Simple Mushroom Curry...Simply Full of Tomato

Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 1...2 if you have a tiny stomach
Overall Rating: 5...read on for suggested improvements

I am lucky to have a husband that knows his way around the kitchen well. After a little encouragement (okay, nagging) on my part, I was able to convince him to make me dinner on Friday. Ryan chose Simple Mushroom Curry from VegWeb.com, which was indeed quite simple; he commented that the most time-consuming part was chopping the onion.

Seeing as I sat back and enjoyed a glass of pinot grigio, while Ryan cooked, I don't have too many insights as to how to craft this meal. It did smell mighty delicious in the short time it took to prepare.

However, the final product did not taste like a curry. While still tasty, the recipe simply tasted like a mushroom marinara sauce. Due to its ease, we will likely make a variation of this of this meal again; however, Ryan and I both agreed that we would add a lot less tomato paste and more of the spices (cumin, chili powder, turmeric, etc.).

My deceptive cook serving up the curry

Okay, PAUSE. Ryan just confessed that he left out both the coriander and the cilantro. He has some strange aversion to buying spices. Well, that tanks the credibility of this entry. I suppose I will have to do my blog cooking by myself moving forward...

But I can still advise you to make at least a double batch of this recipe if you're looking to feed more than one person. We served the curry over big portions of quinoa with sides of asparagus. Despite the sides, we were both left hungry.

(No One Misses The) Cheese Vegan Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust

Time (from prep to cleanup): Just over an hour
Servings: This pizza would feed myself and my husband
Overall Score: 7.5

This recipe is actually my own (minus the whole wheat crust recipe, which you can find on About.com). I love the combination of sweet caramelized onions juxtaposed with slightly sour artichokes and spicy red pepper flakes.
I was all set to have some delicious pizza leftover from the Pat's game at my parents' house last night (boo to the Jets), but I opened the refrigerator to an empty shelf. Ryan had taken the leftovers to work.

After I got over my momentary burst of anger, I decided to make a new and better pizza for myself while he was stuck with cold day-old muck (okay, it wasn't muck...but making it sound bad makes me feel better).

What you'll need for the toppings:

• 1 medium yellow onion
• Olive oil
• Splash of white wine
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 4 oz. sliced mushrooms of choice (about 1/2 the average size package of mushrooms)
• 1 can quartered artichoke hearts (you won't use them all, so get the smallest can you find)
• 1 small can of tomato sauce (8 oz. is more than enough)
• Dried basil, oregano, thyme and crushed red pepper flakes

Make the dough according to recipe first. It needs time to rise.

To caramelize the onion, slice it into thin rings. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a frying pan on medium. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. The key is to allow them to sit long enough to brown between stirring--if you stir too much, they won't brown. Watch them carefully to make sure they do not burn. Stir as necessary until the rings are soft and dark brown. Add a splash of white wine and cook long enough for it to evaporate. The onions are done. Note: there are various ways to caramelize onions; if you have a preferred alternative, feel free to use it.

Remove the onions from the pan and return it to the stove. Add more oil, if necessary, and saute the sliced peppers. Add the sliced mushrooms about half way through.

Now grab your dough (I let mine "rise" for about 30 minutes...but it didn't really change much). Stretch it into a circle on a pizza stone or a slightly oiled cookie sheet. Spread a layer of sauce over the dough. Sprinkle the sauce with the spices so that they are evenly distributed across the pizza. Add the caramelized onions, peppers, mushrooms and quartered artichokes. Bake on 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (mine took the full 20 minutes).

Now, I am known to talk to myself sometimes, and the first words out of my mouth when I tried a bite of this pizza were literally "Wow, this is good!".  The only thing I would change is the crust thickness; I prefer my crust crispy, so I would stretch the dough a bit thinner next time. This is up to your personal tastes.

Apparently January 29 is Vegan Pizza Day, so I guess my recipe is surprisingly timely.

Stay tuned for my next review of Peta's Macadamia-Encrusted Seitan with Mango Broccoli Slaw.


P.S. I ate half of the pizza while writing this post.

Stuffed Mushrooms from Hippy Gourmet

I don't typically like trying to follow a recipe from a video, but when I was first searching for a vegan stuffed mushroom recipe, Hippy Gourmet's version on YouTube seemed like the easiest recipe with the simplest ingredients.

To clarify what our Hippy uses in the video, the recipe calls for the following ingredients:

• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Yellow Onion
• 1 Red Onion
• Several cloves of garlic (around 5)
• Mushrooms (I used 3 10oz. packages of baby portabellas)
• Fresh Oregano (I used dried as the stuff at my supermarket looked terrible)
• Freshly Ground Pepper
• Italian Bread Crumbs
• Olive Oil (enough to saute the veggies in)

Because I like a little zing, I usually add some hot red pepper flakes. In addition, I find that about 1/4 teaspoon of salt really brings the flavor up to par (trust me on this one...I NEVER add salt, but it works here).

Because Hippy does not give us exact amounts on how many mushrooms to use, I came up a little short. The mixture could have easily filled another package of mushrooms. I therefore recommend that you buy at least 40 oz. of mushrooms, which should yield about 60 individual treats.

A note on the bread crumbs: most popular brands are not vegan. I found a gluten-free and vegan version by Gillian's Foods in the natural food section of the supermarket.

While this recipe is pretty simple, it is time fairly time consuming. From preparation through cleanup took me about an hour and 10 minutes. If you don't have a food processor, it will take longer.

Cleaning and de-stemming the mushrooms was the biggest time hog. My mother always taught me that mushrooms absorb water and therefore need to be cleaned with a wet cloth or paper towel rather than rinsed directly in water. What a pain! Make sure you have at least a half dozen paper towels available. As for the de-stemming, gently wiggle the stems to get them to pop neatly out of the mushroom caps.

Overall, Ryan and I love these mushrooms...but only with the added crushed red pepper flakes and salt. Otherwise, they are just plain bland. They are a bit of work for an everyday snack, but they make a great appetizer for a get-together with friends. We've made them several times now--they're a hit with both omnivores and veg-heads.

Enjoy!