Curried Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

It's been a while since I've posted on a soup and I have been looking for a chicken and wild rice soup that wasn't super rich. I try not to make meals that require heavy cream or a lot of cream cheese--and found most chicken and rice soups to be very rich due to those ingredients. When I stumbled upon this recipe, I decided to give it a go. I have adapted this recipe to be even lighter and don't miss the heaviness at all! But, feel free to make it as 'creamy' as you wish by adding a fuller fat dairy. We enjoyed it and I even sent some home with my dad when he came to visit. They said they loved it.


The soup calls for a little curry powder and many people think that curry powder brings out the flavor of chicken. I do not find it overpowering, but you can always add a little less. We really loved the texture of this soup due to the sliced almonds--how neat is that? Crunch in a soup. And almonds are so good for you! My husband said it reminded him of our avocado curry on brown rice. This is really great comfort food. And I may also try it with vegetarian 'chicken' next time.


Tips:

• If you really in a hurry, you can buy one of those frozen mirepoix bags in the freezer section of your grocery store--one bag is a fine substitute for the chopped onion, celery & carrot required in the recipe (or so it seemed for me anyway!) 
• In the comments section of this recipe, someone said they used the food processor to chop the onions, carrots, and celery--so I may try that next time. It's a forgiving recipe so a little more of this and a little less of that won't kill the flavor.
• Also, in the comments section, someone said they put everything in the crockpot, raw chicken & I'm assuming uncooked rice (EXCEPT for the cream/milk), left it on low--I'm assuming for 4-6 hours, and added the milk/cream when everything was cooked through. That would be easy, wouldn't it?

CURRIED CHICKEN & WILD RICE SOUP

Adapted from www.allrecipes.com

Serves 6-8

• 1 Tbsp. butter (+a little olive oil, if necessary)
• 1 finely chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 pound fresh sliced mushrooms (I used 1 lb. sliced mushrooms because we LOVE them!)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 3 Tbsp. dry sherry (vermouth would work well too)
• 2 cups half-and-half (I USED 2% milk—but you could go even lighter with 1% or skim or fat-free half & half)

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, celery and carrots and saute for 5 minutes (add a little olive oil if necessary to prevent sticking). Add the mushrooms and saute for 2 more minutes. Then add the flour and stir well. 

Gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly, until all has been added. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer.

Next, add the rice, chicken, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper, almonds and sherry. Allow to heat through, then pour in the half-and-half or milk.

Let simmer for 1 to 2 hours. (Note: Do not boil or your roux will break.)

Mushroom Tart in Potato Crust

I love this recipe. I found it in a newspaper somewhere as a new bride. Those were the days where I would leave my husband with meals for every night I was traveling for business. Those days are long gone. But guilt that he was a new medical student and studying hard and would come home to an empty fridge (while I was out having expensive business dinners), motivated me to spend time in the kitchen for him. Making this mushroom potato tart reminds me of coming home from a business trip to our first modest apartment down by the Mississippi River, and settling down to eat with Cort at my in-laws' old table (man do I miss that table--it's been making the rounds in the family), venting about the cost of textbooks, laughing at how the groundskeeper cracked another one of our windows while mowing, not answering the phone, and promising ourselves the best was yet to come.

So if you want a good and easy meal, try this tart. Every time we eat it, we ask why we don't make it more often. I've gotten to the point that I don't even measure the mushrooms, onions, or cheese--it's quite forgiving. This mushroom potato tart makes for a delicious vegetarian dinner when paired with a crisp green salad, a hunk of bread, some roast asparagus, and a lovely Chardonnay. Or just have it for breakfast with some turkey bacon or sausages and sliced strawberries. Or take it to work the next day for lunch. We love it. Hope you do too!

MUSHROOM TART IN POTATO CRUST

Makes approximately 6 servings

• 4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
• 6 scallions, sliced or 4 big shallots, diced
• 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper (salt is optional--but it depends how salty your feta is-I like to add a few dashes)
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 8 oz. assorted mushrooms (white, cremini, shiitake, and oyster), sliced (about 3 cups)--you can use just one kind too--baby portabellas are particularly good
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped, or dried Italian seasoning works really great!

Place a baking sheet on the middle shelf of the oven and heat oven to 475 degrees.

Spray a 12-inch tart pan with removable bottom, or a 12-inch pizza pan, with butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray. (I've never tried it in a pizza pan)

Combine potatoes, half the scallions (or shallots), half the parmesan, and half the pepper in a large bowl.

