Homemade Mushroom Stuffing

If you ever wanted to make your own stuffing (or dressing) instead of buying that boxed stuff, this is as easy as it gets. Enjoy!

Homemade Mushroom Stuffing

Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 10 cups dried breads cubes (1 inch)
• 1 cup water or broth
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

Cooking Directions

1. Melt butter in a large pan. Saute onions and celery on medium heat until onions are translucent.
2. Add mushrooms, salt, and thyme for 5 minutes.
3. Turn off heat. Add bread cubes and gently stir them into the mushroom mixture.
4. Slowly pour water or broth over the bread cubes folding everything carefully so the bread cubes do not break apart too much.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Scoop stuffing into a medium casserole dish and bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until nice and toasty on top.

Vegetarian Moussaka with Sweet Potatoes

A vegetarian version of our original Moussaka. Instead of meat, we chose portobello for its meaty qualities. Plus, how can you not love portobello and eggplant together in one dish? This one also includes a layer of sweet potatoes on the bottom that really goes nicely with the cinnamon and nutmeg spices used throughout the dish.

Moussaka

Yield: 8-12 servings
Ingredients

• 3 eggplants, peeled and cut into half-inch slices
• 1 sweet potato, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• salt, to taste
• white pepper, to taste
• 1.5-3 cups parmesan, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Cooking Directions

1. Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the portobello, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the mushrooms have lost some of their liquid, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
3. To make the bechamel sauce, begin by heating the milk to about boiling. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Remove from heat and gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
4. Arrange a layer of sweet potato as shingles, then a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the portobello mixture. Cover with remaining eggplant. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg.
5. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Barley Mushroom Soup

Barley Mushroom Soup

Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: 8 cups
Ingredients

• 1 cup pearled barley, rinsed well
• 1 cup celery, sliced
• 3 cups white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup white onion, sliced
• 1 cup leeks, sliced
• 1/4 cup carrot, sliced
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• optional: 1/4 cup soy sauce
• pinch salt
• pinch pepper
• pinch thyme

Cooking Directions

1. Bring barley to a gentle boil in stock; cook until soft.
2. Heat olive oil in saute pan. Caramelize onions in oil by cooking slowly on medium heat.
3. Add leeks, mushrooms, celery, sea salt, black pepper, and thyme. Cook until veggies are softened and mushrooms are slightly reduced. Add barley and stock.
4. Season with salt and pepper. Add soy sauce and garnish with carrot.

Bibimbap

Traditionally (I think), Bibimbap was a great way to use up leftovers. Everything was already cooked or prepared and it was all placed neatly over rice and an egg was cracked on top. Add some sesame oil and a hot pepper paste called Gochujang, then everything was mixed up like mad by the happy and hungry diner, and the egg would get cooked that way.

Oh, the egg! That's really what separates this puppy from other leftover dishes around the world. Well that and the red pepper paste. If you're like many, you probably can't easily locate Gochujang, so try sriracha as the next best thing.

This can be a lot of work to make from scratch, but it's a lot of fun. Basically, just use whatever Asian-flavored foods you want, and you'll be golden. If you're weary about the egg, try poaching it. Still yums. Enjoy!

Bibimbap

Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• Cooked rice
• 1 bunch spinach or greens
• 2 small zucchinis
• 5 shiitake mushrooms
• 1 block tofu, cut and pressed
• 1 small carrot
• 4 eggs
• soy sauce
• hot pepper paste (Gochujang) or sriracha
• garlic
• sesame seeds
• sesame oil
• canola oil

