Creamy Shiitake & Chard Spaghetti

There isn’t a dish much more comforting than a big bowl of hot mushroom spaghetti in a rich and creamy garlic sauce. This is the absolute perfect meal for cold winter nights! It’s remarkable enough for a special occasion but easy enough for a weeknight and is sure to please everyone.

It's a great day for a heart-warming recipe, and this one is going into the weekday lineup! It's been so frigid here (-30°F) and poor Todd has been tackling the heaps and heaps of snow we've been getting. Our little home is surrounded by a beautiful winter wonderland and after a long day of work, it invites me to curl up by the fire with a big mug of cocoa and vegan marshmallows several times a week. 

I haven't been able to do much around the house lately and have been trying to lay pretty low. The combination of being super pregnant (just a few more weeks to go!) and acquiring gestational hypertension has me slow-going. My obstetrician is threatening bed-rest and has now taken away my 'leisurely walking' privileges which really stinks because it's so lovely outside and there is so much snow to play in! Consequently, I've been reading a lot of books if not keep my body active, at least my mind. Follow along with what I'm reading on social media or Goodreads.

Todd and I have been hastily scraping together a nursery and Bailey has been following me around the house everywhere. He's my little shadow, even climbing into the shower with me last night... I think he finally knows about the baby. When Anouk snuggles me, he nuzzles his little head against my bump and closes his eyes sleepily. They're both so sweet! I have some obligatory photos of them below, patiently waiting for their new family member to arrive.

Creamy Shiitake & Chard Spaghetti

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

Published 01/23/2017

There isn’t a dish much more comforting than a big bowl of hot mushroom spaghetti in a rich and creamy garlic sauce. This is the absolute perfect meal for cold winter nights! It’s remarkable enough for a special occasion but easy enough for a weeknight and is sure to please everyone.

Ingredients

• 2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms (I use half shiitake and half foraged bolete), rehydrated and chopped (or use 1 lb fresh mushrooms)
• ½ cup vegan stick butter, divided
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp dried herbes de provence
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• dash of fresh nutmeg
• 1 lb dried spaghetti
• 3 cups plain, unsweetened vegan milk (I like to use soymilk)
• 1 bunch of chard, de-stemmed and chopped
• ½ cup - 1 cup reserved mushroom broth or vegetable broth

Instructions

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a medium size bowl and cover completely with hot water. Allow to rest for about 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, gather and measure all the ingredients and prepare the chard. Mise en place! Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
3. Heat ¼ cup butter in a very large rimmed frying pan over medium-low heat; saute the garlic until fragrant, about 3 minutes. While the garlic cooks, remove the mushrooms from the broth using a slotted spoon (save the broth) and dice; add to the garlic and saute 8 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
4. When the water for the pasta is boiling, add the pasta and cook 8-10 minutes until al dente. In the frying pan, heat the remaining ¼ cup of butter over medium-low; whisk in the flour, herbs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Saute for about 3 minutes, then slowly whisk in the milk; whisk on occasion for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly.
5. Stir in the mushrooms and the chard, cook for about 3-5 minutes until the chard has wilted. Remove from heat and stir in the drained pasta.
6. Toss well to combine and serve hot. Add the reserved mushroom broth in ¼ cup quantities to thin the dish as you see fit, or as you reheat the pasta for leftovers.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Until next time, stay warm and cozy my friends! 

Curried Noodles

Chewy rice noodles coated in a zesty curry sauce paired with savory minced broccoli and mushrooms, with a little spicy Thai kick!

The days grow longer up here in The Last Frontier and I relish in the evening light. Somedays, if it's sunny out, I don't even have to use the artificial lamp! Now that, is a wonderful thing. Natural light is so easy. It's moody and authentic and it's beauty always surprises me. It permisses my creative spirit to shine. Moods lift and souls sing. Is there nothing a little ray sunshine can't do?

However, with summer on my heels, like a glass of spilled milk...worry slowly slinks and seeps into every nook of my brain, pooling heavily in each chamber of my heart. It creeps along until it's completely encompassing and before I knew what hit me I'm utterly freaking out about summer's imminent arrival.

I'm usually not so candid...but it's been a stressful and overwhelming time over here. Not in a bad way though. In a very good way, in fact. Terribly delicious and happy things have been in the works for Todd and I, and they all culminate this summer. A dream home on a dream piece of property, for one. We are just beginning to clear the land now! And something else...more secretive.  Life changing, both of these things. Both pressing on me to rush, rush, rush, but my decisions and efforts must be top notch, but still, please... the deadlines, get ahead while I can and make it easier on my future self! I don't do well under pressure. I can't. I need time to digest things and research the best way to do this and the most rational method for that. It's a nuisance at best and incredibly taxing at worst, but it's a part of me that I wouldn't wish away. 

So, crushed under the weight of all these menacing and bullying whispers, what do I decide to do? Take a vacation. Yep, it's probably the worst timing I could have chosen but I'm telling that little voice inside my head that panics, "Katie! What are you doing? You don't have time for this! You can't go to Kauai! This is a mistake. Oh dear, you'll regret this later. I told you so." to talk to the hand. I'm only able to justify this trip as quasi-necessary because I'm going for a radiology conference (work is paying for a portion of the trip)...and well, my sanity is at stake.

