Vegan Mediterranean Stuffed Mushrooms

While I am neither vegetarian nor vegan I do try to cook vegetarian meals at least once a week, but they are rarely most likely never vegan.  After being asked to bring a vegetarian or vegan appetizer to a party recently I decided to challenge myself to making the appetizer completely vegan and made an appetizer sized version of these mushrooms.  They were good, but the stuffing made the small button mushrooms get soggy pretty fast.  I liked the filling though so made the full sized version for dinner one night.  The sturdier portabella mushrooms stood up well to the filling and we didn't miss that they were lacking cheese.  I served them with a simple green salad with oil and vinegar to make a completely vegan meal.   

The part that I almost forgot about when getting ready to make the mushrooms was the breadcrumbs.  I usually make fresh breadcrumbs from whatever sandwich bread I have on hand.  But a lot of sandwich breads aren't vegan.  I was afraid to trust myself with just ingredient reading after I pulled a loaf of buttermilk bread out of my pantry and started to read the label to see if it was vegan.  I was able to find some vegan multigrain bread that was labelled as such at Trader Joe's.  I used about half my 12 ounce loaf of bread in the food processor to get 1 1/4 cups of bread crumbs.

Vegan Mediterranean Stuffed Mushrooms
Adapted from MyRecipes.com

4 portabella mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes 
1/3 cup chopped kalamata olives 
1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers 
2 tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes (the kind in oil, not dried) 
1 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs made from vegan bread 
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place mushrooms on baking sheet with gill sides up and drizzle evenly with olive oil and vinegar.  Season with salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.  Bake for 10 minutes.  
While mushrooms are in the oven, prepare the the filling in a large bowl by stirring together chopped tomatoes, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, bread crumbs, chives, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Stuff prepared mushroom caps with filling, approximately 1/2 cup per mushroom.  Bake stuffed mushrooms in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until filling is browned.  Mine took the full 15 minutes.

Soy Glazed Salmon

I had fresh salmon in the fridge that I planned on making another recipe with until I realized I'd forgotten a couple of key ingredients.  I didn't want to make a last minute trip to the store when I knew I could pull together enough ingredients from the pantry to do something else with the salmon.  I'd made this recipe once before but then not repeated it, which happens a lot since I like to try new recipes so much.  I was glad I tried it again though because it's both tasty and simple.  

Soy Glazed Salmon
Lightly adapted from Martha Stewart
(Serves 4)

4 salmon filets, 6-8 ounces each
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
pinch fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 400°F and place salmon skin side down in a baking dish.  In a small bowl whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, olive oil, wine, lemon juice, and black pepper.  Pour evenly over salmon filets.  Bake in preheated oven for ten minutes, the remove from oven and spoon sauce from pan over filets.  Sprinkle each filet with 1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds and return to oven for 5-10 minutes longer until salmon  flakes easily with with a fork.

Fresh Cranberry Oatmeal Scones

If my favorite food of the fall/winter seasons is pumpkin my second favorite is cranberries.  I always buy a bunch of extra bags when they go on sale and throw them in the freezer so I have some on hand when they disappear from the stores.  I've learned from experience that the frozen variety can be hard to find in stores when I need them.  This year I got a little carried away when the price dropped to 2 for $3 the week before Thanksgiving.  Need cranberries in June this summer?  Give me a call, I'm sure I'll still have them.

These are a bit different from a traditional scone because of the added heartiness from the oatmeal.  They also aren't the prettiest scones ever, but they are tasty.  I made them for our Thanksgiving breakfast but didn't post them then because three cranberry posts in one week seemed like it was pushing it.  Plus these would make an a great addition to Christmas breakfast as well, they could even be prepped the night before and refrigerated on the cookie sheet for easy baking in the morning.

Majority of cranberry scone recipes I've found call for dried cranberries, which could be used here in a pinch, but I really think the whole berries are better with the heartiness of the oatmeal.  The dough was a little temperamental for me, both sticky and crumbly at the same time, but it came together when patted into a circle on the counter.

 Fresh Cranberry Oatmeal Scones
Adapted from Right at Home
(Makes 8 scones)

2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen cranberries, rinsed
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
6 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  (I wouldn't recommend skipping this step, burst cranberries are not easy to scrub off a cookie sheet)
In a large mixing bowl whisk together cake flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Using a pastry blender or two forks cut in the butter until the flour mixture resembles large crumbs. In a small bowl toss cranberries with the granulated sugar and then stir into flour mixture.  
In a separate bowl whisk together the egg and buttermilk.  Stir into flour mixture.  Dough will be fairly sticky and may not come together completely in the bowl.  If it's very dry stir in another tablespoon or so of buttermilk.
Sprinkle some flour onto counter top or cutting board and turn dough out onto floured surface.  Using floured hands gently pat the dough into a circle that is approximately 3/4 of an inch thick.  Cut the dough into 8 wedges and place each wedge onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven 15-16 minutes until browned.  Remove from cookie sheet to a cooling rack and let cool about 10 minutes before glazing.

