Rich Mushroom Stew

My daughter really liked this recipe; I think it was the sweetness that the carrots gave it.  She’s also been going through a phase about mushrooms, but she didn’t seem to mind them in this! Win!

1 (1 1/2) pound beef bottom round roast or chuck pot roast, cut into 1-inch pieces

ground black pepper

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup dry red wine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon each oregano, basil, parsley

2 cups mushrooms, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used shiitake)

3 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces

15-20 white pearl onions, peeled

1/4 cup beef stock

1 large onion, caramelized before adding to crockpot

Season the beef with the black pepper. Coat the beef with 2 tablespoons flour. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until well browned, stirring often.

Stir the beef, stock, wine, garlic, spices, mushrooms, carrots and onions in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW for 10 hours* or until the beef is fork-tender.

Stir the remaining flour and stock in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth. Stir the flour mixture in the cooker. Increase the heat to HIGH. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens.

*Or on HIGH for 4 hours.

Cauliflower “Potato” Salad

My body hates starchy carbs. Seriously. I can almost feel my body storing more mid-section fat when I eat bread, potatoes, rice, etc. It’s a shame, but it’s the way it is.

That being said, I am always lamenting the loss of one of my favorite things: potato salad.

I love the stuff. I am willing to try any variation of it. 99% of the time, I love it. Love it like “I will eat this entire picnic sized bowl all by myself” love.

When I came across a way to savor the FLAVOR of potato salad without going up a dress size, I was thrilled! This is also a great way to get kids who may not love cauliflower to eat it!

1 large head cauliflower

1/2 to 1 cup finely chopped onion (depending on your tolerance of onion)

1 cup peas

3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

2 tablespoons dill relish

3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces.  Cook by either steaming or boiling until fork tender.  Drain well and let cool.

Meanwhile, combine mayo, mustard, relish, peas, eggs and onions in a large bowl.  When cauliflower has cooled slightly, add it to the mixture.   Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cover and chill.  Serve cold.

So easy!  So yummy!

Winter Squash Puree with Roasted Garlic and Onions

This dish is nice and rich, perfect as a side dish for a mild meat like chicken. It’s very time intensive, but it’s worth it if you’ve got the time.

Roasted Garlic

3 heads garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To prepare the garlic, cut off the top third of each garlic head and discard. Stand the garlic heads upright in the center of an 8-inch square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the water. Loosely seal the foil closed. Place on oven rack and roast until soft and slightly caramelized, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours (I had to do mine for 2). Set aside.

Squash Puree

3 lbs winter squash such as butternut or acorn, halved lengthwise and seeded
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Lower oven temperature to 375 degrees. Place squash, cut sides up, on a baking sheet or in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place in oven and bake until the squashes are soft when poked, about 1 1/2 hours. Set aside to cool.

Caramelized Onions

3 small (I used 2 large) red onions, cut through the root end into wedges
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Raise oven temperature back up to 400 degrees. Toss onion wedges with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour the onions and liquid onto a baking sheet. Roast until caramelized and the edges are crisp, about 12-15 minutes (I had to do mine for about 20, adding a bit more balsamic vinegar and olive oil). Remove from oven and let cool. With small scissors, snip off the root end holding the layers together on each wedge. Set onion pieces aside.

Puree and Finish

Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh from the squash halves. Put half of the flesh in a food processor and puree until somewhat smooth. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the rest of the squash and puree until very smooth.
If you don’t like chunks of garlic (I don’t), squeeze the roasted garlic out of it’s skin and puree it in with the squash.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the puree mixture and onions, stirring slowly to heat and incorporate all ingredients.

Serve hot.

Also good topped with blue cheese crumbles!

Indian Spiced Stuffed Peppers

Regrettably, I didn’t take any pics of these spur-of-the-moment peppers.  I’ll admit, it was 9 o’clock at night, I was tired, I was starving and just wanted to EAT them.  I’ll be making them again, so maybe next time I can control myself for 5 minutes and snap a few pics.

