbanzos, I prefer black beans)
1 packet chili seasoning


Mix all ingredients together in a large pot until heat on medium-low until heated through.  Or just let it cook in the crockpot all day on low.  My mom adds chicken-flavored ramen noodles, I prefer to serve it over spanish rice.  You can serve it however the hell you want - obviously this is a very strict recipe.  ;)

You must try these.  You. Must. Try. These.  But be warned, your mouth will NEVER be the same.

 

Ingredients

• 2 whole Granny Smith Apples
• 2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1-½ cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• Cinnamon, To Taste
• 1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda

Preparation Instructions

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.

Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

They have a bazillion calories, but O.M.G. your mouth will think it has had an orgasm.  Seriously.

2 medium onions, chopped
1 lb of lean ground beef, browned and drained
4 - 6 medium potatos. sliced thin
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 15 oz can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can of diced tomatos mixed with 2 tbsp of flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Layer ingredients in order listed in your crockpot.  Cook on low 5 to 6 hours.  Nom accordingly.

I generally top mine with some shredded cheddar.

VARIATION:  Add a can of bisuits to the top of the casserole and cook an additional 30 minutes until biscuits are done.  Because, you know, canned biscuits make everything better.

I think I originally stole this from Fix It and Forget It...I've made my own modifications though.  You can also use a can of condensed tomato soup instead of the canned tomatos.  I usually use the ones with chilis in them.

Prepping the barley:
Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil with 1/8 tsp of salt.  Rinse and drain 1c. of pearl barley, and add to the boiling water.  Turn down heat to simmer and let her rip for 45 minutes, until chewy.

For the soup:
1 large chuck roast (or whatever cut you prefer - I use chuck when its on sale) cut into bit sized pieces
olive oil
salt & pepper
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 large onion (softball sized) chopped
3 - 5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 shallot chopped
32oz beef stock
1 1/2 c. diced potatos (peeled or not is up to you)
1 c. diced celery stalk (chop the leaves too)
1 c. sliced carrots
1 c.  peeled and sliced parsnips
1/2 10oz bag of frozen vegetables (corn, peas, limas, etc.)
1 can of diced tomatos
1 c. of sliced button mushrooms
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp dried italian seasoning
1/2 small head of napa cabbage, chopped

Heat the olive oil (enough to coat the pan) in the bottom of a large soup pot over medium high heat.  Add beef, salt and pepper to taste, chili powder, and onion powder and brown.  Once browned, add the onions, shallots and garlic and cook until onions are transluscent.

Add the beef stock and reduce heat to low.  Add the remaining veggies, (obviously, you don't need to add those you don't like - I also add about a cup of chopped okra once in a while, when I can get it) and simmer over lower heat approximately two hours covered.  It is important to taste your broth and season accordingly - we like ours a bit spicy, so I generally add more black pepper and salt if necessary.

Add the cooked barley to the soup pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes more until barley is cooked.  Keep an eye on the soup - you may need to add more liquid if the barley soaks it up.

Remove from heat and serve.  This soup makes a lot - we eat it all week and it gets better the older it gets.  It also freezes really really well and is delicious served with crusty bread and butter.