mushroom

Farro with Brie and Squash

Leah Short — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 19:13:44 +0000

Hey strangers! Whew, it has a been way too long since I last posted. (whispers :: last June). I meant to take a short hiatus, really I did. But you know that saying, “life happens when you’re planning?” It sure does.

Last June I was burned out of blogging. It’s a lot of work, and well, I just wanted to cook and bake and not have to worry about the perfect photo shoot. I wanted a hot meal for a change! Then life started happening. I got Invisalign, had surgery twice (one planned, one not so much), lots of work changes, Bama lost the national championship, this White House cluster, and the list goes on. I’ll admit I just got too comfortable not blogging.

The eating and cooking and baking did not stop though. I needed a break to just be in the kitchen. To remember why I started blogging in the first place. It’s because I love food. Food is comforting, food is social, food is delicious. And food should be shared. So here I am, dusting off the ol’ keyboard.

Speaking of comfort food, I thought I’d share this Farro with Brie and Squash recipe with you as my first recipe back. I’ve made this dish once before and I don’t know why I don’t keep it on regular rotation. It’s warm and comforting, and I love the bright colors from the squash, red onions, and parsley. Plus hello, roasted veggies are the best. The creamy brie adds decadence without going overboard and making the dish too rich. Chicken or pork would work well in this if you needed to add meat, but this is one of my all-time favorite vegetarian dishes.

I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for continuing to hang out in this space. It feels good to be back.

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 40 min

Farro with Brie and Squash

Ingredients:

2 red onions
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
8 oz. sliced cremini mushrooms
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/3 cups farro
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 lb. cubed peeled butternut squash (about 4 cups)
3 oz. brie cheese, rind removed and cubed, plus thin slices for topping*
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

*Note: I don't like eating the rind of brie and I'm too lazy to remove it, so I buy the little tubs of brie that come without it. Not as authentic, but much easier to work with if you don't like the rind.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Mince 1/2 red onion; cut the remaining 1 1/2 onions into 1/2-inch-thick wedges and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the minced onion, mushrooms and 1 teaspoon thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the farro to the pot and cook, stirring, until toasted, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 5 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the farro is tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine the onion wedges, butternut squash and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon thyme in a large bowl; season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and toss. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the vegetables are tender and browned, about 25 minutes.

4. Add the cubed brie to the farro; stir until creamy. Stir in the parsley. Top each serving of farro with the vegetables and a slice of brie.

per serving: 460 calories, 20g fat, 58g carbs, 8g fiber, 15g protein

Food Network

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Mushroom Cornbread Dressing

Leah Short — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 15:19:59 +0000

I can’t believe it’s taken me years to get this Mushroom Cornbread Dressing on the blog. This is my absolute favorite dressing and we have it almost every year. I say almost because I like to change it up, but nothing so far beats this recipe. It’s the perfect texture with cornbread, mushrooms, green onions, and almonds. Of course I slather it with cranberry sauce, too. I just love everything in this dressing! It’s also easy to halve if you don’t want to make the full recipe.

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Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Leah Short — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 15:36:55 +0000

A few days ago I got back from visiting my friends Carol and Mike, who just had a baby girl! I couldn’t wait to meet her! You may remember my visit to their house last year. I knew with a 2-month-old in the house that we’d be hanging out at home mostly. This was ok with me because I knew Carol would be down with making some goodies in the kitchen. We found these Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms in the latest issue of Food Network magazine. There were several variations, but these sounded so good with all the cheese and fennel. These hearty appetizers would also be great for watching the game later that night!

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Smothered Pork Chops

Leah Short — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:08:20 +0000

I was flipping through my cookbooks last week and nothing sounded good to me. Do you ever get in those moods where you want something, but you have no idea what that something is? I was in the mood to cook, but had no cravings. Nothing was jumping out at me, until I flipped to Smothered Pork Chops. Crispy pork chops smothered in a white wine-mushroom-chive cream sauce. This is why it’s essential for cookbooks to have pictures! I think I even said, “Oh yeah, smothered chops for dinner!” I definitely eat with my eyes first.

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Chicken, Kale, and Mushroom Chimichangas

Leah Short — Mon, 26 May 2014 17:09:19 +0000

Y’all…I seriously went nuts over these Chicken, Kale, and Mushroom Chimichangas. I mean I figured they’d be tasty, but I had no idea just how tasty a chimichanga could be, especially if it’s not deep-fried and smothered in cheese and sour cream. I have the worst time at Mexican restaurants holding back on the sour cream. It’s my Kryptonite with any Mexican food. What lured me into this recipe was of course, it’s low calorie, but I also had flour tortillas I needed to use and that avocado cream on top was calling my name!

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Stuffed Shells

Leah Short — Mon, 12 May 2014 13:06:20 +0000

A few weekends ago I was at my mom’s house and I wanted to cook something figure-friendly, but it had to be something we’d both enjoy. Sometimes low calorie versions of your favorite foods don’t quite taste as good as the original. Since my mom isn’t concerned with calories like I am, it had to taste good for her, too. We found this awesome recipe for vegetarian Stuffed Shells that was full of cheese and yummy veggies, and under 400 calories per serving. I’d say we both came out winners with this one!

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Mushroom Pesto Pizza

Leah Short — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 13:52:15 +0000

Yes, more pizza! I’m still not sick of making pizza at home. It’s so incredibly easy to make and with the variety of toppings, it’s a different pizza every time. I’m a huge mushroom fan and this Mushroom Pesto Pizza instantly caught my eye. I had a jar of pesto in the fridge and porcinis in the freezer, so there wasn’t much else for me to buy to whip this up. Love using up items in my pantry/fridge so they don’t go to waste.

