Stuffed Portabella Mushroom Caps

These mushrooms were Brent's contribution to our dinner with his family on Memorial Weekend.  He has made several variations on these, but these ones stood out as extra delicious!  The recipe is very adaptable to what you have on hand and the amounts are not exact.  Just mix until it tastes good!

Stuffed Portabella Mushroom Caps
Yield: 6 mushroom caps

Ingredients:
6 large mushroom caps, cleaned and stems removed and set aside
1 6-8 oz package of crumbled feta cheese
a mixture of the following, chopped:
-avocado
-yellow pepper
-red onion
-4 cloves of garlic
-tomato
-fresh basil
-breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
olive oil

Directions:
1. Place caps with stem side up on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with some olive oil.
2. Mix vegetables, feta cheese, a splash of oil, some bread crumbs, and balsamic vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.  You can also chop up some of the mushroom stems to add to the filling.
3. Fill the caps with the cheese mixture.  Top with more breadcrumbs if desired.  Drizzle with more oil and grill for about 20-30 minutes, until mushrooms are tender.

The vegetable and cheese mixture.

Brent filling the caps

Drizzling the top with oil

Here's how we ate them- as burgers!

We had a great weekend hanging out with family and celebrating our impending nuptials!

Brown Sugar Cookies (Vegan)

Recently, I finally purchased a brown sugar bear because I had stupidly put my brown sugar into one of my dry ingredient jars and it hardened into one solid rock.  A brown sugar bear is a piece of pottery that you soak in water and then place with your sugar to keep it moist for months at a time.  Our bear came with a recipe for brown sugar cookies that I veganized and made for my coworkers and friends last week.  I used vegan butter and flax seed as a replacement for egg.  For each egg called for in a recipe, mix 1 tablespoon ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons of hot water, whisk, and let sit for about 10 minutes or until it takes on an egg-like consistency.
I love these cookies because the taste of the brown sugar really shines through.  I remember eating brown sugar right out of the bag baking with my mom and grandma as a child.

 

Vegan Brown Sugar Cookies
Yield: about 4 dozen
Adapted from The Original Brown Sugar Bear packaging

Ingredients:
1 cup vegan butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg replacement (1 tbsp flax + 3 tbsp hot water)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Blend butter and sugar together.
2. Beat in flax mixture and vanilla.
3. In another bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add to the wet ingredients and combine.
4. Form teaspoon sized balls of dough and roll in brown sugar to coat.  Bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are set and cookies look done.

Idea for Roasted Tomatoes- Pasta!

Find the recipe for the slow roasted tomatoes here.  This idea is less of a recipe and more just for inspiration.

This is the third meal we made with the roasted tomatoes.  It was actually a throw-together-whatever-is-on-hand meal but if you have tasty components like slow roasted tomatoes at the ready, even those meals can be delicious and a bit gourmet. 

Ingredients:
elbow macaroni
mushrooms
slow roasted tomatoes
garlic
fresh basil

Directions:
1. Saute mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, garlic and some fresh basil until the mushrooms are tender.  Since this was the last meal we made with our tomatoes, we used the olive oil from the jar.  It had mingled with the juices from the tomatoes and was very flavorful.  Otherwise, just use your favorite olive oil.
2. Cook pasta until just tender and stir in sauteed veggies.  Top with fresh basil and enjoy!

Idea for roasted tomatoes- Sandwiches!

See the recipe for the slow roasted tomatoes here.
I love the tomatoes just by themselves but I'm a bit of a tomato fanatic and have been known to eat them whole and raw.  For most people, the flavor is best used as a compliment.  Here is an idea for using the tomatoes on a sandwich~ an excellent idea I might add, as these were the best sandwiches ever.  We love roasted garlic in our house- if you haven't tried it, you should.  It has a very pleasant, mild flavor that makes everything taste better and is very easy to make.  The instructions are below. 

What you will need:
roasted tomatoes
a baguette cut lengthwise
fresh greens
feta cheese
roasted garlic*
vegannaise or mayo
sauteed mushrooms and onions

To construct:
Layer one side of the bread with vegannaise and the other with roasted garlic.   Top with mushrooms and onions, roasted tomatoes, and top with greens and feta cheese.  Put the two sides together and enjoy!