Quick Powdered Sugar Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons milk

Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk.  Add more milk 1/2 tablespoon at a time until the glaze is the desired consistency.  Drizzle over scones.

Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Cream Sauce

I served this with Wednesday's Brussels sprouts.  (In addition to the Brussels Sprouts I also paired it with mashed potatoes.)  It is a mash up of a couple of different recipes from the same cookbook, the marinade adapted from a chicken recipe and the sauce loosely based off of a different pork tenderloin recipe.  Searing the tenderloin on the stove first helps lock in all the juices from marinating and also gives a base for the sauce that's made in the same pan.  This is a relatively easy but company worthy recipe that could also be doubled if you're having a crowd for the holidays.  

Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, Fourth Printing
(Serves 4 to 6 depending on size of tenderloin)

For the Tenderloin and Marinade:
1 1/2 to 2 pound pork tenderloin
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh minced onion
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced

Place tenderloin in a gallon-sized zip top bag.  In a small bowl combine wine, 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, minced onion, basil, marjoram, kosher salt, and minced garlic.  Whisk together then pour over pork and seal zip top bag, squeezing out as much air as possible.  Marinate in the refrigerator at least one hour or as long as overnight, mine was marinated for about 8 hours.
After the pork is has finished marinating, remove tenderloin from bag and discard remaining marinade.  Preheat oven to 400°F.  While oven is preheating, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil over high heat in a large skillet.  Sear tenderloin in skillet for 2 minutes on each side until browned.  Saving the skillet to make the sauce, transfer pork to a baking dish and bake in preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes per pound until tenderloin has reached an internal temperature of at least 145°F.  (While pork is cooking prepare mushroom cream sauce recipe below.)  After pork is removed from oven let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing, then slice and serve with mushroom cream sauce.

For the Mushroom Cream Sauce:
1 1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried parsely
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper 
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

After pork has been removed from the skillet melt the butter over medium heat, then add sliced mushrooms and saute for several minutes until mushrooms have begun to soften.  Increase heat to medium high and add white wine to skillet, scraping any browned bits from the pan.  Simmer about 5  minutes until majority of the wine has evaporated.  Reduce heat to low and stir in cream, salt, parsley, marjoram, pepper, and thyme.  Heat cream, stirring frequently, until it just begins to bubble.  Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat.  If tenderloin isn't finished cooking sauce can be kept warm over low heat but make sure to stir frequently.  Serve over sliced pork tenderloin.

Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I have a roasted cauliflower recipe bookmarked even though neither my husband nor myself really like cauliflower.  I suppose I figured I'd try it at some point but I haven't.  Then I was at the grocery store the other day and bought this:

It's a Brussels sprout tree, which I realize is a pretty strange impulse buy, but once it was sitting in my fridge I had to actually use it.  Especially since it was taking up my entire veggie drawer.  Apparently you can cook the whole tree (really? I still don't quite trust the internet on that one), but I figured if I set that on the dinner table my husband would think I'd fallen completely off my rocker.  And probably order a pizza.  So I opted to just cut the sprouts off pre-cooking.

I've roasted Brussels sprouts before so I figured the cauliflower recipe would adapt well for the sprouts.  If you don't have marjoram an equal measure of oregano should work fine.  Since the tree had some rather large Brussels sprouts I opted to cut them in half, but if your sprouts are small you may want to just leave them whole, or reduce the roasting times.  This recipe was pretty much impossible to get a good picture of, the dark color from the roasting coupled with the balsamic vinegar makes every photo look like a bowl fill of burnt sprouts, but they taste a lot better than my poor photography skills make them look.  In fact they were good enough to make me almost willing to try the same recipe for the cauliflower.  Maybe.