Stir in half the eggs and mix until well blended. Spread the potato mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Put the tart on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over high heat; add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in the feta, milk, thyme and remaining scallions, Parmesan, pepper and eggs. Pour the mushroom mixture into the potato crust and bake for 10-15 minutes or until set.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Vegetable Ceviche

Sometimes eating vegetarian is just dreamy. Try this recipe and I think you you will agree. This dish is great for days when it's too hot outside to turn on your oven.

Last May, my husband and I vacationed in Cabo San Lucas. We had a great time and decided to celebrate our anniversary dinner a little early at a posh restaurant with NO menu. It was a 7 course meal and the chef was informed of any exclusions in our diet. So when the first course came out as sea bass ceviche, I was a deer in headlights--here was RAW fish. (By the way, here's the scoop on ceviche.) Even when I do eat meat, I don't want to see blood on the plate and I certainly didn't expect raw fish outside of a sushi roll. One would say, I am limited. But one would be wrong--because I ate that raw fish and it was fantastic! Needless to say, the rest of the meal was one of the most amazing culinary experiences we have ever had.

And now that spring is here again, I have been dreaming of that ceviche and wondering how to make a vegetarian option. The result below is very, very good. And incredibly healthy. I ate about half the recipe by myself. But, it would make a great starter option or even as a side dish to grilled fish.

Next time I make this, I will try it with bell pepper and serve it on a lettuce bed with pita chips. It's almost like salsa (is what you're thinking.....)

VEGETABLE CEVICHE

Makes approximately 4 cups (Can probably serve 4-6 as a small starter)

• 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
• 1/3 pound (about 6 ounces) of mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
• 1 large tomato, slightly drained or 1 cup sliced grape tomatoes
• 1/2 red onion, diced (or 1/3 cup scallions, chopped)
• 1 large clove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup lime or lemon juice (I juiced only half a lemon & it was enough)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients EXCEPT for the avocado. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. When thoroughly chilled, stir in avocados. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Serve cold and with pita chips.

Super Duper Stromboli

What's for dinner? Well, if you're pizza lovers like ourselves, you will LOVE this easy stromboli recipe. A stromboli is a usually a baked turnover filled with vegetables or meat. It's also a small island (Strombuli) in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing one of the three active volcanoes in Italy.

I will admit that stromboli recipes call for pizza dough--but I read that bread dough can work too. However, you can buy pizza dough! This is such an adaptable recipe, you can add or replace any of the filling ingredients with your favorite pizza toppings. It's a lot less greasy than pizza and makes a great dinner when served with marinara sauce for dipping and with a salad.

Also, I imagine that you could prepare it the day or night before (up to the step of brushing it with egg) and wrap it in plastic wrap. When you come home, you can just pop it in the oven. I'm even thinking about trying to freeze one of these for an easy dinner on a crazy weeknight.

SUPER DUPER STROMBOLI

• 1 (13.8 oz) can of pizza dough (Pillsbury is a good brand) OR 1 pizza dough recipe
• 1/2 lb. ground turkey or beef OR 8 oz. of Morningstar meal starters grillers crumbles OR 4-5 crumbled veggie sausage links
• 1/4 cup of pizza sauce or tomato sauce
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4-1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped olives (green or black)
• 4 oz. (1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• Marinara Sauce (for dipping/serving)

Other optional ingredients/options:

• A diced tomato or two (you can skip the pizza sauce if using tomato)
• Turkey pepperoni or veggie pepperoni

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Brown ground beef in medium skillet over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Set aside. If using veggie meat, NO need to brown!!!!
 
Saute onions and mushrooms together until cooked through. Add bell pepper at the last minute, if preferred.
 
Unroll dough; place on sprayed cookie sheet. Starting at center, press out dough with hands to form 12x8-inch rectangle. Spread sauce over dough to within 2 inches of long sides and 1/2 inch of short sides. Place beef or veggie meat lengthwise down center, forming an approximate 3-inch-wide strip and to within 1/2 inch of short sides. Top with cheese, vegetables, olives, and Italian seasoning.

Fold long sides of dough over filling; press edges to seal. Then flip over (use another pan underneath & turn over). Brush the stromboli with egg and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake at 400°F. for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Slice and serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

Serves about 4-6 people. It's absolutely delicious! (Sorry for the bad pictures--it was night again!)

A Hungry's Woman's Snack: Italian Nachos

If Italians made nachos, this is what I imagine they would be like...