For now, I'll leave the dramatics at the door and lend you this recipe for my curried noodles. A soul soothing dish for even the most frazzled of stressed-out worrywarts.  When in doubt, eat your feelings. Oh wait, no...don't do that...

“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”

— Nelson Mandela

Curried Noodles

Chewy rice noodles coated in a zesty curry sauce paired with savory minced broccoli and mushrooms, with a little spicy Thai kick! Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

• 6 oz pad thai rice noodle sticks, dry
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 large yellow onion, rough chopped
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 6 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large head of broccoli, florets only
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vegan sugar
• ½ tbsp lime zest
• ½ tbsp lemon zest
• 1 lime, juiced (2 tbsp)
• ½ lemon, juiced (2 tbsp)
• 4 green onions, cut on the diagonal
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Cooking Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil for the noodles. Once boiling, remove from heat and add the noodles. Allow to soak for about 20-30 minutes, until tender. Once ready, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside until ready to use.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium. Add the onion to a food processor and process until finely chopped. Transfer to the skillet and sauté for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add the crushed red pepper and garlic. Sauté about 5 more minutes.
3. Now, add the curry powder through and including the tomato paste. Stir well to incorporate. Add the sliced mushrooms to the skillet and sauté until browned and shrunken, about 5-10 minutes.
4. Pulse the broccoli in the food processor until finely chopped and transfer it to the skillet. Stir well. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture, and stir to combine. Add the broth and soy sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally while cooking for about 15 minutes, until the broccoli is tender.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the citrus zest and juices. Add the tender noodles to the skillet and stir well to combine. Top with the green onions and cilantro.
6. Serve hot.

So we are going to Kauai in a few days! Any tips and/or food suggestions, beach recommendations, etc.?

Dutch Word of The Day

Farming --> landbouw (land-bow*) *like as in "take a bow"

Information for The Day

"You don’t have to be a vegan to be repulsed by an account in The Times revealing the moral depths to which the federal government — working as a handmaiden to industrial agriculture — has sunk in pursuit of cheaper meat and fatter corporate profits." Our government hard at work. Vote with your fork and be informed. A quick article from the New York Times, "Farming Science, Without the Conscience."

Portobello Mushroom Steaks & Whole Foods Giveaway!

A very happy and joyful New Year to you! I hope it's starting out beautifully. As beautiful as these portobello steaks, perhaps? See what I did there? Just jumping right in! I'm so excited, this is such a wonderful post for the start of 2015!

While we were on Christmas vacation in Ohio, Todd and I were invited downtown, to a somewhat upscale restaurant in Cleveland. There were a few vegan options and one was a portobello steak. I had never had a portobello steak before! Let me say, it was amazing!! I knew I had to make them when I got home. 

It was actually pretty serendipitous because Whole Foods had contacted me earlier about working with them on a mushroom promotion! I'm down with promoting mushrooms, love the little "fun guys"...get it? Hehe. Anyways, I picked up these 'bellos at Whole Foods to make some steaks. Whole Foods is a such an intriguing place to pick up mushrooms because there are so many options. I also snagged a box filled with a variety of all kinds of funky, different little mushrooms I'd never seen before. I cooked them up in some pasta with artichokes! Delish!

And I suspect you saw the bit about the giveaway? Stay tuned below to enter to win a $50 Whole Foods Market gift card! 

First things first though, it's steak time! Don't worry, no furry companions were harmed in the making of these meaty steaks!

This juicy, Portobello steak will satisfy your cravings and fill you up. Sautéed with onions, balsamic vinegar, mirin, and herbs it’s a compassionate alternative to eating our furry friends! 

Portobello Mushroom Steaks

This juicy, Portobello steak will satisfy your cravings and fill you up. Sauteed with onions, balsamic vinegar, mirin, and herbs it’s a compassionate alternative to eating our furry friends! Adapted from Happy Herbivore.

Yield: 2 steaks

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. vegan butter
• 1/2 cup vegan vegetable or beef broth
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. mirin or sherry
• ½ Tbsp. soy sauce
• ½ Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• ½ tsp. dried basil
• dash of ground black pepper
• 2 large, whole Portobello mushrooms

Cooking Directions

1. In a large frying pan, heat the butter over medium. Once melted, add half of the broth and bring to a simmer.
2. Next, add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 8 minutes over medium-high.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl excluding the mushrooms and the remaining broth. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth to clean them and pull off the stems.
4. Add the whisked mixture to the pan and reduce to medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and then add in the Portobello caps and their stems.
5. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Gently turn over the mushrooms, add in the remaining broth, cover and cook an additional 8 minutes.
6. Serve hot, topped with the juice and onions over top.

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Dutch Word of The Day

Happy New Year --> Gelukkig Nieuwjaar (heh-lookahg-new-yearh) -- okay so that's a tough one to say...

Good Deed of The Day

Have you heard of Veganuary? If you're pondering about trying to cut out animal products from your diet for a month, now is the best time to do it! Find more information here and spread the word.