Meatless Monday: The Story of the Morel, a Recipe

Our farmers market Mushroom Guy had a couple of containers of morels on sale, as they are at the very end of their preciously short season (mid-April to mid-May). So we snagged them. I was looking forward to making a dish I had read about in my new favorite non-fiction book, “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” by Barbara Kingsolver. The book documents her and her family’s year-long journey of eating as locally as possible (in their case, living on a farm in southwestern Virginia made some things very easy, and others rather difficult).

The book is peppered with great seasonal recipes, and one of the springtime vegetarian dishes had caught my eye. I made a modified version of the Asparagus and Morel Bread Pudding for my family for Easter (it was a huge hit). However, I didn’t have morels at that time (a mushroom that cannot be cultivated, and which Kingsolver wild harvests in abundance on her rural Virginia property), so had substituted them with cremini mushrooms. So, when Mushroom Guy had the last of the morels, I was eager to give the recipe another try.

Both times, I made some modifications, based on my family’s tastes. Here’s my version of the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 loaf of whole grain bread, stale or toasted
• 1 pound of asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound of morels or other mushrooms
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups of grated cheese (cheddar or swiss)

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Place the milk and green onions in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to steep.

Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes, then place the cubes in a 4 quart baking dish.

Steam the asparagus for a few minutes until bright green. Spread over the bread cubes.

Coarsely chop the mushrooms. If you are using morels, soak them in warm salted water for a few minutes.

Mushroom Guy said that it’s important to give them a good, salty soak to remove any “critters” that may have moved into them. I was glad that I followed his advice. The salt water coaxed this little guy out of his hiding place. Good thing since it wouldn’t have been a vegetarian dish otherwise!

Drain the mushrooms and sauté them in the butter until tender. Pour the cooked mushrooms and butter over the asparagus bread mixture.

Beat the eggs until just mixed. Grate the cheese and mix into the eggs. Pour the mixture over the asparagus, bread, morel mixture.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or  until the cheese is bubbly and begins to brown on the edges. Serve hot with a salad. It also makes great leftovers.

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Meatless Monday: Vegan Mac and “Cheese”

I was craving the ridiculously delicious mac and “cheese” from my favorite DC vegan restaurant, but didn’t have time to go there, so I decided to whip up my own version using ingredients I had in my cupboard. I have tried it before, using various recipes I had found on the Internet, but have never been very happy with the results (in one case, I was actually disgusted by it!). This version is vegan and gluten-free.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon organic olive oil
• 1 tablespoon organic rice flour
• 1 cup organic almond milk
• 2 tablespoon organic cashew butter
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/8 teaspoon organic garlic powder
• sea salt to taste
• Pasta, cooked (I used brown rice pasta)

Make a roux by blending the olive oil and flour in a thick-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk for just a few minutes until the oil and flour are evenly mixed together and start to froth. You want to cook out the raw taste of the flour, but don’t let it brown. Next, add the milk a little at a time to the oil and flour mixture, while continuing to whisk. Once all the milk is completely integrated, continue to whisk over the medium heat for another minute, then remove the pan from the heat. You now have a white sauce base.

Next, add the cashew butter, whisking until it is thoroughly blended. Then mix in the nutritional yeast, again whisking until it is well-blended. Season with mustard powder, garlic powder, and salt.

Pour the mixture over the cooked pasta and toss until well-coated. Enjoy!

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Meatless Monday: Lentil Rice Pilaf

My mother came up with this recipe. It’s not only delicious, but it’s one of the easiest dishes I’ve ever made. It’s hearty, but light, and has a wonderful rich flavor that belies the simplicity of its six ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons organic olive oil
• 1 medium organic onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup organic lentils (I used brown lentils, but petite French green lentils are great, too)
• 1 cup organic brown rice
• 4 cups of filtered water
• sea salt to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté until they are translucent. Add the rice, and cook until lightly brown (about 2-3 minutes), stirring constantly to keep from burning. Add the water and sea salt, then bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low, cover the pan and allow to simmer for 1 hour. Serve with a salad for a quick, balanced meal.

