If you’re a mushroom lover, you’re in for a treat with this rustic pasta dish that features both dried and fresh mushrooms. “Earthy” doesn’t begin to describe the smell of the mushrooms as they cook down. “Woodsy” and “mossy” are probably the best words – if I closed my eyes, my kitchen turned into a deep, dark forest. The smell had us swooning!

I’m happy to see that cultivated Hen of the Woods (maitake) mushrooms are becoming more readily available. They had them in little packages at one of my health food haunts (Mother Earth in Kingston, NY). Finding them at your local farmer’s market is even better. And if you can’t track them down, oyster or even shiitake mushrooms would be fine substitutes.

Now, let me address the controversial subject of peas. My tasters were divided on whether they should be included in this dish. One person felt strongly that the peas took away from her nearly-religious mushroom experience. Another liked the dash of color and the contrasting flavor. So you’re going to have to decide which camp you fall into. Peas or no peas, I think you’ll be glad to chow down on this deeply-flavored pasta.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Wild Mushroom Sauce

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
3 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 medium shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 ounces button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
14 ounces oyster or hen of the woods mushrooms, trimmed and torn into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
Freshly ground pepper
1 pound whole wheat penne rigate

Place the dried mushrooms in a measuring cup and cover with 2 1/2 cups boiling water. Let stand for 25-30 minutes. Scoop out the mushrooms with a slotted spoon, then rinse and coarsely chop. Strain the soaking liquid using cheesecloth (or if you don’t have any, just pour out the soaking liquid but leave the bottom part of the liquid which contains the grit.)  Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer. Add the fresh mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring. Add the flour and cook for a minute or two. Add the porcinis and wine, and cook until the wine is nearly evaporated. Add the mushroom liquid, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the peas (if using) for the last two minutes of cooking time. Stir in the parsley and lemon zest, and season with pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6

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When my friend Tracy returns to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, she often comes back talking about pasties. These hand pies are usually filled with ground beef, onions, carrots, potatoes and rutabaga – you’ve gotta have the rutabaga – and are sometimes served with gravy (though there is an ongoing battle between the gravy and no-gravy contingents.)

To make a heart-healthy pasty, I substituted seitan for the beef, added some additional seasonings for an umami factor, and used a vegan whole wheat pastry dough. Voila– vegan pasties!  Because I was taking them over to Tracy’s for dinner, I knew she’d want gravy, so I whipped up some using some amazing barley miso as a basis. They might not eat pasties like these in Cornwall, or even in Michigan, but here in Brooklyn, they rocked the house.

Expect me to go a little crazy with hand pies in the next few months, because this recipe has opened the floodgates. I’m already planning a butternut squash and kale variety, and perhaps a curried lentil one.  Suggestions are welcome….

Vegetarian Cornish Pasties

Filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium rutabaga, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
1 large or 2 small carrots, diced
1 large Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced
1 8-ounce package seitan, rinsed, drained and minced
2/3 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1-2 teaspoons miso (I used South River Miso’s Three-Year Barley Miso)
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast (optional but recommended)
2 teaspoons tamari
½ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large pot or skillet over medium heat, then add all of the vegetables and sauté for 6-7 minutes. If using the nutritional yeast, add during the last two minutes of sauteing time.

Add the peas, thyme, miso, tamari, water salt and pepper. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes longer, or until all of the vegetables are tender. Stir in the seitan. Taste for salt and adjust if you see fit.

Dough:

3 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup organic canola or high-oleic safflower oil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons soy milk

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Drizzle oil on top, then work in with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly.  Add water and soy milk and mix with a fork. Divide the dough into 12 balls.

Roll out each ball on a floured surface (use all-purpose flour for this), to a diameter of just over 6 inches.  Invert a 6-inch bowl over the dough and use it to create a perfect circle, cutting around the bowl with a knife. (Reserve the excess dough for repairing tears if necessary.) Use a metal spatula to loosen and lift the dough, and place it on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

Assembly:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Scoop about 1/3 cup of filling onto one side of the circle. Dampen the outer edges with water, then fold the dough over the filling. Use a fork to crimp the edge. Repeat with the other balls of dough. Cut several slits in the top of each pasty.

Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with gravy, if desired.

Serves 6

Bonus recipe:

Miso Guinness Gravy (adapted from The Second Seasonal Political Palate)

1/3 c. canola or high-oleic safflower oil
1 small onion, minced
3 mushrooms, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup Guinness beer
1 ½ cups water
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons red or brown miso (see above for my recommendation)
¼  teaspoon black pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion, mushrooms and garlic for about 5 minutes. Lower the heat slightly, add the flour and yeast, and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the remaining ingredients, whisking well. Simmer for about 15 minutes, adding water or stock if the gravy becomes too thick.

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These were inspired by the oatmeal muffin recipe on the cool vegan blog It Ain’t Meat, Babe. I added the blueberries, used whole wheat pastry flour instead of white, and a little less oil. I didn’t have any ground flax meal on hand today, so I used an egg. But the vegan version is great, too (I’ve provided that option in the recipe).

