Pork and Mushroom Stew Filed under ( main dishes, mushrooms, pork, Potatoes, Soup, stew )

I'm in the best mood right now, wanna know why? Because as I sit here and type, two angels from heaven, I mean, maintenance men are fixing my oven!!! Sure, I have to sit and listen to a certain cheating wife, and a son that refuses to potty train, but hey, they could talk about world domination for all I care, at least I'll have an oven! Now my head is reeeeling with all of the delicious baked possibilities. No doubt I'll be leaving the grocery store today with a cart full of flour and sugar. It's a good day indeed!


Now onto something just as fantastic, this stew is another one of those dishes that goes straight into the top ten list of things I've ever made. When you think of a hearty stew with pork and mushrooms, the last adjective you'd probably think to describe it would be sexy, but let me tell you, this is one sexy stew! It's rich, earthy, full of soul and enticement. It's velvety on the tongue and will warm your whole body. Oh yes, this is a stew that will seduce you, and hopefully again and again.

Serve this over mashed potatoes, put on some Marvin Gaye, and thank me later.


Pork and Mushroom Stew
By Cuisine at Home October 2010

Ingredients

1 TB olive oil
1 TB unsalted butter
1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper
8 oz cremini mushrooms quartered
1/2 sliced leeks or shallots
1/2 cup diced carrots
2 TB all purpose flour
1/2 cup dry sherry or white wine
3/4 cup apple cider or juice
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 TB minced fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
diced Granny Smith Apple

Directions

1. Heat oil and butter in a saute pan over medium-high. Add pork and saute until brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove pork to a plate; set aside.

2. Sweat mushrooms, leeks and carrot in same pan over medium heat until softened, 3-4 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.

3. Deglaze pan with sherry, scraping up any bits on bottom of pan, and reduce until evaporated. Stir in cider and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add pork with residual juices and 1 TB thyme. Simmer stew until thickened, 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

4. Serve over mashed potatoes, garnish with diced apples and a sprig of thyme.

Bacon, Mushroom and Onion Pizza Filed under ( bacon, cheese, light recipes, main dishes, mushrooms, pizza )

One of the things I love about my family is that they are just as food loving as I am. My mom especially. We have had countless conversations about food, and have even gone as far as to call each other, just to talk about what we just made. I love it!

A few months ago when we were on family vacation, we asked each other, if we had to eat one thing, everyday, for the rest of our lives, what would it be? There were answers from Fettuccine Alfredo, to salmon, to avocado sandwich (huh?). When it got to me, after thinking about it sometime, I had to answer honestly and say pizza. I just loooove pizza, and I have not once in my life gotten sick of it. And how could you not? There are so many ways to make it, that it pleases just about everyone. I love it for it's variety: thin crust, thick crust, cheesy, or light, meat laden, or veggie, red sauce, white sauce, pesto, no sauce. I love pizza!

So naturally when I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, I had to make it. The bacon of course is what makes this pie so smoky and wonderful, but don't underestimate the power of those beefy mushrooms and caramelized onions. I couldn't stop eating this thing, good thing it's a Cooking Light recipe!

Bacon, Mushroom and Onion Pizza
By Cooking Light October 2009

Ingredients

1 11oz can refrigerated french bread (I used pizza dough)
2 teaspoons yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups vertically sliced onions
1 8oz package cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Directions

1. Find lengthwise seam in dough. Beginning at seam, gently unroll dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Stretch dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface; transfer to a round pizza pan or large baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.

2. Preheat oven to 425.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add onion; saute 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place chopped onions in a bowl. Add cremini mushrooms to the pan; saute 8 minutes, or until liquid is evaporated. Add mushrooms to onion mixture; toss. Spread onion mixture evenly over prepared dough, leaving a 1/4 inch border. Sprinkle evenly with cheese and bacon. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley. Cut into 12 wedges.

Serves 6: a serving size is two wedges

Per Serving: 316cal, 14.9g fat, 15.6g prot, 31.1g carb, o.9g fiber

Points per Serving: 7

I you had to eat the same food everyday for the rest of your life...what would it be?

Mushroom Risotto Filed under ( light recipes, main dishes, mushrooms, Rice, risotto, side dish )

Ever since I discovered the magic of risotto last summer, I've been a bit obsessed. There are so many fun ways to make it, and it's surprisingly healthy, considering how rich and creamy it is. You can serve it for a main course, or a side dish, for lunch or dinner. It's so versatile!

