Swiss chard Quiche

Tomorrow me and the kids and flying to Maui for a week. Hubby who can't take vacation is in charge of bunny, home, compost and vegetable garden. Since it's been so hot lately my swiss chard is looking sad so I picked it all and used it for my swiss chard and mushroom quiche. It's perfect to eat with a side salad and you can eat it hot or cold. 

Crust:

2 cup spelt flour

4 ounces butter

1-2 tbs cold water

1. Preheat oven to F400.
2. Blend everything to dough and press it into a pie mold, If it's too crumbly just add more butter and water.
3. Prick bottom with a form a few times.
4. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until crust is dry and partially baked.
5. Add filling and bake for 30 minutes.

Filling:

4 cups chopped and lightly steamed swiss chard

1 cup mushrooms, chopped and fried ( I used oyster mushrooms)

1 tbs herb salt

1 cup chive and garlic flavored cream cheese

1 cup firm tofu

1/2 cup salsa

1. Place tofu, herb salt, cream cheese and salsa in a bowl or use a cuisinart to blend really well until there any no lumps at all.
2. Add swiss chard and mushrooms and mix.
3. Pour into the partial baked pie crust and bake according to instructions above, 30 minutes. Enjoy with a nice crisp salad.

Mushroom and chive pasta sauce

We’re still struggling with jetlag, which off course means it’s the kids who are working on it and therefore keeping us up at night, yikes.

When you’re sleep deprived the brain goes blank so dinner is a very simple pasta sauce with mushrooms and chives.

1 tbsp. canola oil

1 cup mushrooms, sliced thin

½ cup cream

½ cup milk

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. Bragg’s liquid aminos or other light soy sauce

½ cup zucchini, diced

1 tbsp. fresh chives, minced

Black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and brown the mushrooms. Add cream, milk, mustard, Bragg’s and zucchini. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes. Add chives and pepper before serving.

Sauteed Beans and Mushrooms

When we do Sunday lunch I love to serve a lot of small dishes which tons of vegetables. Most of the time the food all comes from the farmers market. Serving this way reminds me of Sunday lunch at my mom’s house.  One of the dishes was sautéed beans and mushrooms and it was a great addition to the BBQ seitan we also ate.

1 pound beans, tops and bottom cut off (I used yellow and purple beans

2 tbsp. olive oil

½ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

¼ cup yellow onion, minced

Salt & pepper to taste

Steam the beans until el dente. Heat oil on medium heat in a skillet. Cook onions and mushrooms for a few minutes until mushrooms are browned.  Add the steamed beans, salt, pepper and cook another 3 minutes. 

Sautéed collard greens and mushrooms

On Friday I tasted the best kale and mushroom sauté I ever tasted while shopping at People’s Coop. I know it sounds not like one of those wow dishes but it was. Since then I’ve not been able to get it out of my mind so today I made a version of it. I had used all my kale for juicing but had collard greens instead and oyster mushrooms all pushed at the farmers market yesterday. We ate this for lunch along with roasted butternut squash, homemade tortillas, seitan chorizo and steamed fava beans from our garden. OMG it was a lunch to live forJ

1 cup oyster mushrooms, chopped

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup chopped collard greens

1 tbsp. lemon juice

½ tbsp. Bragg’s liquid amino’s or other mellow soy sauce

2 tbsp. yellow onion, minced

Salt & black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.  Cook the onions for 1 minute, and then add and brown the mushrooms. Add collard greens and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in the soy sauce and lemon juice and toss. Combine with salt and pepper as needed. 

Vodka Pasta Sauce

We went from super hot to super cold weather in one day. I don’t know if it was the weather change or lack of sleep but my head was hurting like mad all day yesterday and I had zero energy. It did not help that both kids refused to go to sleep last night and off course James was at yoga (yeah for him). To comfort myself and I made a warming vodka  pasta sauce with shiitake mushrooms.       

