Protobello Mushroom Stroganoff

We ate this for dinner tonight and I was a little worried about how my children would do with big chunks of mushrooms and of course the look of this meal, but they like it! I didn't hear this one tonight "This looks GROSS Mom, I don't WANT to eat it!" Which is always nice.

Portobello Mushroom Stroganoff

Serves 8

Hands on time: 30 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes (I'm not sure it even took that long)

Ingredients:

12 oz whole-wheat egg noodles

Olive oil cooking spray

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 oz white mushrooms, thinly sliced

8 oz portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced (I only used 6 and it seemed to be enough)

1 clove garlic, minced

14 oz medium- firm tofu, pureed in blender or food processor

8 oz low-fat sour cream ( I like to use fat free)

8 oz low-sodium beef stock

1 Tbsp unsalted tomato paste

1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 tsp dried dill

Instructions:

one: Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

two: Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low, mist with cooking spray and add onion. Saute for about 8 minutes or until caramelized. Add white and portobello mushrooms and garlic. Mist with cooking spray, if needed, and saute until cooked, about 5 more minutes.

three: Add tofu, sour cream, stock and tomato paste, and stir until smooth. Stir in seasoning, salt and pepper.

four: Pour mushroom sauce over cooked noodles. Serve topped with dill.

found this one in Clean Eating magazine Jan/Feb 2010 page 66

Brussels Sprouts with Spicy Almond Glaze

If you like spicy then you'll love these. I was a little nervous about these, but they turned out to be really good. I think I liked them even more the next day.

Brussels sprouts

with spicy almond glaze

Serves 4

Hands on time: 20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb Brussels sprouts

3 Tbsp smooth unsalted almond butter (for a delicious change of taste you can also use your favorite unsalted natural nut butter, such as peanut or cashew in lieu of the almond)

2 tsp low-sodium tamari soy sauce

2 tsp raw organic honey

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp cayenne pepper or your favorite hot chile sauce

1 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

Instructions:

one: Trim about 1/4-inch from bottom of each sprout. Separate and remove loose outer leaves of each sprout from the center. Place leaves into a bowl and set aside. Slice each sprout center in half. In separate small bowl, whisk together almond butter, 1 1/2 tbsp water, soy sauce, honey, lemon juice and cayenne. Set aside.

two: Heat oil in a medium nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and halved sprout centers and sear for about 1 minute. Add leaves and saute until light brown and wilted, about 4 to 6 minutes.

Three: Add about 2 tbsp water to pan and stir once. Reduce heat to medium, pour in almond butter mixture and stir until sprouts are coated. Cook for about 30 to 60 seconds longer, until sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Main-dish pairing: Enjoy this scrumptious side with steamed brown rice and sauteed shrimp.

I found that I didn't really need a side. It filled me up really well. I didn't offer this to my children because of how spicy it is, but my husband liked them just as much as I did.