BBQ Portabello Mushrooms (& Tofu)

You've heard it all before. I started a new job 6 months ago. It's 45 miles away in the city and requires me to commute between an hour to an hour and 15 minutes one-way to get to work. Also, I'm responsible for getting an entire new department up and running in the next 12 months. Suffice to say, it leaves very little time for my favorite pastime - food blogging! As I've mentioned over the last few months, I've resorted to the tried and true recipes I've devised over the last few years. Rice pilafs, beans, breads, pastas ... baked potatoes with toppings! That's the usual fare. But its summer and everyone is grilling. I love the smokey smell of foods off the grill. However, there are only so many Black Bean and Boca burgers one can eat before they start to get really old ... really soon. 

This post goes put to one of my husband's business acquaintances. Ms. Kelly Lazar is an avid follower of my blog and she recently mentioned to my husband that she missed my regular postings. So although I can't promise to be as consistent as I used to be .. I'll try to do more than just post pictures on Facebook. Here's a super-easy recipe - perfect for quick summer meals. 

Prep Time: 10-15 min (or more if you marinate)

Ingredients (Serves 2):

1. 2 Large (3-4") Portabello Mushrooms (~4 oz each)
2. Half of a 14 oz Block of Extra-Firm Tofu*
3. 4-6 tbsp of your favorite BBQ Sauce
4. 1 tbsp Minced garlic
5. Kosher Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Pre-heat grill to between Hot to Medium-Hot. The purpose here is to sear both the tofu and the mushrooms which will prevent sticking. Remove stems from mushrooms and brush with a damp paper towel to remove any dirt. Place each mushroom on its belly and sprinkle Kosher salt, freshly crushed pepper and some minced garlic on the gills. Press tofu between 2 paper towels to remove excess water (use heavy cans to weigh down the top to squeeze out the excess). Slice into 2 thick steaks. When the grill is ready, place both items on the hottest part of the grate (place mushrooms gills-side-up). Sear tofu on one side, turn and place on a different hotter part of the grate to sear that side as well. Grill 8-10 min total until the edges of the tofu begin to get crispy and the mushroom shrinks in thickness and girth (its hard to overcook either of these items). Turn mushroom only once towards the end so that all the salt and garlic juices have a chance to seep into the mushroom as it cooks from the underside. Just before they're ready, brush your favorite BBQ sauce on both sides (I use Stubb's or Rudy's which are both available in grocery stores nationwide). Allow excess sauce to burn off (this adds to the smoky flavor). Serve immediately and watch 'em disappear! 

* If you're trying to maintain a no-soy or a low-fat diet, skip the tofu altogether. Almost all the fat in this dish is from tofu. But so also is most of the protein (see nutrition information below). I love both foods so I have no problem consuming the fat in tofu :) 

Note: Marinating both pressed tofu and mushrooms for 4-6 hours in a gallon ziploc bag will help bring out the flavors. I'd recommend splashing both with a good balsamic vinegar. Place in the fridge and turn occasionally. 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving - Mushrooms Only): Calories 61 (Fat Calories 2)

Total Fat 0.2 g; Carbohydrates 13.1 g; Fiber 1.8 g; Sugars 7.1 g; Protein 3.1 g

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving - Mushrooms & Tofu): Calories 176 (Fat Calories 54)

Total Fat 6.0 g; Carbohydrates 21.1 g; Fiber 2.2 g; Sugars 12.6 g; Protein 12.9 g

If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

Roasted Cauliflower and Black Bean Soup

Sitting at home on a lazy Saturday afternoon, with no plans for the day, I felt the need for a hearty wholesome soup. I had New Veggie #66 - A Green Cauliflower - sitting in the fridge for the last few days and while I knew I wanted to roast it, I knew I wanted to do something more! 