It was created from hunger. And it was AWESOME. By accident. Sometimes, like myself, you may have an impulsive buy on something random like...Italian toasts (aka Panetini). And then halfway through the bag, you start to wonder what else you can do with them.

Feel free to add other ingredients--sausage or veggie sausage would be delicious on these too. And if you don't have fresh mozzarella, regular shredded mozzarella.

But, once again...I have no measurements for this recipe. If you are so regimented that you cannot cook without precise measurements, you are wasting your time on this blog--because I am not a regimented person. You'll have to use your judgement and put more or less of what you like and don't like into this 'creation' (for lack of a better term). Somehow, I feel like I might have insulted the Italians with this creation. Sorry.

ITALIAN NACHOS

Italian toasts or panetini (Nonni brand is very good)

Bruschetta topping (or a homemade concoction of diced tomatoes, dried basil, garlic salt, and olive oil)

Red onion, chopped

Mushrooms, chopped and sauteed

Basil pesto

Kalamata olives, chopped

Fresh (Buffalo) mozzarella, roughly chopped

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Salt & pepper, to taste

Extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Layer all ingredients in a pan (I used a small non-stick sheet pan). Start with the toasts and layer all the ingredients--dropping bruschetta topping and pesto onto the ingredients and ending with cheese(s). Feel free to season and drizzle with olive oil.

Broil (on low if you can) or roast until the cheese melts and starts to slightly brown.

Makes a really good appetizer. I hope you like it.

Roasted Italian Portabellas

This is another example of what happens when we are hungry and throw together ingredients we love. Result: Fantastic. Thought I'd share in case anyone else had these ingredients and loved mushrooms as much as we do. Sorry--I don't have precise amounts :)

These mushrooms can be made into a main meal with some sauteed/steamed broccoli rabe and hearty bread. Or, you can serve them as an appetizer to be shared--make as many or as little as you want.

ROASTED ITALIAN PORTABELLAS

Portabella mushrooms, rinsed, stemmed
Marinara Sauce
Basil pesto
Fresh (buffalo) mozzarella
Pine nuts
Cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 400-425 degrees F.

For each mozarella cap, add a couple tablespoons of marina sauce in each portabella mushroom. Add a tiny bit of pesto (a little goes a long way and most store-bought pestos already have salt in them so no extra salt is needed).

Top with a couple slices of fresh mozzarella and sprinkle with pine nuts and pepper.

Roast for about 20 minutes or until cheese gets bubbly and melts (but before cheese starts to burn-a little brown is ok).

Serve hot with crusty bread.

P.S. You can assemble these mushrooms ahead of time and leave them in the fridge for up to 24 hours ahead of time. Just take them out and bake them.

Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I've been going to PFChang's for a few years now. I like it ok...but I LOVE their lettuce wraps. So after seeing the 'copycat' recipe online, I decided to try them. They were DELCIOUS! And I highly, highly recommend them. If you're like me, it will be the only time in your life that you will buy iceberg lettuce. But no matter what, read this carefully: BUY ICEBERG LETTUCE AND ONLY ICEBERG LETTUCE. No other greens can give you that crispy crunchy cold support. And you need it to make this dish successful.

One more thing to point out, I was in a horribly hurry and threw everything in the saute pan--and it STILL turned out amazing--but I can't imagine how much more awesome they would be if you were a better cook than myself and made it according to the recipe exactly (HA!). So, below, is the step by step instruction.

Having said that, I will let you know a couple things I learned so yours turn out better. 1) Chop your ingredients. Don't put them in the food processor. I had roasted chicken breast and wish I'd chopped it rather than pulverized it. I don't know what I was thinking.... Also, chop your mushrooms. 2) It's probably better not to use low-sodium soy sauce because you'll just end up having to use more of it to balance out the sweet ingredients and then you'll have more liquid to deal with.

Let me know if anyone tries them with veggie/mock chicken....I'd love to know how that worked out. I'm sure it'd be good too.

CHINESE CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS

Serves 2-3

3 Tbsp. oil (We used half olive oil and half toasted sesame seed oil)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup water chestnuts
2/3 cup mushroom (We used a bit more-baby portabellas)
3 Tbsp. chopped onions (I also added 2 green onions, chopped)
1 tsp. minced garlic
4 -5 leaves iceberg lettuce

Special Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. ketchup (I used slightly less)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp.hot mustard
2 tsp. water
*1 -2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste (I also added a couple minced garlic cloves)

Stir Fry Sauce:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp.brown sugar
1/2 tsp. rice wine vinegar

Make the special sauce by 1) dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl. Then add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil to the sugar/water mixture. Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve. 2) Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well. (Eventually you will add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.)

Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.

Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done. Remove chicken from the pan and cool.

Keep oil in the pan, keep hot. As chicken cools MINCE water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.

Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.

When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.

With the pan still on high heat, add another tablespoon of oil. Then, add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.

Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce"cups".

Top with special sauce.

YOU WILL NEED NAPKINS!!!!

*In case you're wondering what chili sauce was used, here it is. It deserves its own special space in this entry because many people regard it as a heavenly ingredient. All I know is that it is capable of powers beyond my capacity (for instance, picture your husband sweating and breathing heavily and sighing but going back for more and muttering things such as, 'whew', 'whoa', 'wow', 'so good'....) Almost felt like I should be wearing a cape and standing with my hands on my hips staring down at dinner.....

So maybe you should go buy a cape and make chicken lettuce wraps.

Stuffed Mushrooms (with Soy Chorizo and Cheese)

Even your vegetarian friends will like this recipe...that's how good they were. You can probably make them with real chorizo (just cook longer), but if you use vegetarian soy chorizo, you don't even have to tell them the mushrooms don't have meat (I know, SO mean!). These mushrooms are savory, sweet, and smoky.

In a desperate attempt to use both leftover mushroooms & some soy chorizo I impulsively purchased, this was my solution--stuffed mushrooms. I first saw something similar at Trader Joe's (on a handout), but theirs did not have onion, seasonings, or bread crumbs & they pureed the filling. I think we had them done in 30 minutes from first chop to out of oven. You can find soy chorizo at most grocery stores these days--either in the refrigerated produce section or the 'health food' section of a traditional grocery store (probably Yves brand). Whole Foods & Trader Joe's both sell soy chorizo.

Just a tip-you can make a double batch of the filling and freeze it for later use and that way you can use an entire block of cream cheese and all of the soy chorizo package so you are not stuck with leftover ingredients. I hate it when that happens to me! The filling should last a couple months in the freezer.

SOY CHORIZO & CHEESE STUFFED MUSHROOMS

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion or half a big onion, chopped
20 oz. baby bella mushrooms (larger-sized mushrooms make stuffing them easier)-about 18-22 mushrooms
6 oz. soy chorizo, casing removed (half of one package)
1/2 tsp. dried parsley or about 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper, to taste (probably about 1/2 tsp. each)
2-4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature (your choice on how creamy you want them)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko-the crispy Japanese kind)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Clean the mushrooms by brushing off any dirt from the caps. Chop the stems and set aside.

In a medium saute pan (frying pan), heat oil and saute onion until softened (a few minutes). And since I'm a one-pan-girl, add the mushroom stems and saute for a bit longer. Then add your chorizo and break up with a spatula. Leave on heat for a minute or two and then add the rest of your ingredients. Turn off the heat and mix everything well. The cream cheese will melt into the hot filling. If you like your mushroom filling really pureed, you can add this mixture to a food processor and then use it to fill your mushrooms. (I am not that person because I don't want to add one more step and have more dishes to clean.)

Using a teaspoon, place filling into each mushroom cap. (Now, most recipes will tell you to be careful not to overfill and that the filling should be about even with sides of mushroom and not overflowing. As you can see from my pictures, I piled it on high and disregarded traditional instructions.) Place mushrooms in a baking dish or sheet pan.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until mushrooms have softened (they will release some of their liquids and appear 'wet' at their base as well as darken in color-this is TOTALLY NORMAL), and filling is bubbly. Serve hot.

Yield: Will serve about 8-10 as an appetizer (no promises-that would give each person about two), but you can probably serve about 6 people if you were to make them your main entree.

Creamy Mushroom Spinach Chowder

I grew up with a mom that made cream of mushroom soup as soon as the cold weather hit. In Romanian fashion, we'd often eat it with polenta. I crave a creamy mushroom soup the way that other people crave chicken noodle soup for comfort. This is a recipe I've come up with and used the last couple winters that has has seemed to stick with our family. Sure, it's not fat-free, but it's a LOT less rich than the standard recipes I've seen for 'cream' of anything...and that's my consolation (ha).

I have made this soup with both Provolone and Swiss cheese--our favorite may be a combination of the two--but you can do one or the other. I used baby portabella mushrooms--but regular white mushrooms will do just as good. Also, you can use fresh or frozen spinach and it's good either way. If you prefer, you can increase the amount of spinach if you prefer for a more nutritional punch. OR you can completely skip the spinach altogether!

