Beefy Seitan and Mushroom Stroganoff

Wow, it's been too long since I last posted. Didn't intend to take so long and I have definitely been cooking, but life keeps happening and there are only so many hours in the day……

The good news is, the snow melted and we had a sunny day or two. The not-so-good news is, more snow fell this morning, but just a dusting. And the Mac's keyboard went out. The really bad news is that I am selling my horses and it is breaking my heart. Truth is, there are, as I said earlier, only so many hours in the day. And there are only so many dollars in the bank account. That's the biggie - money. Horses are so darned expensive to keep, especially when you have to board them out. That's about all I'm going to say about the horses or I will have to stop writing to cry. Which is the biggest reason I haven't been blogging.

Today's post - Beefy Seitan and Mushroom Stroganoff. I've been meaning to make this and post about it for awhile. I finally got around to making it Tuesday night, and man, is it good! And even better as leftovers. I just finished having it for lunch and my tummy is very full and very satisfied! Now I need a nap………

12 oz. beefy seitan, thinly sliced
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 clove fresh garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 cups water*
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces vegan sour cream
12 ounces bag wide egg-free noodles or pasta

*If you have the simmering broth from making Beefy Seitan left, use 2 cups of that instead of the water. It works great!


In a zip-top bag, combine flour, seasoned salt and black pepper. Shake to blend, add the seitan strips, and shake to coat.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until transparent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add the seitan strips and flour then brown for about 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Add the salt, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar and water to the pan and stir to scrape up all the flavorful brown bits.

Simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream gently for the final minutes of cooking. Do not boil. Serve over egg-free noodles.

I served this with garlicky spinach which is super simple. It goes like this:

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a cast iron or non-stick skillet.

Sauté 1-2 cloves minced garlic in the oil and add a pinch (or two) or crushed red pepper flakes.

Add one bag of frozen chopped spinach and cook until the spinach is completely thawed, stirring frequently.

Add salt to taste.

It takes like a total of 7-8 minutes.

Anybody out there planning your spring garden? I'd love to hear what you're planting!

Pantry Challenge Day 12 - Creamy Kale and Mushrooms with Orzo

I didn't plan to post tonight's dinner but it turned out so nicely that I thought I should share it. This is day 12 of the pantry challenge and it is actually becoming a true challenge. I'm starting to scramble a bit and find that I need to be much more creative than in the beginning.

This recipe requires some background because it was created from leftovers. Night before last I was on my own for dinner - Paul's night to teach - and I was tired, so I made quesadillas. They were tasty but nothing I thought worthy of blogging about. The leftovers, however, became the sauce for last night's dish, so here is the quesadilla recipe:

White Bean Quesadilla Filling
2 cans white beans, rinsed and drained (cannellinis or great northerns)
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp onion granules
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Couple shakes of liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until thick and smooth. To make quesadillas, just slap some of this between two tortillas and cook in a cast iron skillet until toasted on both sides. Use a pizza cutter to slice it into fourths. This is definitely worth a try, even if it's only for the leftovers to make the recipe below!

Creamy Kale and Mushrooms with Orzo
1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
6-8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion or 1 tbs onion flakes
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 package (8 oz) whole wheat orzo
Leftover quesadilla filling

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add chopped kale and onion. Sauté until kale is wilted and onions are transparent. Add mushrooms, pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth. Cover, bring up the heat, and allow to steam for 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Stir quesadilla filling into the kale and mushroom mixture. Add vegetable broth. Simmer over low heat for a few minutes. Stir in the orzo. Turn off heat, cover, and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.