Cooking Directions

1. Prepare a large platter to put all your ingredients on. Rinse your bean sprouts 3 times and put them in a pot with a cup of water. Add 1 tsp of salt and cook for 20 minutes. Drain water and mix it with 1 clove of minced garlic, sesame oil, and a pinch of salt. Put it on the platter.
2. Put your spinach or greens in a pot of boiling water and stir it for a minute. Then rinse it in cold water a few times and squeeze it lightly. Mix it with a pinch of salt, 1 tsp of soy sauce, 1 clove of minced garlic and sesame oil. Put it on the platter.
3. Cut 2 small size zucchinis into thin strips, sprinkle them with a pinch of salt, and then mix them together. A few minutes later, saute them in a pan over high heat. When it's cooked, it will look a little translucent. Put it on the platter.
4. Slice shiitake mushrooms thinly and saute with 1 tsp of canola oil. Add 2 tsp of soy sauce and 1 or 2 tsp of sugar and stir it for 2 minutes. Add some sesame oil, and put it on the platter.
5. On a heated pan, put some oil and the pressed tofu and stir it. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tbs of soy sauce and sesame oil. Put it on the platter.
6. Cut a carrot into strips, saute it for 30 seconds and put it on the platter.
7. Prepare eggs sunny side up.
8. Put your rice in a big bowl, and attractively display all your vegetables and tofu over rice. Place the sunny side up egg on the center.
9. Serve it with sesame oil and hot pepper paste or sriracha.
10. Lastly, mix it up and eat!

Multigrain Chicken Continental

All right, folks, we've done it again! An even healthier version of that oh-so-delicious Chicken Continental. We made it healthier once, and now we've done it again with the addition of some multigrain goodness from some spent grain leftover from homebrewing plus a mix of veggies and mushrooms. Yowza! it's good.

Multigrain Chicken Continental

Yield: Serves 4-8
Ingredients

• 1.5-2 lbs chicken breasts or tender (cut up, bite-size, or as strips)
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp McCormick Montreal chicken seasoning (instead of salt and pepper)
• 1 egg (optional)
• splash canola oil
• 3 10 1/2 oz cans 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup
• 2.5 tablespoons dried onion
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
• 2 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried celery flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 2 soup cans water
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups spent grain
• 2 cups Minute Rice

Cooking Directions

1. Cut chicken and coat the seasoning mix. (salt, pepper Montreal chicken seasoning) (You can dip the chicken in 1 beaten egg if you want.)
2. Brown the coated chicken in the melted Smart Balance and oil. Set that aside but save the drippings for soup mix.
3. In a separate pot combine the soup, seasonings, drippings, veggies (minus mushrooms), and water. Heat to a boil. Put 1/4 to 1/3 of the soup mix aside.
4. Put dry Minute Rice, spent grain, and mushrooms in the larger soup mix and stir, then put that mixture in a 9 x 11 cake pan or a casserole dish.
5. Top with chicken and pore the rest of soup mix on top.
6. Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top.

Thanksgiving Recipes

We made 3 dishes to take over to a friend's place for Thanksgiving - Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash, Green Bean Casserole, and Smashed Potatoes with Garlic. It took a couple hours to prepare everything, but we had a wonderful time doing it and everything turned out great. And isn't that all that really matters?

Grilled Stuffed Portabellas

Just like that armadillo you hit with your truck or that flamingo you shot on safari, stuff 'em and mount 'em up. In case this mount 'em on a bed of pasta. Not that you couldn't put these on a wall too for the whole world to enjoy (or that you couldn't put those other things on a bed of pasta - come on, I dare ya).

Simple, juicy, succulent. Yep, that about sums it up for these wonderfully easy and healthy shrooms. Meat replacements need to be mixed up every now and then, and this doesn't disappoint. Loaded with veggies and placed on a light pasta. Healthy never tasted so good.

Enjoy!

Disneyland's Eggplant Florentine with Forest Mushrooms

Eggplant Florentine with Forest Mushrooms

Caffe Villa Verde

Ingredients

4 pkg. fresh or 1-1.5 C. frozen spinach, stems removed and chopped
1 C. ricotta cheese
2 T. garlic, minced
1/4 C. pine nuts, chopped
2 T. clarified butter
1 eggplant
Flour
Marinara Sauce
Pesto Sauce
2-3 forest mushrooms per serving (2 rolls)
1 oz. Mozzarella cheese, grated per serving (2 rolls)

Directions

In a heated skillet, brown the garlic in butter and saute spinach. Allow to cool. Mix in ricotta cheese. Set aside.

Peel the eggplant racetrack style: Peel lengthwise 1" then leave unpeeled 1" and so on until completed around entire eggplant. Slice into 1/4" thick slices. Dredge in flour and saute quickly for 15 seconds on each side to produce a pliable leaf.