CREAMY MUSHROOM (SPINACH) CHOWDER

2 Tbsp. butter
5 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped
5 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups skim milk
½ tsp. salt
black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup half and half-light or fat-free is fine (OR, 2-3 oz. light cream cheese, softened and cut in cubes)
1 cup grated Provolone cheese (or Swiss, or a combination of both)
1 package fresh baby spinach-about 6 oz. (rinsed & chopped) OR, 1/2 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. In it, slowly sauté the mushrooms and onion until tender. Add flour and stir until flour is cooked, a couple of minutes.

Whisk in first chicken broth and then milk, stirring until thickened. Add salt and pepper, nutmeg, and the cheeses. Stir until just melted. Then stir in spinach. Heat and stir very gently. Season to taste.

Serve hot.

Makes about 6 servings.


NOTE: If you have leftover soup that you refrigerate, please keep in mind that this soup will condense somewhat and you can either add more broth or water to dilute it, or the best option is to reheat it gently and add some more milk to it until it reaches your desired consistency (either on stovetop or in microwave).

Mellow Mushrooms: Roasted Mushrooms with Cognac

I'm the kind of person that has random and various esoteric ingredients just laying around and waiting for that perfect recipe. One such example is Chardonnay salt.....But while digging around (yet again) in the cupboards, I found a little bottle of cognac and remembered that Jamie Oliver had roasted mushrooms with it. The rosemary, cognac, and truffle oil I added (instead of olive oil) made this mushroom dish very woodsy. I imagined these mushrooms would be great side to serve alongside lamb (if you make lamb) or on top of polenta with cheese.

I used all baby bellas and recipe was still good--next time, I will use a mixture of mushrooms. This is a ridiculously easy recipe & made the rest of my dinner pale in comparison. Note: Parchment paper is available in baking shops and also in the baking section of most grocery stores. In addition (or instead of rosemary), you can also use thyme and sage to flavour the mushrooms.


ROASTED MUSHROOMS WITH COGNAC

Adapted from Jamie’s Italy by Jamie Oliver

Serves 4

• 1 pound of mixed mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake), cleaned with larger mushrooms cut in half
• 4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (Truffle-flavored olive oil is awesome too!)
• 1-1/2 tsp. sea salt (or Chardonnay-flavored salt if you're weird like me)
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. cognac
• Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine your mushrooms in a bowl and add the olive oil, making sure that the mushrooms are evenly coated. Add the salt, pepper and rosemary and mix well. I also added the cognac at this point (why wait?) and mixed all ingredients together.

Take one sheet of parchment paper (it should be roughly 18 x 22 inches in size) and place it on a counter. Pile the mushroom mixture in the centre of the parchment, flattening the mushrooms slightly so that they're not mounded too high in the centre. (Jamie says to drizzle on the cognac at this point.) Cover the mushrooms with another sheet of parchment of equal size.

Fold all the ends of the parchment up and in so that a tight seal forms on all sides. Slide the parchment package onto a baking sheet and then place in the oven. As you can see, I did not have enough parchment paper, so I folded it and put the seam side down on the pan. Worked fine.

Bake for 15 minutes. If you like your mushrooms a little more "done", place them back on the pan and bake for 5-10 more minutes, out of the parchment paper. I think the parchment seals in the flavor first.

Open the package (carefully as a lot of steam will be released). Taste the mushrooms and adjust seasoning.

Place the mushrooms in a bowl and sprinkle on the parsley before serving. Easy!!!!

Yes, they were delicious!

My Favorite Spinach Salad (5 Ingredients) Or the Real Version from Lila

One of my dearest friends, Lila Didenko, made this for me one night at her apartment when she first moved up to Chicago. I have never forgotten it. I am not a big fan of sweet salads—especially ones that have sugar in the dressing, so the more savory, the better for me. I even check my store-bought salad dressings for sugar or high fructose corn syrup…I know, anal.

We used turkey bacon and once we made it with store-bought Italian dressing—which was still delicious if you are in a hurry. Here is the original recipe (from Gourmet Magazine, 2001). Thanks Lila!

SPINACH, BACON (TURKEY) & GOAT CHEESE SALAD WITH PECANS
Serves 6

For dressing:

3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

For Salad:

1 (10-oz) bag baby spinach
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 lb sliced bacon (turkey)
3/4 cup pecans
Approx. 1 cup grape tomatoes (Lila’s touch & it stuck!)

