The Fungus Amongus

I must admit...the first thing I think of when I hear the word "fungus" is anything but food.  My thoughts go to either gross toenails or the ever-so-popular Incubus album....had to give them props for giving me a good post title...and good music =)

Mushrooms, as you probably already know, are a type of fungus.  Not all of them should be eaten, but many can be and are.  It`s sort of difficult to give them much credit in the area of nutrition.  They are roughly 90% water and are good sources of B vitamins, selenium, potassium, and vitamin D. Aside from that, their value comes from their versatility.  They are a low calorie option that can add bulk to a salad, texture to a pasta, and substance to a gravy.  Even moreso, they can be used as a meat replacement.  Portabellos, in particular, are great for this.  They can be grilled and served hamburger-style on a bun.  They can be thrown on a pizza to replace sausage or pepperoni.  They can also be stuffed, baked, and served as a main course.  That`s what I wanted to post about today.  Since my sis and I are doing this vegetarian adventure together, I wanted to post one of her recipes.  These are very pleasing to the eye and I would suggest them as an easy entree for when you have company!



Stuffed Portabellos

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup red wine vinegar  

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

4 large portobello mushrooms, wiped clean and stems removed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium-sized red pepper, diced and chunked

1/2 medium-sized green pepper, diced and chunked

1/2 medium-sized red onion, diced and chunked

1 cup frozen spinach

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 plum tomatoes, diced

1 (6 ounce) jar artichoke hearts in brine, drained and chopped

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Stir the vinegars, garlic powder, and onion powder together in a small bowl until blended. Place the mushrooms into a large resealable plastic bag. Pour in the vinegar mixture, seal bag, and turn gently to coat mushrooms evenly with marinade. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour.
2. Place the olive oil into a skillet, and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in the peppers, onion, and spinach; cook and stir about 5 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. Remove mushrooms from marinade, carefully shake off any excess, and discard marinade. Place mushrooms in prepared dish, top side down. Spoon the pepper, onion, and spinach mixture evenly over the mushrooms. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Divide the tomatoes and artichoke hearts evenly between the mushrooms. Top each mushroom with Parmesan cheese.
5. Place in preheated oven, and bake until the cheese melts, about 12 minutes. Serve hot.

*Hannah`s tip: Be gentle when you're cleaning the mushrooms and removing the
stalk because they are very sensitive and can break easily. 


....Thanks, Nanners.

Creme of the Crop

I wanted to post about something that I was really proud of....So, I took a break from my healthy-vegetarian-blah-blah-blah to write about one of my favorite kitchen accomplishments...creme fraiche.  It is VERRRRY easy and can be used with so many different foods and in so many different ways. I first tried it as a condiment to accompany the fruit tart I was making for a dinner party. Would I say this was a healthy fruit tart?  Yes and no.  The "worst-for-you" parts would be the crust and the creme fraiche.  Otherwise, it`s just fresh fruit with no extra sugar added to it. I`m including the tart recipe because it`s one of my better attempts at presentation.  The picture I have at the top really doesn`t do it justice,though...I took it on my smart phone rather than my camera =)

Definition of creme fraiche...wait for it..."fresh cream".  I actually have no idea why this is so, because it`s not exactly fresh.  The process that cream goes thru to become "fresh" involves bacteria that causes the cream to thicken also creates an acidic environment that prevents it from spoiling. The final product can stay fresh for several weeks!  At first, I thought, "Gross!"  However, does yogurt not go thru a similar process?  Trust me.  Try this and you`ll be addicted.  You`ll also be proud of yourself for making something that sounds so "fancy".

Creme fraiche can be used as savory or sweet.  I added sugar to mine and beat it with an electric mixer until it became fluffy, much like whipped cream (because it is, afterall, cream).  The consistency, of course, will be much thicker and richer than whipped cream.  Think: greek yogurt meets whipped cream.  It made the fruit tarts even more presentable and even though I sweetened the creme, it still had a twinge of sour that really complimented the natural sweetness of the fruit. Other suggestions for what to use creme fraiche for....substitute for sour cream or yogurt, in a crepe, to add richness to sauces and soups, as a garnish, as a sub more mayo in potato salad, etc.

Creme Fraiche
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
In a medium saucepant over low heat, heat the cream to 105 degrees F. Remove from heat and stir in buttermilk. Transfer the cream to a large bowl and allow this mixture to stand in a warm environment while loosely covered.  The desired end consistency is thick, but still able to be poured.  Stir and taste every 6 hours.  The thickening will take 1-2 days to occur, depending on how warm the room is. The creme fraiche is ready when the desired consistency is reached and there is a nutty, sour taste (kind of like plain yogurt).  Chill creme in the fridge for at least 2 hours before using. Creme fraiche may be made and stored in the fridge for up to 10 days. 


 

Fresh Fruit Tarts

1 box Betty Crocker Pie Crust Mix (Yes, I cheated and used a boxed mix)
Blueberries
Strawberries, sliced thin
Kiwi, peeled and sliced thin
Mangos, peeled and sliced into small chunks
Bananas, peeled and sliced thin

1. Prepare the pie crust according to the instructions on the box. Transfer the pastry to a work surface and divide the pastry in half and flatten into rounds. Wrap the pastry in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 of the pastry disks 1/8 inch thick. Using a 5-inch plate as a guide, cut out 4 rounds and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the second pastry disk. Refrigerate the rounds until firm, about 10 minutes.
3. Arrange the various fruits on top of each pie crust round, making sure the strawberries and blueberries are on the very top. Bring the crust edges up, pinching firmly to form a pleated rim on each tart (like a traditional pie). Refrigerate the tarts until firm, 10 minutes.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes and cool to room temperature.  Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche (above).