Roasted Cauliflower & Black Bean Soup

Prep Time: 30 min

Ingredients (6 servings):

1. 2 x 15 oz cans of Black Beans (~3 cups, drained and well rinsed)
2. 1 head of Green Cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets (~2 cups)
3. 2 Portabella Mushroom caps, diced
4. 1 Medium White Onion, diced
5. 2 tbsp Garlic, minced
6. 8 cups of home-made no-added-salt Vegetable Broth, or water
7. 1 tbsp Miso
8. 1 tbsp 'Better than Bouillon' Mushroom Base
9. 1/2 tsp fresh Rosemary, diced finely
10. 2-3 tbsp fresh Cilantro, diced finely
11. Salt and Pepper, to taste
12. Lemon/Lime Juice, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or Pam and spread cauliflower florets in a single layer. Place in oven and turn the broiler on Hi. Monitor the progress of the cauliflower as your prepare the rest of the soup. Turn florets over after about 5-7 minutes, and if needed, turn the broiler down to Lo. Roast until the florets are tender (not mushy) and aromatic, and a hint of brown at the tips. Mine took about 8 min on Hi, and 10 min of Lo before the aroma and look was just right. 

Roasted Cauliflower & Black Bean Soup

While the cauliflower is roasting, line a deep pot with water or broth and add garlic and onions. Once the garlic begins to release its aroma add the black beans, and mushroom base and the remaining broth (yes, it will look very soupy at this time) and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to allow a simmer and add rosemary, cilantro and diced Portabella mushrooms. Simmer for 15 min. Once the cauliflower is done roasting, remove the sheet from the oven and allow to sit for a couple of minutes (which allows the outside of each piece to dry up some, which prevents them from disintegrating in  the soup). Then add each floret, piece by piece, to the soup and once all the pieces are added, give the whole thing a gentle stir. Turn off heat, dissolve miso in a few tablespoons of water and add to the soup. Mix again gently and then cover and let sit for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld before serving with freshly cracked black-pepper and/or a few drops of lemon juice, with warm bread. 

My Assessment: My DH had 2 bowls. He preferred it without the lemon juice. I liked mine better with a few added drops of lemon juice. Both of us ate it with some of last night's bread. Li'l Nik didn't want nothing to do with the soup :) ... we loved it!!

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)*: Calories 161
Total Fat 0.9 g; Cholesterol 0 g; Carbohydrates 34.5 g; Fiber 8.9 g; Sugars 3.4 g; Protein 10.4 g

* Nutrition facts are provided for the water option as vegetable broth calorie content can vary tremendously.

15-min Barley & Vegetable Soup - Take 2

Recently, Tony decided to go herbie with me :) for 90 days. Since his repertoire of veggies and grains is still rather limited, I've been attempting to try some of the things he might enjoy for his dinners and left-over lunches. He's told me often enough that he likes Barley and that he likes it in soup, so I decided to make another version of my 15-min Barley & Vegetable Soup by withholding some of the non-traditional items that I use in my original version (no TVP or lentils today). I added black beans to add back the protein that I lost by removing TVP and lentils and since those are T's favorite bean ... we were all set for a wonderful heart-warming dinner :)

Barley & Vegetable Soup - Take 2

Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

1. 5-6 cups Vegetable broth, or water
2. 3/4 cup Barley 
3. 3 stalks of celery, diced
4. 2 carrots, diced
5. 1 bunch of Spinach, stems removed
6. 1 15oz can of Black beans, drained
7. 2 Portabella mushrooms, diced
8. 2 tsp dried Basil
9. 2-3 tsp Minced Garlic, to taste
10. 1 heaping tbsp Yellow Miso
11. 1 tbsp Ketchup
12. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients, with the exception of the last 3 in a pressure cooker and cook for 5 minutes under high pressure. I used "quick" barley since I am trying to get it eaten before I open my bag of regular barley, With regular barley, I'm guessing a 10-15 min high pressure would be enough. I'll have to update that when I've had a chance to try it out. Once the steam is released, open the cooker, add and mix in the miso & ketchup and salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste ... enjoy!! 

Red Potatoes in HH Brown Gravy

Sounds sinfully good, doesn't it?? Before going all plant-based in my food choices, I always preferred brown gravy to white gravy. I ate brown gravy on mashed potatoes, on steak, on turkey ... always brown gravy. Needless to say I was skeptical about trying out a 'plant-strong' version of it. But The Happy Herbivore has not disappointed me too many times with any of her recipes, so I tried the HH Brown Gravy yesterday. The only modification I made was that I added a 6 sliced brown mushrooms to the pan as the gravy was simmering, before I added the corn starch. Yesterday, I ate is simply as a topping on a mashed potato (heavenly!). So today I decided to use it in a different way .. 