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp, then transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain. Reserve 3 tablespoons fat from skillet, discarding remainder (I am not sure you’ll get this much with the use of turkey bacon!!!). Crumble bacon.

Toast pecans in 2 teaspoons olive oil in skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until 1 shade darker, then transfer to paper towels to drain. Season nuts with salt and pepper and coarsely chop.

Heat reserved fat in a saucepan over moderately low heat until just warm. Remove pan from heat, then whisk in vinegar and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil until emulsified. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

Toss bacon, spinach, cheese, and half of nuts with enough dressing to coat. Sprinkle salad with remaining nuts.

AN EASIER WAY:
However, I cheated and below is how I’ve made it a few times (and mainly because I wanted to cut some fat without pecans and bacon)—either way, this is good too & really my favorite spinach salad. If you want to make a meal out of it, go ahead and add the pecans and turkey bacon—get your protein in and serve with some crusty bread.
5 INGREDIENT SPINACH SALAD

Store bought light Italian Dressing, (warmed optionally)
1 (10-oz) bag baby spinach
Approx. 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
5-6 baby portabella mushrooms rinsed, dried & sliced
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Gently toss ingredients together and add the crumbed goat cheese on top.

Marvelously Meatless: Mushroom Stacks

Once in a while, in the life of a culinary experimentalist, a recipe will come along that will blow you away--usually it's one that doesn't require major skill or complicated ingredients. It's a recipe that pares a dish down to basic, wholesome ingredients. This is that kind of recipe for me.

I must give kuddos to Tosha Kurzynske--the sister of a good friend of mine (Heather) that made something like this for us back in college when we were able to have a weekend getaway to Lexington, KY. Their sister, Nikki, and her family do an Asiago cheese version and serve it at every New Years---what a great idea! Thank you girls and your mom (the nutritionist) for wonderful experiences-but also for inspiration.

And, yes, I put that plate out on my patio ledge because I needed the light. I'm just that dorky--and running out of options.

I hope you love this--and of course you can substitute Vegan cheeses.

MUSHROOM STACKS (WITH SPINACH, CHEESE GRITS, AND BLACK EYED PEAS)

Makes 4 servings.

1st Layer: Cheese Grits Base
• 4 ½ cups water
• 1 cup old fashioned grits
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or any cheese of your liking-asiago is a good option. You can skip the cheese, but I think the dish wouldn’t be the same without it.)
• 1/8 tsp. paprika
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• Salt & pepper to taste

In a medium-sized pot, boil water. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 12-14 minutes or until the grits have thickened—stirring occasionally. While the grits are cooking, you can start on the portabella layer. When grits have thickened, add the cheese, garlic powder, paprika, and salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

2nd Layer: Mushroom
• 4 big portabella mushroom caps, stemmed
• Olive oil or olive oil spray
• Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Clean portabella mushrooms by shaking off any excess dirt. I like to peel the skin right on top, but you don’t have to—just a quick rinse will do either before or after and then shake off any excess water. Place mushrooms (caps up) on a big baking sheet (you can add tinfoil to the pan first to help with cleanup). Drizzle with olive oil (or use olive oil spray-I prefer this method) and then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place mushrooms in the preheated oven and roast for about 20 minutes.

3rd Layer: Spinach
• 10 oz. frozen, chopped spinach

Defrost spinach according to package directions (my package said to microwave for 7-9 minutes). Drain well.

Garnish: Tomato and Black Eyed Pea Relish
• 1 (15oz) can black eyed peas, drained
• 2-3 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
• 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 1-2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Pinch of sugar (optional-I don’t care for it but I was told the relish was supposed to be sweet)

Gently mix all these ingredients together, being careful not to smash the peas.

Topping (optional):
• Grated cheese (your choice)

Assembly:

Assemble the stacks by dividing the grits out among four plates. Then top the grits on each plate with a portabella mushroom. Next, divide the spinach evenly among the four plates.

Then, you can either top the stacks with the black eyed pea and tomato mixture or you can surround the stacks with the evenly divided mixture. Either way, it makes for a great presentation.

I thought they needed a little finish so I sprinkled the mushroom stacks with a mixture of grated Parmesan-Reggiano and Asiago cheeses. (Some of you may scoff at mixing sophisticated Italian cheeses with the down-home nature of Wisconsin Cheddar—but let me tell you—it was good!)