                                                                    1 tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped very fine

2 garlic cloves, grated

½ cup vodka

1 cup tomato puree

1 cup cream (I used mimic cream)

1 tsp. harissa paste

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated cheese

1/2 tbsp. dried parsley

1  cup shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

1 tbs olive oil

Salt to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. Add chopped onion and garlic. Stir and cook for two minutes. Pour in the vodka. Stir and cook for three minutes. Add in tomato puree and stir.

Reduce heat to low and stir in cream and harissa paste. Allow to simmer, being careful not to overheat. Stir in salt and pepper. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook mushrooms until browned. Sprinkle salt over. Toss sauce with cooked pasta and sprinkle cheese, dried parsley and dried parsley before serving.

Sweet Soy BBQ Portobello Mushrooms

I’m one tired mama today after a busy and fun weekend. As soon as Noah went down for his nap I enjoyed a cup of chai tea in the garden and relished in the silence and stillness. I love sitting out there by myself watching the vegetables grow. Today I’m finally posting the recipe for the Portobello mushrooms we BBQ on Saturday, sorry for the delay.

2 large Portobello mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

1/8 cup Bragg’s liquid aminos or other light soy sauce

2 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. olive oil

½ garlic clove, grated

Chili pepper to taste

Combine everything for the marinade in a zip lock bag or bowl. Place mushrooms to soak up marinade for a few hours. Turn them a couple of times to make sure they all get coated. Grill mushrooms on medium heat until they are slightly crispy on each side. 

Pineapple Fried Quinoa

James and Bella came home with a pineapple they bought at Whole Foods and I was trying to come up with a way to cook with it. I also had leftover quinoa and in the past when I had leftover rice I would always make fried rice so now my idea was to make fried quinoa instead. I love the combination of salty and sweet so I figured I could add the pineapple to the fried quinoa. It was a super hit with Bella who loves pineapple but not quinoa as much.

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup shallots, minced

1 tsp. red jalapeno pepper (optional)

1 cup pineapple, diced

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup kale, chopped

1 tbsp. Bragg’s liquid amino’s or tamari

Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium heat and sauté shallots, jalapeno pepper if using and shiitake mushrooms until slightly browned. Add pineapple and kale and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add quinoa, bragg’s, salt and pepper and cook on high heat for 5 minutes. 

Creative BBQ--Shiitake Mushroom Tacos

When the weather is as gorgeous as it has been lately I really don’t want to get stuck by a hot stove at cook. BBQ is way more fun and taste so good and taco is also an easy way to stuck healthy and good veggies. The combination of flavorful mushrooms and sweet mango is great and taste super fresh so that’s what I choose to add to my taco this time. I used large shiitake mushrooms to make it easier to grill them.

4 large shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

¼ cup olive oil

1 tbsp. agave nectar

1 red jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced

2 tbsp. Bragg’s liquid amino’s or tamari

For the taco:

Corn tortillas, cooked on the BBQ

Baby spinach

Red onion, minced

Mango, diced

Grated cheese (optional)

Blend oil, agave, jalapeno and bragg’s and combine with mushrooms. Marinate in fridge for 1 hour, stirring a couple of times.  Grill until slightly browned on each side. It goes very fast so keep en eye out.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

This soup is perfect on a cold and rainy day because its earthy and rich flavors brings warmth and a cozy feeling to it. I call it creamy but there is no cream in it at all, the creaminess comes from cashew butter and pureeing the soup. I topped the soup with herbed croutons that I simply made by frying bread pieces in olive oil and sprinkling dried fresh herbs and garlic salt over.

2 cups mixed mushrooms, sliced (I used shiitake and portobello mushrooms)

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, sliced thin

1 cup water

½ vegetable bouillon cube

½ cup almond milk

2 tbsp. cashew butter

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet and cook mushrooms and garlic until browned. Place mushrooms in a saucepan with water, bouillon. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Add milk and cook for another 5 minutes. Combine soup with cashews butter, salt and pepper in a blender and puree until completely smooth and fluffy. Place soup back in saucepan and simmer soup for another 5 minutes. 