4 green bell peppers, tops cut off and seeded

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used a couple of baked thighs, but any piece cooked just about any way will work–it’s all up to you)

1 cup  brown rice (cooked according to package directions)

At least 4 cups of Spiced Cauliflower Soup 

2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and diced

1 cup spicy salsa

Cook brown rice according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 350.

While rice is cooking, in a medium saucepan, cook the red peppers in 1 cup of the spiced cauliflower soup.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Set aside.

Cook the green pepper shells in boiling water for about 5 minutes (or until barely soft) and drain.  Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix chicken, rice (you may not use all of it depending of your feelings about rice), red peppers (in their cooking sauce) and more spiced cauliflower soup until you have the desired consistency of filling.  Personally, I like things a bit saucy, so I added extra soup, but you can tailor the amount you add to suit your preference.

Place green peppers in a flameproof casserole dish, open end up.  Spoon mixture into shells.  Pour a little spiced cauliflower soup over the top of the peppers and top each with 1/4 cup of spicy salsa.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Spiced Cauliflower Soup

I love the flavor of this soup, just not as soup, if that makes sense.  I made it with the intention of eating it as soup, but ended up using it as a sauce in a stuffed pepper recipe (which will follow this post).  It works well as a soup or a sauce–it’s all personal preference.

1 large potato, peeled and diced

1 small or medium cauliflower, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed through a press

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

3 teaspoons ground tumeric

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

3 teaspoons ground coriander

2 tablespoons curry powder

2 tablespoons fish sauce

4 cups vegetable stock or water

1 1/4 cups plain yogurt

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.

Put potato, cauliflower and onion in saucepan and add 3 tablespoons water.  Heat until hot and bubbling , then cover and reduce heat.  Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add garlic, ginger and spices, stir well and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, puree soup until it is desired consistency.  If using as soup, you may wish to leave some chunks; as a sauce, it’s best to make sure it’s very smooth.

Stir in the yogurt and check seasonings.  

When completely blended, this soup lasts over a week in the fridge–perfect for finding recipes to use it in!

Crockpot Potato Soup

This is one of the best potato soup recipes I have ever encountered; probably because I can ignore it all day and when I get home from work my house smells GOOOOOD!

6 potatoes, peeled and diced into about 1/2 inch chunks (I used golden potatoes, but I think regular white would work as well)

3 large leeks or 1 large onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

4 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon parsley

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1 can condensed milk (or 1 1/2 cups heavy cream)

Place all ingredients except milk into crockpot.  Stir to incorporate all ingredients.  Cook on high for 4 hours, low for 10 hours.

Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree all vegetables (reserving cooking liquid if using food processer).  Add milk and cook for 30 minutes on low, making sure not to let soup boil.

For a slight variation, serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, and crumbled bacon to make baked potato soup!

Baked Eggplant With Peppers and Onions

If you’re freaked out about the squishy texture of most eggplant recipes, this one is for you!  The baking leaves it nice and firm and meaty–just make sure to eat it within 24 hours or it starts to get squishy!

2 medium eggplants, cut in half lenghtwise

1/4 cup olive oil

2 large onions, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, crushed through a press

14 oz tomatoes, chopped (I actually used 28oz and drained them slightly)

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground coriander

freshly ground black pepper

salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Slash eggplant flesh a few times, sprinkle with salt and place in a colander for about 30 minutes prior to cooking.  Rinse and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 375.

Fry eggplants over medium heat, cut side down, for 5 minutes.  Drain and place in a shallow ovenproof dish.

In the same pan, sautee the onions, garlic, and pepper, adding extra oil of needed.  Cook for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. 

Add the tomatoes, sugar, coriander, salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is reduced.  Stir in the cilantro.

Spoon the mixture into the eggplants.   Cover and bake for 35 minutes.  When cooked, cool, then chill.  Serve cold.

This recipe also works very well hot (if you didn’t leave enough time to fully chill the eggplant, like me).

Cheesy Stuffed Acorn Squash

This was surprisingly easy to make, the flavor was mild enough to please a 6 year old that’s going through a picky eating phase, and doesn’t leave a ton of cleanup.  WIN.