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Snap Pea & Brown Rice Salad

Leah Short — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:44:59 +0000

I’ve been focusing on eating better lately. Yes, counting calories, but really trying to add a lot more veggies and better foods into my diet. Before I attempted the 1-day juice cleanse, I’d had this plan to go to the grocery store and load up on good-for-me food. I came across a salad in Eating Well, but couldn’t find quinoa at the grocery store so I substituted brown rice and made Snap Pea & Brown Rice Salad.

So, how’s it taste?

I only intended to have a small bite when I made it because I had already broken the cleanse and was trying to push through it. One bite and I was gone! It’s so amazingly good. I always had a bad impression of sugar snap peas, that they were boring and had a “funny crunch.” What was I thinking? I tasted a few before I popped them into the salad and yum! Slightly sweet and they added a great texture to this already texture-loaded dish. Brown rice is a great vehicle for veggies and dressing. The lemon and olive oil keep it simple, with the dill adding an extra oomph. I used dried and this salad would be even more incredible with fresh. The mushrooms soaked up the dressing and I loved the bite from the red onion slivers (plus the pop of purple).

I loved it made fresh with brown rice…seriously went gaga over it, but the leftovers were awful. You know how reheated rice is just not the same as cooked fresh? The rice is too stiff and the mushrooms got too gushy and made it watery and tasteless the next day. I was surprised it didn’t keep well. I want to make this again with quinoa as the original recipe calls for to see if it holds up better. Although this salad would be very easy to make a few servings at a time.

Snap Pea & Brown Rice Salad

adapted from Eating Well, March/April 2013
makes 6 servings, about 1 cup each

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups water
1 cup brown rice
2 cups fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed & cut diagonally into thirds
1 1/2 cups button mushrooms, cut into quarters if large
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill (or 1/2 tbsp. dried)
1/3 cup white balsamic or white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
1 tbsp. lemon juice
honey to taste, optional

Directions:

1. Heat water to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in rice, cover, reduce heat to a simmer.

2. Simmer 45 minutes or until all water is absorbed and rice is tender. Fluff lightly with a fork and set aside.

3. Combine peas, mushrooms, onion, and dill in a medium bowl. Whisk vinegar, oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir the dressing into the cooled rice until evenly dispersed. Add the rice to the vegetable mixture and toss. Taste to see if you'd prefer a touch of sweetness from the honey. (I did this in a serving size because I enjoyed it with and without honey.) Serve immediately.

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Pierogi, Sausage & Squash Stew

Leah Short — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:04:35 +0000

We’ve barely mentioned pierogies on this blog. Back in 2010, they were on my recap post of a food tour I took in NYC. I love them. If you’re not familiar with pierogies, they are a carb-lovers dream. Pillows of dough filled with mashed potatoes. I like to slather mine in sour cream and onions. As I flipped through my Food Network magazine, I had eyes for this Pierogi, Sausage & Squash Stew. I added sausage to the title because it’s such a huge part of this dish. So much going on in this recipe and it makes four huge servings. I like the word “huge” when it refers to a serving size and I’m counting calories.

So, how’s it taste?

I was iffy about it because the ingredients have the potential to be too weird together to be good. Especially when you add the cabbage. It stinks! Seriously stinks! Luckily the smell is no where near the flavor. I had to alter the recipe a bit and used pork sausage instead of turkey. That worked out really well, so I highly suggest making that substitution. I also couldn’t find pre-cut butternut squash either fresh or frozen and I wasn’t about to cut one myself, so I substituted frozen, pureed butternut squash. I really toiled over that decision at the grocery store, but again, I think it worked out better than if I had used cubed. It makes the stew really thick and comforting. There’s enough chunks it it with the mushrooms, sausage, and the pierogies, so I liked not having yet another chunk of something.

The flavor was incredible. I’ll repeat that. Incredible! I was surprised at how much I loved it. It was hearty and comforting and had so many textures. The cabbage stays a bit crunchy, then all the chunks of mushrooms and sausage, and oh those pierogies! A dollop of sour cream makes it so rich. I started using a bit of prepared horseradish in this soup and now I try it in others all the time. It works fantastic in this stew. It gives just a bit of kick and yet another layer of awesomeness.

I would suggest cooking the pierogies separately as you need them for a serving. While I really enjoyed the leftovers, the pierogies got a bit soggy the longer they were in the stew. If you’re using full size pierogies, I also suggest cutting them in thirds. It makes for much easier eating.

Pierogi, Sausage & Squash Stew

adapted from Food Network Magazine
makes 4 servings
per serving: 388 calories, 13g fat, 46g carbs, 4g fiber, 24g protein

Ingredients:

2 tsp. olive oil
8 oz. Italian turkey or pork sausage, casings removed
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups shredded coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
10 oz. box frozen butternut squash, thawed
1 (12 oz.) package cheddar and potato pierogies
Kosher salt
1/3 cup sour cream
Freshly ground pepper
Horseradish, prepared, optional

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and stir well to coat. Increase heat to medium high, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute, then stir in chicken broth and 2 cups water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

2. Add coleslaw mix, cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the cabbage is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the squash and pierogies* and simmer, uncovered, until the pierogies are cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt. Divide among bowls and top with the sour cream, and pepper to taste. Add horseradish for a spicy kick.

*Note: I would suggest cooking the pierogies separately and adding them as you need them for each serving. The leftovers tasted great, but the pierogies did get a bit soggy the longer they were in the stew. So if you're not going to eat the entire recipe in one sitting, cook as many pierogies as you need per serving. It's also good to cut them into thirds to make eating the stew easier.

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