Place some spinach filling on each eggplant leaf and roll into a cannoli shape. Place rolls in a lightly oiled baking pan. Top the rolls with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven just until browned.

Serve 2 rolls with 1 oz. basil pesto sauce and Forest mushrooms on the side.


Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

1- 1.5 C. diced tomatoes
4 C. tomato sauce
3/4 C. onion, finely chopped
2 T. garlic, finely chopped
2 T. olive oil
pinch of each: oregano, thyme, basil, sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until lightly brown. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. Add remaining ingredients and continue simmering for 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.


Pesto Sauce

Ingredients

4 C. fresh basil leaves, stems removed and coarsely chopped, lightly packed
OR
2 C. fresh, flat leaf Italian parsley, coarsely chopped PLUS 2 T. dried basil leaves
1 t. salt
1 t. ground black pepper
2 t. garlic, chopped
1/4 C. pine nuts or walnuts, finely chopped
2 C. olive oil
1 C. freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions

Combine the basil or parsley/dried basil, salt, pepper, garlic, nuts and 1 C. olive oil in a blender jar. Blend them at high speed until ingredients are smooth, stopping the blender every 5-6 seconds to push herbs down with a rubber spatula. Sauce should be thin enough to run off the spatula easily. If it seems to thick, add in extra oil until the consistency is proper. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and add in the grated cheese.

Disneyland's New Orleans Crab Cakes

New Orleans Crab Cakes

Ingredients

1 lb. imitation crab, finely chopped
1/2 lb. snow crab, finely chopped
3 large mushrooms, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped green onion
2 Tbsp. minced onion
1tsp. dried parsley
2 cloves minced garlic
1 large shallot peeled and minced
1 tsp. chicken base
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
1/4 tsp. cayenne Pepper
1/4. white pepper
2 Tbsp. cooking sherry
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 Egg yolks
2 Tbsp Margarine or butter

Directions

Melt Margarine in pan, add Mushrooms, Garlic, Shallots onion and Green onions, Parsley and sauce until tender.

Add all Crab meat and saute over medium heat until hot, stirring constantly.

Add bread crumbs, mix well, and turn off heat.

Place mixture on cookie sheet, cover and refrigerate until cool (approximately 1 hour).

Breading

Ingredients

3 Eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 cup canola oil

Directions

When cool, divide mixture into 12 equal peices. Form so that they are round and approximately 1/2' thick. whip eggs in bowl. Dust the cakes in flour, dip in eggs and then roll in bread crumbs.

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat salad oil in skillet until hot. place crab cakes in pan and lightly brown on both sides. Remove from skillet and place in 9x13 baking dish. Bake in 350 oven for 10 minutes. Seve with cajun pepper sauce and garnish with fresh chopped chives.

Disneyland's Blue Bayou Chicken Florentine

Blue Bayou Chicken Florentine

Ingredients

4 7oz. chicken breast (with skin)
1 cup Florentine sauce (see below)
3 oz. chopped fresh or frozen spinach
3 oz. grated cheddar cheese
2 oz. cooked and chopped bacon
seasoned salt to taste
2 Tbsp. melted butter

Directions

If fresh spinach is used, it must be blanched. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In mixing, combine spinach, bacon and cheese; set aside.

Open chicken breast and sprinkle with seasoned salt. Stuff with spinach mixture.

Fold and place seam side down in baking dish. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle outside with seasoned salt.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Top with Florentine sauce and serve over rice.

Florentine Sauce

Yields 2 cups

Ingredients

2 tsp. unsalted butter
2 tsp. flour
3 tsp. unsalted butter (room temp)
1 1/2 finely chopped onions
3 sliced medium mushrooms
2/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. diced pimentos
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
salt and white pepper to taste

Directions

Blend together flour and 2 tsp of the butter; set aside.

Saute' onions and mushrooms in 1 tsp. butter (do not allow onions to brown). Add white wine and reduce completely. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer and slowly add the flour/butter mixture a little at a time until desired thickness is achieved. Continue cooking at a simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Disneyland's Blue Bayou Seafood Salad

Blue Bayou Seafood Salad

Ingredients

6 oz. Lobster Tail, cooked, no shell
1 tablespoon Celery, finely diced
1 tsp. Green Onions, finely chopped
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
2 tsp. Mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
Dash White Pepper
Dash Tabasco sauce
Salt To taste

Directions

Slice four thin (1/8") lobster medallions for garnish. Dice the rest into 1/4" cubes for use in salad mixture. Combine all ingredients and store in refrigerator.