How to make roasted garlic:
1. Start with a nice, large and fully closed garlic bulb.
2. Cut off the top of the bulb (where it looks like the stem would be) to expose some of the cloves inside.
3. Salt and pepper the top.  Pour some olive oil over the top and let it sink in.  Pour some more on!
4. IMPORTANT: cover the bulb in foil, keeping it upright.  Place on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.  Turn down the heat if the top gets too brown before its done. 
5. Garlic is done roasting when a) you can smell it, b) it may start oozing out of the top, c) it is light brown.  It will be good slightly under done, just don't burn it!
6. Let it cool a little and squeeze out the insides from the bulb.  You can throw it in the fridge still intact and reheat it for about 5 minutes at a later time.

Yum!

The "guts"

You can easily make a paste out of the "guts"

Slow Roasted Tomatoes a la Gwyneth Paltrow

I love reading Gwyneth Paltrow's website at Goop.com.  I ran across it in a magazine quote from Jimmy Kimmel of all people.  For the last year or so, I check it at least once a week for wellness tips, advice, recipes, interviews, and ideas (and to drool over fashion and traveling that I will never be able to afford)!

I love tomatoes, so much so that I had abstained from eating them all winter when they are colorless and tasteless here in the Dairyland.  We finally have local vine ripened tomatoes available to us and I had just the recipe in mind...

This is from Paltrow's new cookbook, My Father's Daughter, as presented here on Goop.com

Later in the week I will post 2 ideas for using these delicious little gems.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes
by Gwyneth Paltrow

Ingredients:
Vine ripened tomatoes, washed
Olive oil
Salt (I also added pepper)

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally.
4. Rub with a tiny bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Bake seed side up for 3-5 hours, or until they look nearly sun dried.
6. Store in a jar with olive oil in the fridge.

Before

After

I suggest making plenty because these dress up any recipe.  Try them in a pasta salad or a greens salad.  Here are two other ideas: sandwiches and pasta.  (Click on the word to go to the recipe.)

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake (Vegan)

I have had plans to make a rhubarb upside down cake since the first Farmer's Market of the season.  I've been carrying around some reference recipes, waiting for rhubarb to show up at the market.  We missed a couple of weeks but made it this weekend and scored some beautiful pink young rhubarb.  I have never made anything with it but I knew I liked it with strawberries in pie.  I've also never made an upside down cake, so this is at least two firsts for me.  I'd give it a 7 out of 10... or maybe a 10 if just judging on flavor.

When I pulled the cake from the oven, I thought it was a failure.  However, closer examination and tasting later led me to change my mind.  It has taken all of our willpower to make it last multiple days and not gobble it all up at once.  I would make some changes in the future to make it prettier, mainly using less sugar and vegan butter, but I do think I'm on to a great recipe!  Maybe if my dad is lucky- this will be his Father's Day gift.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake (Vegan)
by: Me!

Ingredients:
4 tbsp vegan butter, melted
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp coarse salt

1 lb rhubarb, washed, trimmed, and cut on a very sharp diagonal about 1/2 inch thick
3/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp vegan butter, cut into pieces
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup non dairy milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp fresh orange zest
1 tbsp fresh orange juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the topping (which ends up on the bottom of the cake) by stirring together the first set of ingredients (4 tbsp melted vegan butter, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp coarse salt) until moist and crumbly.  Set aside
2. Butter a deep 9 inch round cake pan.  Dot the bottom of the pan with 4 tbsp of vegan butter.
3. Toss the rhubarb with 3/4 cup of sugar, let stand for 2 minutes.  This helps bring the rhubarb's natural juice out.  Toss again and spread into the pan.  Top with the remaining sugar from the rhubarb bowl.
4. Whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl.
5. Combine oil, milk, vanilla, orange zest and juice, and vinegar in a small bowl.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Pour over the rhubarb in the pan.  You may have leftover batter.  Allow room in the pan for the cake to rise (leave 1/2 to 3/4 inch).
7. Top the batter in the pan with the crumbly topping.
8. Bake the cake on a center rack for about 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted almost the whole way in comes out clean.  The bottom of the cake with the rhubarb and butter will stay gooey.
9.  Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes.  Flip it over too soon and it will be molten and dangerous; flip it too late and it will be glued to the pan.

