Mushrooms are my friend

Here's another recipe that I've tried that I really enjoyed. If it has a good mushroom in it...I'm there.

Fusilli with Oyster Mushrooms and Artichokes
Serves 2

You'll need:
7 oz fusilli pasta (or any other "chunky" pasta) | 1 tsp olive oil | 1 garlic clove, crushed | 4 oz oyster mushrooms (torn if large) | 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced (quartered works great too) | salt and pepper to taste | 6 sprigs basil, torn | sliced or shaved parmesan cheese to top

Cook your pasta. Neat idea for a pasta dish, right? The recipe calls for al dente, but I thought that al dente was a bit too...not done. I'd go one minute over what the cooking instructions recommend for al dente. While you're pasta is cooking...

...heat the oil in a skillet and fry up the garlic for a few seconds. Toss in the mushrooms and cook until tender (4-5 minutes). Add the artichokes, season with salt and pepper. I took half of the basil and tore it up and added it here and let it cook a bit longer--maybe four minutes or so on a low flame.

Once the pasta is done to your preference...drain and toss with the cooked mixture. Tear up and add the remaining basil leaves. Top with shaved or sliced parmesan and enjoy!

I should have taken a picture of this lovely little dish. It was yummy! I found this and the Shiitake mushroom recipe from Vegetarian Express. Great recipe book!

"Shiitake" is the word for the day

Nora had asked me to share my favorite recipes that I came across. Truth be told I've only tried two recipes out of the two cookbooks that I borrowed but I do have a LOT of recipes tagged to try.

Here's the first recipe that I tried and it was an amazing success. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...

Crispy noodle cakes with shiitake mushrooms, bok choy and chili pepper!
(Serves 2)

You'll need: (for the cakes)
4 oz thin egg noodles | 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce | salt | 1-2 tbsp sesame seed oil

For the veggies: 4 oz shiitake mushrooms | 10 oz bok choy | 4 tsp sesame seed oil
1 garlic clove, finely sliced | 1 tsp corn starch | 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp red chili pepper sauce | 1/2 tsp water

Here's how to throw it all together:
Put the noodles into a sauce pan full of boiling water, cook for 3 minutes (or until al dente). Drain, add the soy sauce. Heat your sesame oil in a large skillet. Add half the noodles to the skillet, form them into a flat, oval cake slightly less than 1/2 inch thick. Scoot the cake on over (carefully!) to make room for another noodle cake (or just be a smart cookie and place the noodles on one side of the skillet unlike some *cough* people). Cook both cakes 4 mins or so on either side to crisp them up.

Meanwhile....stir fry your veggies. Knock of any dirt from your shiitakes and cut the stems down a bit. Wash the bok choy and trim off the bottom stalks. Slice diagonally and don't leave out any of the greens! Heat your other bits of oil in a wok or another skillet; add the garlic (I used pre-chopped garlic from a jar. I know, cheater cheater pumpkin eater). Cook garlic for 30 seconds then add the mushrooms. Stir fry over medium-high heat for 3 mins or until the mushrooms start to soften. Add the boy choy and stir fry for another 3 mins until the bok choy leaves are starting to wilt but still are crisp. Separately, mix the cornstarch with the low sodium soy sauce and add this concoction to the veggies. Cook another 1-2 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed (though soy sauce is already loaded with sodium I doubt you'll need more...unless you are a certifiable salt freak).

Lastly, mix the chili pepper sauce and water. Arrange your cooked noodle cake and half the veggies on each plate. Drizzle your chili pepper sauce around your noodle cake...and then dig in!

Some thoughts on this recipe... I LOVED THIS! I also noted that this itty bitty bit of the chili pepper sauce was not enough. I would suggest making more to have on the side and add it to taste as you like.

My husband remarked to me..."If this is eating vegetarian you can count me in!" I'm not trying to change anyone else's eating habits (aside from eating healthier in the general sense) but I was tickled that he loved this dinner. He wants me to make this again tonight. Shiitake shiitake shiitake!

Seeking Veggie Variety. Meat Need Not Apply.

After I stopped eating meat I found myself eating zucchini, summer squash, portabello mushrooms and asparagus a lot. I'd sauté some or all of these lovely veggies and toss the colorful collection with angel hair or linguine and a fresh balsamic vinaigrette.

But what happens after you start getting sick of tossed asparagus? As much as I love my vinaigrette it seemed as though it was becoming as commonplace as, dare I say, ketchup. I need a variety of dishes that I can prepare and enjoy. Seeing as how meat is no longer appealing I can see myself stuck eating the same thing over and over and over again. Problem is, I'm not "natural" cook like some folks I know. I can't toss a random assortment of ingredients together and proclaim Voilà! I'm lucky that I can cook pasta al dente.

God bless the library. Do you have any idea of the sheer number of cookbooks that they have? While I look for vegetarian cookbooks my eyes glaze over the spines of such books as:

• High Fiber, High Flavor: More Than 180 Recipes for Good Health

(I'm not looking to get that intimate with my diet)

• A Taste of Murder: Diabolically Delicious Recipes From Contemporary Mystery Writers
  

(Should I be worried that these dishes will do me in?)

• Beer-can Chicken and 74 Other Offbeat Recipes For The Grill

(Beer. Can. Chicken. Seriously?)

• Cookies to die for!

(Lead me not into temptation...)

I finally run across a couple of vegetarian cookbooks that I like and pull them from the shelves. They had pictures. I gotta have the pictures. If there aren't any pictures how the hell am I suppose to know what the meal is supposed to look like?

With cookbooks finally in hand the next order of business will be deciding which I will try first: the Spaghetti with Black Olive and Mushroom Sauce or the Honey-roasted Eggplant with Sesame and Hummus in Pita Bread?

Decisions, decisions. Wish me luck.