Garnish

Ingredients

Cucumber, thinly sliced (approx. 22 pieces)
1/2 small Smoked Salmon
2 slices Cooked shrimp, shell off
2 Cooked crab claws
2 Enoki mushrooms
12 pieces Diced Tomato
2 tblsp. Radish sprouts
1 dozen springs Edible flower
1 Whole dill
1 sprig

Directions

Place cucumber slices around inside of a 2-3" cookie cutter on plate. Fill with lobster salad mixture. Remove cookie cutter. Lay lobster medallions on top. Garnish mold with tomato, flower, and dill. Roll salmon slice around six mushrooms and garnish one on each side. Lay shrimp and crab claws on sides of plate, garnishing with radish sprouts.

Egg Foo Yung

I never had Egg Foo Yung before moving to the northeast. Maybe it's just a thing here, part of the super Americanized Chinese cuisine that a lot of people love.

I personally like more authentic Asian dishes, which is what you're more likely to get out west because I've never seen this dish on a menu in any Chinatown anywhere. But there is something to be said for this sub-genre as well. Americanized dishes do have their place, and they're obviously popular for a reason. Either the native dishes themselves don't have appealing flavors or those ingredients are hard to come by. That's my best guess, at least. Maybe there's some other reason for it - I'd certainly love to find out. Perhaps that's a great idea for another post: how foods become Americanized.

But I digress. This dish is really flavorful. Helped along not just by the savory sauce but by the blend and composition of the Egg Foo Yung itself. For those with nostalgic memories of Chinese egg dishes, this is for you. Enjoy!

Pork Donburi

Donburi is an amazing blend of meat, egg, and veggies (mostly onions). So flavorful, so delicious, you can't ever put the bowl down once it's in your hands. If you've ever had Tonkatsu donburi (fried pork cutlet), this is the healthy version. Absolutely as wonderful, and so so so good! Just like the Oyako Donburi.

A couple notes: you can definitely take out the sugar. We left it in and I'm sure it tastes more authentic like that, but it's not needed. You can cut the oil in half as well without any problems. If you're worried about the sodium content, don't add the salt either because that can always be added on top. The type of rice (Japanese) really does make a difference, but of course, it can be done with any kind of rice.

Pork Donburi

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 pork chops, cut into strips
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 6 eggs, beaten

Cooking Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute pork strips and onion until the pork is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain off as much liquid as possible.
2. Stir in the chicken broth, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and carrot, and let simmer for a few minutes before stirring in the sugar and soy sauce. Simmer for 3 more minutes.
3. Sprinkle in half of the green onions, stirring gently. Pour beaten eggs over the chicken mixture, and simmer until the eggs are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
4. Serve over brown rice.

Vegetarian Ma Po Tofu

I love that Ma Po Tofu translates to something like "old pock-marked woman tofu." Sounds delicious already, huh?

This is more of a faux Ma Po Tofu. It doesn't incorporate the black bean sauce and such that goes into the real thing. This, however, will taste fairly similar. And it's still so so good. Plus, it's a heck of a lot easier to make than the real thing.

This is also a vegetarian version, making it even simpler to make. It normally would come with a little bit of ground pork, but it's not enough to make a huge taste difference, at least for me.

If you know of a tastier yet simple method for making Ma Po Tofu, I'd like to hear it. Enjoy!

Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti

Happy New Year, one and all!

Buitoni was nice enough to send us a complimentary Wild Mushroom Agnolotti. This happens to be one of their higher end pastas, and it really shown through.

The agnolotti are very similar to ravioli in that they are filled pasta. I believe just the shape is the difference, in fact, but don't quote me on that.

The mushrooms were full of flavor, with Italian spices mixing wonderfully with the mushrooms. This pasta didn't even need any sauce to go with it. It would have just ruined it completely.