Wild rice salad with a quick pickled onion

I posted late today and I apologies but life is hectic because now everyone in the family is sick so a lot of extra work on my part.

The combination of hot and cold is marriage made in heaven in my opinion .So this warm flavorful wild rice and mushrooms mixed with a refreshing salad and topped with a fun pickled onion is one of my favorite ones. Wild rice actually is not rice at all but rather a grass. It’s very nutritional with protein, minerals, B vitamins and folic acids.

Rice:

1 cup dry wild rice

1 ¾ cups water

dash of salt

Combine rice, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for 30-40 minutes on medium heat until done. Set aside to rest for a few minutes and then fluff it with a fork.

Pickled onion:

½ cup very thin sliced red onion

½ cup hot water

½ tbsp. agave nectar

pinch of salt

1 tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar

Combine everything in a small bowl and let pickle for 10-15 minutes.

Dressing:

1 tbsp. hemp or flax seed oil

½ tbsp. apple cider vinegar

½ tbsp. honey mustard

1 tsp. agave nectar

Herb salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Mix in a bowl

Salad

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 garlic clove, grated

1 cup shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

2 cups arugula

1 small grated carrot

1 handful sherry tomatoes

A few raw almonds, chopped

Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and cook mushrooms in a single layer until browned, flipping them once. Combine all vegetables and toss with dressing. Blend in the rice and mushrooms serve with pickled onions and chopped almonds on top. Yum!

Portobello mushroom burger

Yesterday, our day started out very well with a nice morning walk along the water in Coronado Island and then some fun playtime at a local playground. Beautiful weather means BBQ in our garden and today we made very summer fresh portobello mushroom burgers served with grilled peaches and avocado and homemade hamburger buns. For the peaches I just used frozen peach slices and simply put them on the BBQ. I'm so in love with the salty and sweet flavor combination.

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbs maple syrup

2 tbs light soy sauce

1/2 tsp Garlic salt

1/4 tsp black pepper1 tsp dried provencal herb
4 medium portobello mushrooms


Blend the oil, maple syrup, garlic salt, pepper and provencal herb in a large bowl. Remove the steams on the mushrooms and use a spoon or a knife to remove the black underneath the mushroom cap. Combine mushrooms and marinate in the large bowl and make sure each cap gets soaked in the marinade. Place in fridge for 1 hour. BBQ mushrooms and serve as is or as a burger.

Chanterelle risotto

I have all these dried chanterelles I got in Sweden where they grow literally outside every home. I rarely buy these yummy gourmet mushrooms here in the US so when I'm back in Sweden I get some and dry them to be able to store them for a longer time. It's such luxury to have them for special occasions and last night I made a chanterelle risotto. Off course this dish can be made with any mushrooms, fresh or dry.

1 tbs canola oil
1/4 tbs shallot, minced
2/3 cups chanterelles or other mushrooms
3/4 cup grated sweet potatoes
1 cup Aborio rice
3 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup chopped kale
1/2 cup grated cheese ( I used rice cheese)
Salt & pepper to taste


Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and sauté shallots for one minute. Add mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes. Now add rice, 2 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes adding more liquid when it seems dry and stir often. Fold in the chopped kale and cheese before serving. Add salt and pepper.

Seitan and mushroom stew

I had two five year olds at home yesterday afternoon so I had to act like a referee A LOT.  Or at least until I finally had it and told them either they play nice or not but not to come to me anymore. It worked!!! I was very happy when it was dinner-pizza time and then a movie (Lady& the Tramp) so I got a little breathing room and they were kind of quiet...kind of:)

I didn't feel like pizza so I made a seitan and mushroom stew instead, served over pasta. It was perfect with many flavors and creamy sauce, just how I like it. I used the seitan I made the other day but off course store bought works as well. This is the kind of stew you can serve people very skeptical of vegan food and they will for sure be happy.