I found this gem at Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes, a blog I highly recommend, whether or not you are counting your points! I daresay this has been my most favorite risotto so far, I just love the richness and meatiness of those baby bellas, and the risotto is so creamy. Just be aware that this particular recipe makes a lot. I halved it and still had quite a bit leftover.

Mushroom Risotto
From Gina's Weight Watcher's Recipes

Ingredients

2 cups Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
2 cups arborio rice
1 tsp olive oil
3 tsp butter
2 shallots, minced
1 cup white wine
8 cups fat free chicken stock
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tbsp chopped parsley
Heat chicken stock in a small pot and keep on low heat.

Directions

In a medium size heavy sauce pan, saute garlic in 1 tsp olive oil. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and let the mushrooms cook about 4 minutes. Set aside.

Add butter to the pan on set flame to medium-low heat. Add shallots, sauté about 1 minute. Add rice mixing well until well coated and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add wine, salt and pepper and mix well until it is absorbed into the rice. Ladle 1 cup stock into rice and mix until all stock is absorbed, add another ladle, and continue adding and stirring until all broth is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes. Add mushrooms, Parmesan cheese and parsley, mix well and serve.

5.5 WW points!

Mushroom Stuffed Cornish Hens Filed under ( bacon, chicken, eating in, main dishes, mushrooms )

Every Friday night my husband and I like to drop the kids off and go on some sort of a date. We would prefer to just eat out every week, but since we're living on a bit of a budget right now, we just can't afford to do that all the time. So instead of eating out, we've started staying in and cooking a meal that neither of us would normally do on a regular weeknight. It's been so much fun, and cooking at home without the kids is so different! It's so quiet, the house stays nice and clean, and I get to have uninterrupted conversation with my guy!

So for our first "eating in" night, we thought we'd try Elizabeth's Cornish game hens. I had never made game hens before, so just the experience of working with a completely different type of meat was fun. I love the mushroom stuffing, and of course, everyone loves bacon. These were a real treat, and a real novelty as well. Go check out the recipe, here, on Elizabeth's page, and stick around to look at the rest of her stuff too, she's got a fantastic blog!

Portobello Mushrooms and Sirloin Strips over Spinach Pasta Filed under ( beef, light recipes, main dishes, meat, mushrooms, pasta )

Life definitely has a sense of humor. My last post I complained about my awful day, which, let's face it, involved a wet bathroom floor and a whiny son. Two days later we ended up in the ER with our daughter who had insane stomach pains. We were admitted, a million tests were done, and nothing could explain why she was in so much pain. The pain lasted for days and was incredibly stressful. Thankfully she's better, back to school and happy as ever. I'll tell you one thing though...

It made my last "bad day" post look like a walk in the park. It was a good lesson to learn, I'll be a lot slower to whine about the everyday inconveniences, that's for sure!

On to the food...

I have this big red cookbook that doesn't have a single picture in it. Being the five year old that I am, I've never used it. If there's not a big pretty picture next to a recipe, how can it possibly be good?

Turns out, it can.

This was a really fun recipe because of how different it was. Tangy sauteed steak and portobello mushrooms over a bed of spinach fettuccine. It was packed with great flavor and very filling. The whole family slurped it up.

Portobello Mushrooms and Sirloin Strips over Spinach Pasta
Adapted from The New American Heart Association Cookbook

Ingredients

12 oz boneless sirloin steak
1/2 cup red wine
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
6 medium cloves minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoons dried oregano, crumbled
12 oz portobello mushrooms, sliced
8 oz dried spinach fettuccine

Directions

Trim all fat off steak, slice into strips.

Combine wine, soy sauce, Worcestershire, garlic, olive oil and oregano in a large plastic bag. Add mushrooms and beef to marinade. Seal and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, turning often.

Prepare pasta according to directions.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for one minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer half the beef mixture to the skillet. Cook for 4 minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside. Cook the remaining beef mixture.

Return the reserved beef mixture with any juices to the skillet. Increase the heat to high. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.

To serve, spoon the pasta onto plate. Spoon the beef mixture and sauce over the pasta.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 381 cal, 29g prot, 47g carb, 4g fiber, 7.5g fat

Fontal Polenta with Mushroom Saute Filed under ( cheese, light recipes, main dishes, mushrooms, polenta )

Okay, I think that's it. I think that's the last of the mushroom posts...for now anyway...bwaAAHAHAHAHAHA!