2 acorn squash, halved and seeded

4-6 strips of bacon

4 tablespoons bacon drippings (for cooking onions and celery)

1 cup diced celery

1 cup baby peas, thawed (if frozen)

2 cups finely chopped onion

2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut each squash in half and remove seeds.  Cut a small amount off the ends of each squash so both halves are stable when sitting. Place squash cut side down in a glass dish. Cook, uncovered, until almost tender, 30-45 minutes.

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook slices of bacon until crispy.   Add celery and onion to reserved bacon drippings; saute until transparent. Stir in mushrooms and peas; cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, and parsley.

Spoon into the squash and cover.

Cook 15-20 minutes in oven. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese (and optional panko break crumbs) and put back in the oven until the cheese bubbles.

Sausage and White Bean Stew in Pumpkin Bowls

This recipe has such a mild, unassuming flavor that it’s perfect for even the more picky people in the family.  Besides, who doesn’t love eating out of a cute little pumpkin bowl? 🙂

1 cup dried navy beans

6 small baking pumpkins (about 2 lbs each)

1/8 cup olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 dried bay leaf

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

2.5 cups chicken stock

1 medium onion

1.5 tablespoons butter

1 large leek, white and pale green parts, thinly sliced and washed thoroughly

2 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1 celery stalk, diced

18 red or white pearl onions, peeled

6 oz small fingerling or new potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 lb to 1 lb turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup baby peas

4-6oz white button mushrooms, quartered (I used shiitake mushrooms and they gave it a nice “woodsy” flavor)

1/8 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon fresh sage, coarsely chopped

Pick over the dried beans, discarding any stones or broken beans, and rinse.  Place them in a large saucepan, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and bring to a strong boil over high heat.  Cover and remove from the heat; let stand 1 hour.  Drain the beans, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Line two baking sheets with foil or parchment paper.  Cut a lid into the top of the pumpkins.  Remove the seeds.  Rub the inside of each pumpkin with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place the pumpkins right side up on the baking sheets and bake for 30 minutes.  Turn pumpkins over and make until they are tender but firm, about 30 minutes more.  Set aside.

Tie bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns in to a piece of cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni.  Set aside.  Place beans in a medium stockpot.  Add the chicken stock, onion, and bouquet garni.  Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 30-45 minutes.  Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid.  Discard the bouquet garni.

In a large stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the leeks, carrots, celery, pearl onions, and potatoes.  Cook until softened, about 15-30 minutes.  Add the sausage, and cook until browned, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the peas and mushrooms.  Sprinkle in the flour, and cook 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium, stir in the milk and reserved cooking liquid, and stir the stew often until it thickens, about 20 minutes.   Stir in the beans and sage.  Divide the stew among the pumpkins, and return the baking sheets to the oven; bake until the pumpkins are soft and the stew is heated through, about 15 minutes. 

This recipe serves 6, but it’s just as easy to double it and serve half of it for dinner and eat the other half in regular bowls later in the week.  I made the doubled version and gave it to some of my friends.  It seemed to go over quite well!

Leek and Avocado Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

There is a bit of prep work involved in these, but they make a great appetizer or light lunch!  They weren’t very popular with the 6 year old, but she’s going through a picky phase.

16 oz baby portobello mushrooms

2 tablespoons butter

2 leeks, sliced

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 large avocados, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dried rosemary

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 oz goat cheese

3 tablespoons chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Remove brown gills from mushrooms with a spoon and discard gills.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add leeks and garlic, and saute until tender.  Remove from heat and set aside to let cool.

Stir together avocados, rosemary, lime juice, and salt in a medium bowl; stir in leek mixture.

Divide and press goat cheese evenly into the mushroom caps; top with avocado mixture.  Sprinkle with chopped walnuts, and drizzle with olive oil.  Place on a rack in a broiler pan.

Bake mushrooms at 400 for 5 minutes; cover loosley with foil, and bake for 5-10 minutes more–until walnuts are golden brown and mushrooms are tender.  Serve immediately.