Served with Pesce Spada alla Siciliana (Sicilian Swordfish) and roasted corn.

Oyako Donburi

This is without a doubt the absolute best Oyako Donburi I've ever had. Before, it was this little place in Berkeley. Now this one takes the cake. An amazing blend of chicken, egg, and veggies (primarily onions). Fun fact: oyako means mother and child. Hence the main ingredients, chicken and egg.

A couple notes: you can definitely take out the sugar. We left it in and I'm sure it tastes more authentic like that, but it's not needed. You can cut the oil in half as well without any problems. If you're worried about the sodium content, don't add the salt either because that can always be added on top. The type of rice (Japanese) really does make a difference, but of course, it can be done with any kind of rice.

Feel free to experiment by using different mushrooms or adding other veggies like bean sprouts, etc. Enjoy!

Oyako Donburi

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 3/4 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 6 eggs, beaten

Cooking Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chicken strips and onion until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain off as much liquid as possible.
2. Stir in the chicken broth, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and carrot, and let simmer for a few minutes before stirring in the sugar and soy sauce. Simmer for 3 more minutes.
3. Sprinkle in half of the green onions, stirring gently. Pour beaten eggs over the chicken mixture, and simmer until the eggs are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
4. Serve over Japanese sticky rice. (Important if you want it to be absolutely perfect.)

Thai Veggie Fried Rice and a Half-Greek Salad

Sometimes too much rice gets cooked. Sometimes way too much. Such was the situation recently. But what to do with all that leftover rice?

You may know how to use up that day-old rice already. In fact, I hope you have a favorite trick or recipe, as I would love to hear about it.

If you're not familiar with how to prepare fried rice (in general), check out the recipe below. Thai versions basically just employ a set of sauces and flavors not found in your other more familiar fried rice dishes.

But I wanted more than just a fried rice dish. I thought it'd be too heavy or something - even if it was all a bunch of glorious (and different) veggies. That's one of the things I love about fried rice and stir fry on the whole, tossing in whatever you please, making it unique to you. That one up in the pictures has asparagus and turnip.

Oh right, so I was saying I wanted something else, something light. What's lighter than a salad? And what's the best salad in the world? Yep, you guessed it: Greek salad! Well, a half-Greek salad. No tomatoes or onions or olives, sadly. But we did add a little something something back in with the spinach and mushrooms. Plus, look at that feta. Wow. So who's ready to eat? Enjoy!

2nd Birthday Breakfast

More delicious birthday breakfast surprises! A complete breakfast, featuring a fantabulous omelette topped with mushroom, bell peppers, feta, and avocado. Sitting beside it is some King's Hawaiian sweet bread, bacon, and mango slices.

There's just something about being woken up to breakfast being lovingly prepared just for you, you know? What's your favorite memory of someone fixing breakfast for you?

Spinach Feta Mushroom Omelette

Birthday breakfasts are the best. You wake up to the smell of deliciousness wafting throughout your home, knowing someone special is fixing you something special. 

You lay in bed for a few minutes until you're greeted by a smile and called forth to enjoy your birthday breakfast surprise.

You rush out to find a big plate full of tasti- (and healthi-) ness waiting for you. Ah, life is good.

I don't think I need to tell you how to make an omelette, right? If so, please ask!

Salmon, Spinach, Mushroom, Feta Flatbread Pizza

I am not one of those people who needs to make every single darn little thing from scratch. Don't get me wrong now - I love to make most things from scratch, and have an almost-obsessed desire to know how things work, but I don't need to do it every single time I make something. So for that reason (and because it's so darn cheap) I buy grocery store pizza dough and let it rise at home. Easy.

So at that point it just becomes a question of what you want to top your pizza with. I'm a huge fan of the nontraditional kinds of pizza. I've never done salmon on a pizza, so I thought I'd give that a try with the fresh spinach and mushrooms I bought. Then I threw on some feta I bought earlier and crumbled that over it after it finished baking, so as not to ruin that precious cheese.

It turned out amazing! The worst part was the dough, which was my fault for not letting it rise properly and spreading it out improperly as well. It made for a really crispy crust though, and only slightly on the chewy side of things. What's your favorite way to do an nontraditional, yet simple, pizza?