1 tbs olive oil 

2/3 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup yellow onion, minced

1/2 cup grated carrots

1 cup seitan, diced

1 tsp ground chili

Herb salt to taste

1 tbs dijon mustard

1 tbs ketchup

1 cup strained tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped kale

1/4 cup sour cream

Heat oil in a saucepan on medium heat and brown the mushrooms. Remove and set a side. Add garlic and carrots to saucepan and cook for 1 minutes. Add seitan, chili, salt and cook for a few minutes, stirring often. Now add dijon mustard, ketchup, strained tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Click in sour cream and let it melt. Toss in kale, mushrooms and blend well. Serve with pasta, rice or barley.

Marinated mushrooms

We had a wonderful Valentine's dinner on Tuesday but when I woke up on Wednesday I felt terrible and stuffed from overeating rich food. So for lunch I made a fulfilling salad with tons of veggies and marinated mushrooms that took the salad from average to amazing. These mushrooms are also fun as tapas or as a party snack. 

10 white mushrooms, cut into half and then half again

1/4 cup zucchini, diced

4 sun dried tomatoes in oil, minced

1 tsp dried herb provencal

1/8 cup lemon lemon juice

Salt and black pepper to taste

Parsley, minced

Combine everything in a bowl and blend well. Let the mushrooms and vegetables soak up the liquid and spices for half an hour before serving. 

Herb grilled seitan & bulgur salad

Yesterday was a big day for us because first dropped off a couple of home made meals for friends who just became parents to a beautiful little girl name Violet. She was welcomed by her parents off course but also two older brothers.

In the afternoon some other friends came for dinner to celebrate their engagement. We're so happy for all off you and honored we got to be part of all the celebrations. With the nice warm weather we had yesterday I felt like a hearty salad and made this bulgur salad with tons of vegetables and topped with garlic and herb seitan. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

1 cup seitan, pieces

1 tbs olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 tsp herb salt

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 Endive head, chopped

1/2 cup corn

1 tomato, diced

1 cup sprouts

1 1/2 cup cooked bulgur

Dressing:

2 tbs hemp oil

1 tbs lemon juice

1/2 tbs honey

1/2 tbs Dijon mustard

Black pepper

Salt

Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat and sauté garlic for 1 minutes. Add seitan and herb salt and cook to brown seitan for a few minutes. Flip them a couple of times. Remove seitan and cook mushrooms until browned too. Mix everything for the dressing in a small bowl. Combine in a large salad bowl bulgur, endives, corn, tomato, sprouts. Toss with dressing and serve with seitan and mushrooms on top.

Tomato sauce with kale and mushrooms

This tomato sauce totally dedicated to my tomato and mushroom loving son Noah. My kids have such different palates; Noah loves tomatoes, mushrooms, any acidic fruit while Bella does not like tomatoes but loves peas which Noah does not and prefer bananas and pears. 

On Friday's Bella gets to choose what she wants for dinner and she wanted pizza off course. Now Noah is not so big on pizza so for him and us I made this tomato sauce with garlic, mushrooms, kale and celeriac served over some leftover bulgur from lunch and he absolutely loved it while Bella made a face when she smelled it. sigh I'm not really looking forward the arguments over food in our future.

1 tbs olive oil
1 large garlic clove, grated
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup celeriac, peeled and grated
1 cup kale, chopped
1/4 cup water
1 cup strained tomatoes
1 tbs ketchup
1 tsp ground chili
Salt to taste
3 tbs garlic and chive flavored cream cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat and cook garlic until glossy not brown. Add mushrooms and brown them in a single layer. Combine celeriac, kale, water, tomatoes, ketchup, honey, chili and salt in the saucepan and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cream cheese and add more salt if needed. Serve over pasta, quinoa, rice or bulgur for a complete meal.