Red Potatoes in HH Brown Gravy

Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients: 

1. 4 Red potatoes, diced into bite-sized chunks
2. 1 cup HH Brown Gravy, with Mushrooms
3. Pepper, to taste

Directions: 

In a large skillet, on medium heat, add potatoes and top with the gravy. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Toss well, Season with black pepper and enjoy!!

Nik's & Alex's Reaction: A hit!!! Both of them enjoyed the potatoes more than anything else on their plate tonight!! :)

Spanish Cauliflower Rice Pilaf

This recipe is a variation of the original Cauliflower Rice recipe I posted a few weeks ago. While reading Chef AJ's book Unprocessed, I found that she had a recipe for Raw Cauliflower Rice, which was similar to what I had found a few weeks earlier on the internet, but she used an 'Orange' cauliflower instead of the usual white one and called her raw version, Spanish Rice. So I decided to try this modified and 'cooked' version. 

Spanish Cauliflower Rice Pilaf

Prep Time: 10-12 min

Ingredients: 

1. 1 head of Orange cauliflower
2. 1/2 Onion, diced finely
3. 2 Portabella Mushrooms, diced
4. 1 tbsp Taco seasoning
5. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Shred cauliflower using a hand-held shredder, or in a food processor. Set aside. Line a large skillet with water and cook onion until it is transparent and cooked down. Then add taco seasoning, and another splash of water, if necessary. Add in Taco seasoning, Salt and Pepper and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until mushrooms have released most of their water, and the whole mixture is about dry. Turn off heat. Add Cauliflower and toss well and the transfer everything to a microwave safe bowl, with a lid. Do not add any water. Cover and microwave on high for 6 minutes. Uncover, toss and microwave on high for another 2 min, if necessary. Remove and leave covered, until ready to eat. I served this as a side with TVP Tacos. Umm Umm Good! 

Gimme More ... Sautéed Mushrooms

I never met a mushroom I didn't love. I often sautéed mushrooms as a topping for my mashed potato, baked potato etc. This is definitely a Gimme More recipe.

Prep Time: 5 min

Ingredients:

1. 4-5 Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced
2. 3-4 Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
3. 1/4 cup Almond Milk
4. 1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
5. 1-2 tsp Soy Sauce
6. 1 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce

Directions:

Line a skillet with milk and add ginger-garlic paste. Once fragrant, add mushrooms, and condiments and sauté until mushrooms are done. Serve over rice. 

Tonight, I served these over a bed of Cauliflower Rice. The sauce, and all the lovely flavors in it, was soaked up immediately by the cauliflower. I also had a side of Wilted Kale which worked beautifully with these mushrooms. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE Mushrooms! 

Southwestern Quinoa & Portabella Tacos

I made a big batch of southwestern style Quinoa to last me a whole week :) !! While plain Quinoa is amazing by itself in sweet and savory dishes, this southwestern version totally blows it out of the ball park! 

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup Quinoa
2. 1 cup mild Salsa
3. 2 Portabello mushrooms, Sliced
4. 1/2 cup Snow Peas
5. 2 tbsp Taco Seasoning
6. 2 Whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

Rinse quinoa and prepare as I've described previously (How to Prepare Quinoa). To make 'Southwestern' style quinoa, a version similar to Spanish rice served in Mexican restaurants across the country, I simply added fresh homemade salsa while preparing quinoa. In order to ensure that I could add Salsa without overwhelming my quinoa with liquid, I used a large mesh strainer to drain all of the liquid from the salsa into a measuring cup. Then, I made up the volume I needed with tap water.  I mixed the Salsa solids with the dry quinoa and added the measured amount of liquid to cook the quinoa. Once done, fluff with a fork for the best consistency. 

Separately, line a skillet with water and add taco seasoning. Once mixed, add the snow peas and cook for a few minutes and then add the sliced mushrooms. Toss well and cook for a couple more minutes until done. Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and warm in an oven set to 350F (takes 4-5 minutes).

Prepare Tacos by layering quinoa and veggies. I didn't have any fresh greens today, but a nice layer of baby spinach would definitely add a nice crunch to it as well. Overall a yummy no-added-fat dinner that was ready in 15-20 minutes.

* For a mild Salsa combine the following in a food processor.

1. 2 large or extra-large fresh Tomatoes
2. 2 Green Onions/Scallions
3. 1/4 cup fresh Cilantro leaves
4. 1 clove of Garlic
5. 1/4 Jalapeño (deseeded)
6. Juice of 1 lime
7. Salt, to taste