Notes:
- I would reduce the butter used to dot the pan by at least 1/2.
-I would also suggest reducing the sugar mixed with the rhubarb by 1/4 of a cup.
-The top of my cake was a little too gooey for it to look pretty, so that's why I suggest the above.
-My cake pan was too full and the batter spilled over the sides of the pan, also contributing to it's ugliness.
-This cake ended up being very, very good.  It's mild and moist.  You could get away with cutting the sugar in the batter too.

Rhubarb mixed with sugar.

Pan dotted with vegan butter.

Juicy rhubarb in the pan.

Oops... it spilled over!

Not as pretty as I was shooting for.  You can see the potential.

Good news to share!

 

Brent and I are engaged!!  He proposed this Saturday while we sat at Bernie's Beach, one of our favorite neighborhood places.  Yay!

Chocolate Pecan Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting and Caramel filling

I made these cupcakes for a friend's birthday.  I had asked if I could make her a birthday treat and she said she liked pecans and chocolate.  However, she thinks coconut is "ick" so German Chocolate Cake was out of the running.
The cake is vegan, the frosting is not.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Chef Chloe's Recipe for Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup nondairy milk (I used unsweetened almond)
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon chocolate extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 cup chopped roasted pecans


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.

2. Sift or whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla, chocolate extract, and espresso powder until smooth.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix with a fork or small whisk.  Add the pecans.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners until each cup is 2/3 full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool cupcakes completely.

To fill the cupcakes:
I used store bought fleur de sel caramel sauce from Trader Joes and more pecans.  Use a sharp knife to cut out the center of each cupcake.  Don't cut all the way through (leave a layer of cake at the bottom).  If you desire, save the centers to make cake pops.  Fill a piping bag with caramel sauce (easier said than done...it was very sticky!) and pipe into the holes.  Fill the top with a few more pecans.

Ingredients for frosting:
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
3 to 4 tablespoons Bailey’s

Directions for frosting: - This is the hardest part to do by hand but it can be done!
1. Cream the butter with an electric mixer or by hand.
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar.
3. Add the desired amount of Bailey’s (or milk, if you don’t like Baileys) to the frosting to make it a little creamier.
4. Ice the cupcakes and decorate.  I used a piping bag because it is fun!

Notes:
-The caramel kind of disappeared into the cupcakes but was still delicious.
-For those of you that thought i was joking on St. Patty's Day about putting Bailey's in all of my frosting from here on out, this should prove I'm not!  See Irish Car Bomb cupcakes here.
-Did you know fleur de sel (flower of salt in French) is sea salt that is hand harvested from the top layer of salt before it sinks into salt beds?  Now you do!

 

Calico Skillet Take Two

The Original Calico Skillet can be found here.  This is one of my favorite recipes from my childhood that I recently rediscovered.  My sweetie, however, does not share my taste in vegetables (I like them all but celery, olives, and iceberg lettuce).  I modified the original recipe with vegetables he likes (plus the fridge leftovers), and here it is!
The flavor is just as wonderful as the original, but I have to admit I missed the squash.

Calico Skillet 2.0 served with tofu.

Calico Skillet
Adapted from a Recipe Courtesy of Grandma Alley

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked macaroni noodles (about 6 oz uncooked)
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup cannellini beans
2 cups button mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp prepared mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil + 1/2 tsp butter or vegetable oil (so olive oil doesn't burn)
1 small can of tomato paste
1-14 to 16 oz can of cooked tomatoes or diced tomatoes with liquid
2 cups shredded Wisconsin cheddar cheese (or less)
2 tbsp sour cream

Directions:
1. Saute the mushrooms, onions, and basil in oil until onions are beginning to brown.
2. Add the broccoli, carrots, and beans and saute for a few minutes until vegetables are almost tender.
3. Add salt, tomato paste, and tomatoes with liquid.  Add the spices and mustard. Heat through.
4. Stir in the sour cream.  Add the cheese.  Turn off the heat and immediately cover until the cheese melts.
5. Serve over cooked pasta.