(Forgive me, we've had quite a few snow days and the cabin fever is making me a bit crazy.)


This is a really good recipe if you're making polenta for the first time. I adore polenta, I love it's creamy, smooth, yet nutty texture. It's so filling and rich and is the perfect palate for so many toppings and mix ins. This particular version is full of melty, creamy fontina cheese, and then topped with a gorgeous mixture of sauteed mushrooms. So filling, and great for your meatless Mondays. It also gave me an excuse to use my French Onion Soup bowls again!


Fontal Polenta with Mushroom Saute
Cooking Light December 2010

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (4-ounce) packages exotic mushroom blend, chopped
1 (8-ounce) package presliced cremini mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup organic vegetable broth
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth
3/4 cup instant polenta
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontal or fontina cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Add herbs and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in 1/3 cup broth, juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and pepper.

2. Bring milk and 1 1/2 cups broth to a boil. Stir in polenta; cook 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in half of cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Divide polenta among 4 gratin dishes; top with remaining cheese. Broil 5 minutes. Top each serving with 1/2 cup mushrooms.

Per Serving:
CALORIES 377 ; FAT 18g (sat 7.9g,mono 8.1g,poly 1.3g); CHOLESTEROL 42mg; CALCIUM 322mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.5g; SODIUM 784mg; PROTEIN 16.9g; FIBER 4.6g; IRON 1.2mg

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy Filed under ( beef, light recipes, main dishes, mushrooms, pasta )

Happy Monday my friends. You know, usually I don't care for Mondays, but so far I'm having a great day. I just got a wonderful workout, and despite the rain, I'm in a great mood. How was everyone's weekend? Ours was very nice, and we finally made it out to Whole Foods. Oh my goodness, talk about a foodie's playland! We weren't there for very long on account of my boy not being as excited about roaming up and down every aisle of a grocery store as me, but I got a good idea of what they had, and we'll definitely be going back!

I remember making this dish on a particularly hectic night, and it turned out to be the perfect remedy for all the chaos. It's quick and easy to make and its so rich and warm with a lot of great flavor. It's also a way for someone who is watching their calories (me) to get in a nice fix of steak! And of course those meaty baby bellas don't hurt either!

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy
Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2010

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 lb top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
8 oz baby bellas, sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (I used all dried thyme)

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to directions with no salt or fat.

2. While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; saute 5 minutes, browning on each side. Remove from pan; cover.

3. Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; saute 4 minutes. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil; book 2 minutes, or until thickened. Return beef to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

Serves 4: 3/4cup beef mixture and 2/3 cup noodles

Per Serving: 344cal, 12.5g fat, 27.3g prot, 28.7g carb, 1.7g fiber

Points per Serving: 8

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy Filed under ( beef, light recipes, main dishes, mushrooms, Potatoes, sauces )

I would tell you that the mushroom party is over and this will conclude my mushroom posts, but that would be lying, and I love you all too much to do that to you.



A few days ago, Shelby from Grumpy's Honey Bunch wrote about how she's been inspired by other bloggers. Well, Shelby had inspired me with this Salisbury Steak from Cooking Light's December edition. I've eaten quite a few salisbury steaks in my day, but when I say Salisbury steak, what I mean are those gelatinous disks that come in low calorie frozen meals, usually served with a side of mac and cheese and an antacid. Turns out the homemade version is much better, who knew! And it's low calorie to boot.

This is one of those meals that yielded no leftovers because it's so dang good. The flavors are so rich and full of the familiar comforts of home. My kids snarfed it down, which guarantees that it will be made again!



Check it out here. Thanks Shelby!

Mushroom Stroganoff Filed under ( light recipes, main dishes, mushrooms, pasta, presto pasta nights )

The Mushroom strikes again. You'd best make friends with him, he's not going anywhere for a while!

This is one of those meals that proves that you really don't need meat to have a rich and satisfying meal. Creamy egg noodles infused with the beefy flavor of a variety of mushrooms makes for a meal that your whole family will love. So quick, so easy, so delicious, just like this post!

Mushroom Stroganoff
By Fresh Food Fast by Cooking Light

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups uncooked medium egg noodles
butter flavored cooking spray
5 (4 oz) packages fresh gourmet-blend mushrooms (be sure to note that you need 5 of them, I think I only got one, not NEAR enough!)
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups reduced fat milk
3 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons light butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped chives (optional)

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to directions

2. While noodles cook, heat a large Dutch oven over high heat; generously coat pan with cooking spray. Add mushroom and onion; cook 10 minutes, or until browned, stirring frequently.