Balsamic and Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Adapted from Eating Well
(Serves 4)

1 lb Brussels sprouts (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Remove any yellowed outer leaves from Brussels sprouts, then cut sprouts in half.  Combine sprouts in a large bowl with olive oil, marjoram, salt, and pepper and toss to coat.  Spread onto prepared baking sheet and roast for 20  to 25 minutes until beginning to brown.  Remove from oven, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle on Parmesan cheese, then return to oven and roast 10 minutes longer.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

I've had this recipe bookmarked for a while but kept passing it over because it seemed like a lot of work to grate all those carrots when all I wanted was pancakes.  I realize I made a 3 bowl dirtying, mixer requiring waffle recipe on a weekday, but apparently on a weekend grating carrots is too much work.  I don't quite understand the logic myself.  However, since my recipes to try bookmarks folder is too long to even begin to sort through I decided it was time to actually try some of them and these sounded good on a lazy Sunday morning. 

I only made a few small changes to this recipe, the biggest of which was to add raisins, but if you're not a fan of raisins they can be left out.  I also changed the nuts to pecans since I prefer them over walnuts in carrot cake.  The result was a pancake that tasted a lot like carrot cake.  Which I suppose was the point but still, these were really good. 

Carrot Cake Pancakes
Adapted from Cooking Light 
(Makes 12 4-inch pancakes)

1 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ginger
pinch cloves (approx 1/16 teaspoon)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups grated carrots (approx. 3 large carrots)
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/4 cup raisins
butter or canola oil for greasing pan
chopped pecans and maple syrup for serving

In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.  In a smaller bowl whisk together brown sugar, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla, and eggs.  Stir wet ingredients into dry until just combined.  Stir in grated carrots, pecans, and raisins.  Batter will be thicker than regular pancake batter. 
Heat electric griddle to 325°F or stove top griddle or skillet over medium heat and lightly grease with butter or oil.  Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup pour batter onto cooking surface.  Since the batter is thick I used the bottom of my measuring cup to level them out, they don't spread much when cooking.  Cook until small bubbles form and edges appear dry, for me this was about 4 minutes on an electric griddle.  Flip pancakes and cook an additional 1-2 minutes on other side.  Serve with additional chopped pecans and maple syrup.

Cranberry Vinaigrette and a Leftovers Salad

There are lots of variations of the day after Thanksgiving sandwich, I bring you the day after Thanksgiving salad.  The only real recipe below is for the cranberry dressing, as it would taste good on whatever salad you can throw together, but I did list what I used for the salad pictured.  Granted it will only make use of two of the leftovers you have overcrowding your fridge, but no one says you can't eat it with sides of stuffing and mashed potatoes. 

When I was dating my now husband and offered to cook him dinner the first time it was like I suddenly forgot how to use a microwave let alone cook a complete meal.  I had no idea what to make.  (Incidentally I have a similar problem whenever we have people over for dinner - total blank on what to cook).  In one of our conversations he had mentioned a cranberry salad dressing that he had eaten at a restaurant recently that was really good.  Once I decided on what to make for the main course, I decided I needed to make a cranberry vinaigrette to go with the salad.  I found a recipe that looked good on Epicurious, but it called for fresh or frozen cranberries and it was the end of August and there were no fresh cranberries to be found.  I searched for frozen at every store in my area and couldn't find those either.  The logical thing to do would have been to make another dressing, but I'm sure my roommate at the time could attest to the fact that I was not logical while planning this dinner.

The comments on the recipe came to my rescue, with someone mentioning that they had used whole berry cranberry sauce and just left out the sugar.  I tried it and it worked, so I made the dressing for my then boyfriend, and three months later I was engaged.  I may be leaving out a few steps there, but he did say it tasted a lot like the one he had at the restaurant.  I have since made the dressing with fresh cranberries and honestly we think it's just as good with cranberry sauce.  If you want to go the fresh/frozen cranberry route though sub the cranberry sauce with 1/4 cup cranberries and 1 tablespoon sugar and give them a quick pulse in the blender or food processor before adding the rest of the ingredients, then proceed from there.  I still make it both ways depending on what I have on hand.    

For the salad pictured in this post, top mixed greens with several slices of leftover turkey, sprinkle with toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and Gorgonzola cheese, then serve with the Cranberry Vinaigrette recipe below.

Cranberry Vinaigrette
Slightly Adapted from Epicurious

1/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 cup vegetable oil
salt and pepper 

Add cranberry sauce, vinegar, red onion and Dijon mustard to a food processor or blender.  Pulse several times to combine ingredients.  With machine running, slowly drizzle in vegetable oil until it is all blended.  Pour into a bowl and stir in salt and pepper to taste, I usually use just a pinch of salt and a bit more fresh ground pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for at least several hours to help flavors blend together.  This makes a thick, creamy vinaigrette, so you'll need to stir and let come to room temperature before serving.