Mushroom Stroganoff

The Mushroom strikes again. You'd best make friends with him, he's not going anywhere for a while!

This is one of those meals that proves that you really don't need meat to have a rich and satisfying meal. Creamy egg noodles infused with the beefy flavor of a variety of mushrooms makes for a meal that your whole family will love. So quick, so easy, so delicious, just like this post!

Mushroom Stroganoff
By Fresh Food Fast by Cooking Light

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups uncooked medium egg noodles
butter flavored cooking spray
5 (4 oz) packages fresh gourmet-blend mushrooms (be sure to note that you need 5 of them, I think I only got one, not NEAR enough!)
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups reduced fat milk
3 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons light butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped chives (optional)

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to directions

2. While noodles cook, heat a large Dutch oven over high heat; generously coat pan with cooking spray. Add mushroom and onion; cook 10 minutes, or until browned, stirring frequently.

3. While mushroom mixture cooks, place flour in a bowl, Gradually add milk with a whisk. Transfer cooked mushroom mixture to a large bowl. Gradually add milk mixture to hot pan, stirring with a whisk. Cook, whisking constantly, 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.

4. Stir sauce and cooked noodles into mushroom mixture. Stir in sour cream; sprinkle with chives, if desired. Serve immediately.

Serves 4: Serving is 1 3/4 cups

Per Serving: 393 cal, 12.6g fat, 15g prot, 55.2g carb, 3.5g fiber

I'll be submitting this to girlichef for Pasta Presto Nights!

Asian Beef and Noodle Bowl

My interest in food is still pretty new. Back when I was first married my cart was mostly filled with frozen TV dinners, and boxed meals. Every once and a while I would get all romantic and make my man spaghetti, but that was about the extent! And being poor college students (which we still are!), we felt like it was very important that we buy the biggest crate of ramen noodles we could find. I know, bless our hearts! That huge crate sits in our closet still (can it really go bad?) and I maybe pull one out for my kids about once every six months. I can't bring myself to just throw it out, wasting food is such an abomination in my mind, I wouldn't be able to sleep for days!

So, I was pretty happy to find this recipe, calling for ramen noodles! I like it a lot because you DON'T use the salt laden flavor packet, and it includes a lot of wonderful healthy ingredients like spinach and carrots. You could really mix this recipe up and use chicken, shrimp or even tofu. My kids liked it a lot too, BONUS!

I'll be submitting this to Reeni for Pasta Presto Nights!

Asian Beef and Noodle Bowl
Adapted From Better Homes and Gardens, 30 Minute Meals

Ingredients

4 cups water
2 packages ramen noodles
2 teaspoons chili oil, or any oil plus 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I didn't even bother with the heat)
12 oz beef flank steak or top round steak, trimmed and cut into bite sized strips
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups fresh torn spinach
1 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Directions

1. In a large saucepan bring the water to boiling. If desired, break up noodles, drop noodles into the boiling water. (Save or discard flavor packets). Return to boiling, boil for 2-3 minutes or until noodles are tender but still firm, stirring occasionally. Drain noodles, set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef, ginger, and garlic; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until beef has reached desired doneness. Carefully stir beef broth and soy sauce into skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.

3. Add spinach, carrot, cilantro, and cooked noodles, to skillet; stir to combine. Heat through.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 381 cal, 17g fat, 34mg chol, 2g fiber, 30g carbs

Points per Serving: 9

Cheeseburger Pasta

I do have to hand it to my family, they are good sports when it comes to dinnertime. Seeing as I love to experiment with new dishes often, they get to be my guinea pigs. Sometimes my experiments turn out great, and sometimes they are epic failures, but either way my sweet family will eat it and smile.

So, to thank them I like to find recipes like this that I know everyone will like. This was a really fun dish, to eat and to make. It's pasta with all the classic flavor of cheeseburgers. Instead of beef though, I used ground turkey to lighten it up a bit. I think what really made this dish stand out what the use of relish. I LOVE pickles on my burgers, so the relish really did make it taste like I was eating a cheeseburger. If only I wasn't watching my calories, I would throw in some bacon for a Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta, now that's what I'm talking about!

Cheeseburger Pasta
Adapted From Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Aug-Sept 2009

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
3/4 lb lean ground turkey
2 TB finely chopped onion
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
2-3 TB dill pickle relish
2 TB prepared mustard
2 TB ketchup
1 tsp steak seasoning
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
chopped green onions, optional

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to directions on the box. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook turkey and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Drain pasta, add to meat mixture.

2. Stir in the tomatoes, relish, mustard, ketchup, steak seasoning and seasoned salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

3. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand until cheese is melted. Garnish with green onions if desired.

I will be submitting this to Girlichef for Presto Pasta Nights.