3. While mushroom mixture cooks, place flour in a bowl, Gradually add milk with a whisk. Transfer cooked mushroom mixture to a large bowl. Gradually add milk mixture to hot pan, stirring with a whisk. Cook, whisking constantly, 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.

4. Stir sauce and cooked noodles into mushroom mixture. Stir in sour cream; sprinkle with chives, if desired. Serve immediately.

Serves 4: Serving is 1 3/4 cups

Per Serving: 393 cal, 12.6g fat, 15g prot, 55.2g carb, 3.5g fiber

I'll be submitting this to girlichef for Pasta Presto Nights!

Teriyaki Salmon with Mushrooms Filed under ( asian, light recipes, main dishes, mushrooms, quick and easy, seafood )

Thanks for all of your sweet comments on my last post. It was a fun way to get to know a lot of you better too!

Every once and a while I find a theme in the foods I am eating and cooking for a period of time. Maybe a take a few weeks to roast just about everything I put in my mouth. Or I want to put eggs in everything. For a series of days I might even be looking for anything that might be slightly delicious doused in my favorite balsamic vinegar. And then I move on.

Lately I feel like I can't keep my fridge stocked full enough of mushrooms, specifically cremini. What is it about those lovely little fungi? I think it's their ability to soak up any flavor you introduce it to, while still adding a flair of it's own. They can be the real star of a dish, but also don't have a problem acting as a supporting role. I just love them.

So you can imagine how much I loved pairing them with this salmon dish. Sauteed with tangy teriyaki flavors and then laid on top of a nice rich fillet of salmon, it was a total party for my palate. And I got the recipe from...do I even need to tell you? Healthy, rich, flavorful, happy new year to me, and you!

Teriyaki Salmon with Mushrooms
From Fresh Food Fast by Cooking Light

Ingredients

1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup low sodium teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 (8 oz) package presliced baby portobello mushrooms or creminis
4 (6-oz) skinless salmon fillets, about 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick

Directions

1. Combine first three ingredients in a small bowl; stir to dissolve sugar.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add mushrooms, and saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add 1/3 cup sherry mixture to mushrooms. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 to 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Spoon mushroom mixture into a bowl; set aside.

3. Heat pan over medium-high heat, add fillets. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until browned on all sides. Add mushrooms and remaining sherry mixture to pan; cook 2 minutes. Transfer fillets to a serving platter, and top with sauce and mushrooms.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 335 cal, 14.3g fat, 37.6g prot, 0.9g fiber,9.5g carb

What kind of food themes do you find yourself in?

Mushroom and Havarti Panini Filed under ( bread, cheese, main dishes, mushrooms, onions, panini, sandwiches )

Whenever I visit my parents, I enter food heaven. My mom shares the same love for food as I do, and we have so much fun discovering new dishes together. This was something we came up with for lunch after looking through the fridge. My mom had a panini press that had yet to be taken out of the box, so it was high time to put it to good use.

I love paninis and each time I eat one, I probably say that it's my favorite, but seriously, this is my favorite panini! The baby bellas made it so meaty and rich, the caramelized onions added texture and sweetness, and the Havarti...well. Have you ever had Havarti? I hadn't until the day I ate this sandwich, and I've been slapping my face for missing out on twenty eight years of Havarti goodness. This cheese is amazing, it's has an ever so slightly pungent flavor, but is so soft and melts like a velvet dream. gaaaaaaaah. Go get some today and make this sandwich!

This sandwich is so simple that I'm not going to post an actual recipe, I'm just going to tell you how I made it, and you can adjust to taste and quantity.

Saute sliced baby bella mushrooms in olive oil. Once mushrooms are slighly browned and wilted, add kosher salt, pepper and dried thyme. Be sure that the mushrooms are flavored well, the second time I made them, I didn't add enough salt and the sandwiches weren't quite as good. At the same time you're sauteing your mushrooms, caramelize your onions. Place onions in a skillet with olive oil. Cook until onions are slightly soft. Add sugar until onions are sweet, then add soy sauce, all to desired taste. Onions should be a caramel color and very soft by the time you are finished cooking them. Assemble sandwich. I put down a layer of mushrooms, a slice of Havarti cheese and the onions. Putting the cheese in the middle will help glue the whole sandwich together. Get a napkin, your favorite beverage and devour!