In the photo, I have sprinkled a few sliced organic almonds to add a bit of crunch. The side salad is a combination of baby organic spinach, organic spring pea sprouts and wild garlic mustard.

And this dish makes great leftovers. You can serve it hot or cold. And if you toss it with a vinaigrette and serve it cold, it makes an amazing lentil salad.

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Meatless Monday: Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff

I adapted this recipe from a dish I had at Luna 61, a wonderful vegetarian restaurant in Tivoli, NY. It is a stroganoff that uses mushrooms instead of meat. I took it to the next level by making it vegan and gluten free, while maintaining the awesome taste. The sherry and nutmeg are two key ingredients that give this dish its signature flavor.

• 2 tablespoons organic olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped organic shallots
• 4 cups of coursely chopped mushrooms (I used Trumpet and Crimini)
• 1/4 cup of organic olive oil or Earth Balance
• 1/4 cup of organic flour (you can also use wheat or rice)
• 2 cups of almond milk (you can also use oat,
• 1/4 cup of sherry, madeira or marsala wine
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground organic nutmeg
• sea salt, to taste
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 pound of organic pasta, cooked (I used rice pasta for a gluten-free dish)

Saute the shallots in the olive oil over medium heat until the become translucent. Add the mushrooms, and saute until they begin to shrink and darken in color. Set them aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil or melt the Earth Balance over medium heat, then add the flour, whisking it to blend thoroughly. Cook for a minute or two to cook off the raw flour taste. Add the milk a bit at a time, continuing to whisk as you do this, so as to avoid lumps. Your goal is to create a thick white sauce. Once all of the milk has been integrated, cook and whisk for another minute, then whisk in the sherry. Whisk for another couple of minutes, then remove the sauce from the heat.

Season your sauce with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Then toss in the mushrooms and stir with spoon until they are well-integrated. Serve warm over pasta, with a side salad. Enjoy!

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Meatless Monday: Chickpea Meatless Loaf

One of my favorite vegetarian meals is chickpea loaf. It’s simple to make, and hearty, yet light. Chickpeas are full of fiber and I love their rich, creamy taste and texture.

• 1 cup dried organic chick peas
• 3 cups filtered water
• 2 organic free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 stalks organic celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 small organic onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• sea salt, to taste
• organic ketchup (optional)

Soak the chickpeas in water for at least 4 hours (I threw them in a bowl, covered them with water, headed off to a meeting and when I got home, they were ready!). Drain the water, then place the chickpeas in a saucepan with 3 cups of filtered water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook, covered, for about 1 hour or until the chickpeas are tender and most of the water has been absorbed.

Remove the chickpeas from the stove and mash them with a fork or potato masher until they are all broken up into little pieces. Stir in the eggs and blend well. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Place in a greased baking dish and cook uncovered at 350°F for 1 hour. Serve warm with a side salad or cooked greens. In the photo, I have a side of kale chips seasoned with curry and garlic, decorated with fresh violet flowers.

It can be a bit dry, so if you like, you can serve it with organic ketchup.

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Meatless Monday: Cheddar Black Rice Pecan Loaf Recipe

Cheddar black rice pecan loaf

I used to rely on my copy of Diet for a Small Planet for creative vegetarian meal ideas. I loved it so much that I wore it out – it literally fell apart from use. I’ve never replaced it, but several recipes have stayed in my heart and memory bank. Here is one of my favorites, which I have adapted.

You will need the following:

• 2 cups cooked rice (I used Lundberg Black Japonica™, but short grain brown works well too)
• 1 cup shredded organic cheddar cheese
• 1 cup chopped pecans (I have also used walnuts)
• 1 medium organic onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 large organic eggs
• olive oil to coat the baking dish

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly coat a medium baking dish, or loaf pan, with vegetable oil.

Mix all of the ingredients, except the eggs, until well-blended, making sure that the nutritional yeast evenly coats the other ingredients.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add to the rice mixture and blend well.

Evenly spread mixture in the pre-oiled baking dish/loaf pan and bake until crispy on top, about 45 minutes.

Serve with a salad for a delicious, easy, hearty meal. It makes great leftovers, if you are lucky enough to have any.

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