Noodles in a miso broth

The days before we're going on vacation just seems so stressful. We have a hundred things we have to do to get ready and on top of that Noah still being under the weather had to see our pediatrician. I was worried about his stuffy nose and then today he refused to eat. It turned out he is the end of his cold and he's teething at the same time.Poor little man is so miserable. 


Finally he took a good nap so I got a lot of things done. I'm baking for my friend Jackie who is having a solstice celebration. So today I bakes rum cake and chocolate ginger bread cup cakes with a cranberry frosting. At the end of the day I was so tired and had a very nice ending when I got to cuddle with both kids at the same time while I was feeding Noah.


And operation empty out fridge and freezer continues and todays result of that was a noodle dish. It's getting pretty low on vegetables so I probably will have to do some shopping before we leave but for today's vegetables I used mushrooms, green onion, celery. Off course me and James like it spicy so we added Harissa paste to our broth. 

Cream of mushroom soup and green bean casserole

When I was a little girl and traveled with my mom by train to see my grandfather, we used to eat lunch in the restaurant on board the train. They served a cream of mushroom soup which I thought was heaven. I loved sitting there looking at the country side and cities passing by while sipping my soup. Yesterday I made a creamy mushroom soup and when I tasted it brought me back to that memory and it’s funny how food can do that.

I’m going to make this soup on Thanksgiving to use it for a green bean casserole. I will just lightly steam green, yellow and purple beans and place that in the bottom of a baking dish. Pour sauce over and sprinkle some slivered almonds. Bake for 15 minutes in F400. 

2 cups white mushrooms, sliced thin

2 canola oil

1 tbsp. spelt flour

1 cup milk ( I used plain almond milk)

2/3 cup cream (I used mimic unsweetened cream)

Bragg’s liquid amino’s or Tamari

Black pepper to taste

1 tbsp dried parsley

Heat 1 tbsp. of the oil in a frying pan and a single layer of mushrooms at the time, until browned. Remove from frying pan place into a sauce pan. Then repeat, add more oil and keep doing this until all mushrooms are browned. Sprinkle flour over mushrooms and then combine with milk until there are no more lumps. Bring t a boil on medium heat while stirring. Add cream and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes on low heat. Add bragg’s, black pepper and parsley.

Spelt berry risotto

!'m finally feeling better today because I woke up without a fever for the first time in four days. Perfect timing too since James left early this morning for a business trip.

 I made risotto yesterday but made it more healthy by using spelt berries instead of white rice. The combination of spelt and mushrooms made a very earthy risotto with was amazing and just what a house filled with sick people needed.

Spelt berries are an excellent source of dietary fibers, iron and proteins making them perfect for anyone on a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.

2 large garlic cloves, grated

1 tbs olive oil

1 cup mixed mushrooms, sliced

1 cup spelt berries

1 1/2-2 cups of warm vegetable broth

1/4 cup chives & garlic flavored cream cheese

1/4 cup cream

Heat oil in a skillet on medium/low heat and sauté garlic and sliced mushrooms until mushrooms are slightly browned. Remove from skillet and add spelt berries and 1 cup of the broth and bring to a boil. reduce to a simmer for 30-40 minutes. Stir once in awhile so spelt does not burn in the bottom. Add more broth as needed. Combine cooked spelt with cream cheese, cream and mushrooms. Serve with steamed vegetable, beans or/and a salad for a complete meal.

Balsamic marinated mushrooms for BBQ

Well the intent was to BBQ last night but when the food was cooked half way through, the BBQ ran out of gas so I had to finish cooking everything in the kitchen instead. It did not effect the taste however. I loved this marinade and Bella who sometime can be suspicious of mushrooms even loved it. I also marinated zucchini and eggplant in the same liquid.

2 large portabello mushrooms, steams removed and sliced
1 cup white mushrooms, stems removed
1/4 cup shallots, minced
1 garlic clove, grated
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs Bragg's liquid amino's
1 tsp dried French herbs Provencal
1 tsp dried thyme

Place everything except the mushrooms in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Marinate mushrooms in it for 1 hour before cooking.