Muffins are one place where I think whole wheat pastry flour produces a much more satisfying result. Now when I taste muffins made with white flour, they just taste bland to me. At first glance, people assume these are bran muffins because of their deep color. But the texture is much lighter and moister than bran muffins, with a pronounced oatiness. And I love that they aren’t overly sweet – muffins needn’t always taste like dessert!

Blueberry-Oat Muffins  (with vegan option)

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup soy or almond milk mixed with 1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/3 cup organic canola oil
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 egg, or 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds whisked vigorously with 3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (note: use only 1 1/8 cups if using flax instead of egg)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh blueberries

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with organic canola spray (Spectrum now makes a nice baking spray with flour), or use paper liners.

Combine oats and soy milk and let stand for 15-20 minutes. Whisk in the oil, brown sugar, canola, maple syrup, egg/flax and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients, then stir into the wet. Fold in the blueberries.

Fill muffin cups about ¾ full and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.

Today I combined elements of two classic sauces, Romesco and marinara, to make a delicious pasta sauce. It was a spur-of-the-moment idea, but I think it’s destined to become a staple in my repertoire. The roasted red peppers and toasted almonds add lovely body and a smoky flavor to the tomato sauce, while the hefty dose of crushed red peppers and garlic keep things interesting. (Of course, if you don’t like spicy food, just leave the peppers out and it will still be great.)

This sauce has a nutritional edge over plain old marinara, too – the peppers are an amazing source of vitamins C and A, not to mention fiber and those orange-red cartonoids that are so good for you. And of course, the almonds provide antioxidants and healthy fats. So you can eat your pasta and feel good about it, too.

I can’t wait to try some variations on this sauce. The creaminess from the almonds brings vodka sauce to mind, so next time I may add some vodka – why not? I’m also planning to use it in a mushroom lasagna. Seriously, I think I’m in love.

Pasta with Spicy Romesco Marinara Sauce

2 large red bell peppers (or a mixture of red and yellow), roasted and peeled
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 or 5 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (see note below)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 pound whole wheat spaghetti, penne or rigatoni (use gluten-free pasta if you prefer)

Puree the roasted peppers, almonds and vinegar in a blender or food processor until smooth. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and pepper puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the basil. Cook the pasta until al dente, toss with the sauce and serve.

Note: the quality of the canned crushed tomatoes does make a difference here. I used the organic Bionaturae brand, and they were delicious. Bionaturae or Pomi diced/chopped tomatoes will also work, because they are really more like crushed than the description implies. Muir Glen’s crushed tomatoes are also a good option.

Serves 4-6

I hear everyone talking about what they’re going to eat on Sunday for the Super Bowl. Pizza, nachos, wings and chips, oh my.

But fear not, football fans. You don’t have to lose any sports fan cred just because you don’t want to keel over from a heart attack this weekend. Here is a quick rundown of some of my Super Bowl Sunday faves.

From snacks to entrees to desserts, these recipes will spice up your party without clogging your arteries. I might be eating some of these myself, although I have to confess: I generally like my football only in Friday Night Lights form!

My Healthy Super Bowl Faves:

Vegan and Gluten-Free Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins from Daily Garnish

Spicy Kale Chips

Spicy Avocado Dip from I Heart Wellness

Garbanzo Salad with Mexican Mango Dressing from My New Roots (beautiful blog!)

Smoky, Spicy Vegetarian Chili (which, by the way, is a finalist in a Chow.com contest – vote!)

Healthy Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies from Healthy Food for Living

Tacos with Greens and Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Chips from She Wears Many Hats

Muhammara (Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)

Garlic Rosemary White Bean Dip from Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen

Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

I recently received a gift of some pomegranate balsamic vinegar (thanks, Pam!) from the Filling Station in New York’s Chelsea Market. I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it.

I had a stash of root vegetables, and roasted them up with the pomegranate balsamic and some extra virgin olive oil. The vinegar caramelizes in the hot oven, and has just the right sweet-tart quality. I hate to use the word “yum”, but … yum!

Pomegranate balsamic vinegar might sound like an exotic ingredient, but you can get it right on Amazon. It’s well worth tracking down, and I’m sure you’ll find loads of uses for it. It’s perfect for salad dressings, but would also be good drizzled on braised greens or a bowl of lentil soup. Me, I could practically drink the stuff right from the bottle.

Recipe Note: the vegetable combination I’ve suggested here is terrific, but feel free to change it up. Cauliflower and sweet potatoes would be my top alternate contenders.

Pomegranate Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

1 large red onion, cut into chunks
3 carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths (or half moons if the carrot is very thick)
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths
10 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons pomegranate balsamic vinegar (or substitute fig or regular balsamic)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss the vegetables with the oil and vinegar. Spread on two rimmed baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.Roast for 30-40 minutes, until nicely browned and tender to your liking.

Serves 4

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