Influence from the East...

I have to admit...at first glance (and smell), most Indian, Middle Eastern, and Thai foods can appear quite odd.  This is especially if you are a "chicken finger" type person.  However, I prefer to think of these food genres as "rich", because of their blending of different flavors and spices.  Maybe not even blending, but layering, rather.  The ingredient that most often comes to mind when we think of Indian food is...CURRY. 

My sister lived for a full 6 weeks in Manchester, England.  She came back a bonified Brit...drinking milk in her tea and liking various dishes of the country: toad in the hole (vom), Yorkshire pudding, shepherd`s pie, etc.  Although I thought she`d completely lost her mind, I did learn one thing from her experience...there is a LARGE population of immigrants from the Eastern regions and, consequently, many pubs and restaurants offer curries.  In fact, this is one of the more popular dishes in England! My sis reported that the quarters where she resided smelled like curry and that much of the public transportation did too. She did not return to the states liking curry....big surprise, huh?  I`m actually still working on her in that aspect. 

So why exactly is curry so pungent?  The answer is in the mixture of spices.  There are different types of curry, first of all, that are variations on a basic formula.  To name a few...green, red, yellow.  The base ingredients of a curry powder are usually coriander, tumeric, cumin, fenugreek, and red pepper.  However, to make the curry distinct, any number of the following can be added: ginger, garlic, asafoetida, fennel seed, caraway, cinnamon, clove, mustard seed, green cardamom, black cardamom, nutmeg, and various types of peppers. When you think about it...how could a combination of those NOT be pungent?  No wonder it seeps into your clothes and stays in the air in your kitchen after cooking with it.  The sickening sweet taste that a non-curry-fan describes can most likely be blamed on cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and/or nutmeg.  I happen to love that taste, but it`s definitely only "aquired" through an open-minded foodie attitude.

Since I`m doing "this whole vegetarian thing" (as friends and family alike have been referring to it as), I decided to try a vegetarian curry.  These are pretty popular at Indian restaurants and I feel like this one mimics a restaurant-style curry.  I did not have any Bazmati rice, so I used brown rice and served the curry over it.  This turned out yummy, but if you have the bazmati then use it! Also, typically dishes like this use raisins.  However, I am not a huge fan of cooked raisins, so I tried dried cranberries and was happy with the result!

Vegetarian Curry

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2  large white onion, chopped

1/2 cup dry lentils

2 teaspoons chopped roasted garlic 

3 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Red pepper flakes (to taste...I like it super hot) 

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, cubed (relatively small chunks so it will cook faster!)

1 (10 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (8 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 (8 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)

1/2 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

Cooked Bazmati rice

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the lentils, sweet potatoes, and garlic.  Season with curry powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, and craisins. Season with salt and pepper. Add water. Reduce heat to low, and simmer at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If mixture appears dry, add 1/2 cup more water.
2. Serve immediately spooned over rice.

Rabbit Food, Day 1.

I guess New Year`s Day was probably not the smartest day to start this whole thing...considering I had more than one gin & tonic last night (not to mention, the champagne....oh, the champagne....)  I don`t know about you, but the first thing I wake up thinking about after a night when I`ve had a few beverages is not "Oooo...a salad sounds soooo good."  Actually, I usually want a chicken sandwich or chicken fingers!  I dunno why, but I do.  I remember in college when my friends and I would go out, we`d make the ever-so-popular 3 am drive-thru trip before we went home.  Now that I`m so old and so mature (NOT), I can`t do that.  A.) Because I don`t drink as much or as often as I used to...it`s not as fun and I want to be a better person than that. B.) Because I`d be fat as a cow if I ate "fourth meal" all the time. C.) I can`t remember C, but maybe it will come back to me...


Anyway, I survived the morning just fine with some homemade granola mixed with FAGE greek yogurt (mango flavor) =)  My first all-vegetarian recipe that I`d recommend is simply fabulous.  I found it on goodhousekeeping.com, then altered it (as usual). This does have eggs in it, FYI, but I believe egg beaters may be used (since obviously, I don`t need all that cholesterol).  Please try it at home and see what you think!  If you have any suggestions, I`d love to hear them.  


Vegetable Lasagna


2 zucchini, diced
1 1/2 c broccoli (fresh), chopped
1 pack frozen spinach, thawed
Olive Oil
Butter
1/2 t dried oregano
Salt to taste
1-15 oz container of part-skim ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
12 lasagna noodles
1/4 c flour
2 1/2 c skim milk
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c blue cheese (or Gorgonzola) crumbles
1- 8 oz package part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded


Saute zucchini, broccoli, oregano and salt in olive oil over medium heat.  Only cook 5 minutes or less; the zucchini and broccoli should be tender, but crisp (not mushy). Remove from skillet and set aside in a prep bowl.  In the same skillet, saute spinach.  Add salt to taste.  Cook until heated through, then drain.  Add spinach to other vegetables in prep bowl and toss.  


In another prep bowl, combine ricotta and eggs and set aside. Boil lasagna noodles as directed on the box and drain.


Preheat the oven to 350.  In a saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter.  Stir in the flour and 1/4 t salt until smooth.  Gradually add in the milk to make a roux.  Stir constantly until this begins to boil and thicken.  Remove from heat.  Stir in Parmesan and blue cheeses.


Layer bottom of 13 x 9-in pan in the following order: cooked lasagna noodles, ricotta mixture, vegetable mixture, mozzarella, white sauce.  Repeat this sequence until all of the lasagna noodles have been used. Make sure that the last layer is the mozzarella cheese.  


Bake for 40-45 minutes until the cheese bubbles.  Let stand for a few minutes before serving.