Nut Pâté

I discovered this recipe awhile ago and have made it several times.  It can be a spread for crackers or used on sandwiches for protein.  It's easy to make with pantry items and very tasty!

Pâté

Pâté on bread

Nut Pâté
Source: Vegetarian Times
Yield: about 1 and 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw walnuts (or toasted, just skip the toasting that follows)
3/4 cup cannellini beans, cooked or canned, rinsed, and drained
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp olive oil

Directions:
1. To make Walnut Pâté: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread walnuts on baking sheet, and toast in oven 7 to 10 minutes, or until browned, shaking pan occasionally.
2. Transfer walnuts to bowl of food processor; add beans, lemon juice, garlic, oil, and 1/4 cup water. Purée until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Serving suggestion:
Spread pâté on good whole grain bread.  Top with slices of ripe pear, fresh greens, and balsamic vinegar.  Recently, we ate this with Polenta Lemon Arugula soup which you can find here.

Shown here paired with Polenta Lemon and Arugula Soup

Vegan Polenta Lemon and Arugula Soup

I am always intrigued by anything to do with cornmeal.  I have no idea why, but I HAVE to make any recipe I find that uses it in a unique way.  Here's a soup recipe that I adapted from a chicken stock version.  It's light and perfect for Spring.  Brent liked it so much he went back for seconds.  This recipe pairs well with Nut Pâté sandwiches, which will be posted tomorrow.

Ingredients

Vegan Polenta Lemon and Arugula Soup
Yield: 2-3 servings (easily doubled)
Adapted from Lemon-Arugula Soup in Whole Living magazine May 2011

Ingredients:
1/2 of one tube of polenta,* diced
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup water
Juice of 1/2 a small lemon
2/3 cup baby arugula
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for garnish

Directions:
1. Heat diced polenta, vegetable stock, and water over medium heat, whisking until smooth.  Use the back of a spoon or fork to mash the cubes to help the process along.
2. Remove from heat.  Stir in lemon juice and arugula.  Season with salt and pepper an drizzle with olive oil.  Serve immediately.

Notes:
-*Polenta comes in 2 main forms, dry as cornmeal, and pre-made in a tube.  This recipe calls for the tube kind.  Most grocers carry this kind and it can usually be found in the produce section by the organic/natural foods.  In the second picture above, you can see 1/2 a package.
-Getting the polenta smooth takes patience.
-This recipe could easily be made with spinach or other greens.

Door County Weekend

We spent this weekend in Door County.  It is my favorite place and feels more like home to me than any other place.  We stayed at the Blacksmith Inn, which is our favorite. Okay, this was only our second time, but we really love it.  It is operated with the environment in mind and boasts whirlpools, heated floors, fireplaces, and hammocks!  I recommend it for anyone looking for comfort and not completely put off by country style at it's finest.  It is done so well you feel as though you've gone back in time.  That is, until you flip a switch and the fire starts up! 
We also got to spend some nice time with my grandparents and on Sunday, enjoyed my grandma's fabulous cooking and baking. 
It wasn't until we returned home last night that I realized the significance of the day.  My uncle Fred passed away May 1st, 2001 in Door County.  I always think of him when I'm there.  Sunday was absolutely beautiful, with the sun finally shining and trees budding.  I thought of him yesterday as we walked around at The Ridges, a nature preserve near the Blacksmith Inn.  Fred had worked very hard to protect Door County's natural beauty and to raise awareness of threats against it.  The Inn is doing the same, and I think Fred would be proud.  And we ate pie, and he'd like that too.

The Blacksmith Inn's Harbor House (where we stayed)

Breakfast- so thoughtful and good!

The view from our room.

The boardwalk to Lake Michigan

The Harbor House from the rear.

The Inn from the dock.  The Zahn House is left, Harbor House right

Bunnies above the fireplace!  Perfect!

A view of our room with the sun shining in.

The Ridges

Grandma Alley's Homemade Lemon Cream Pie