30-Minute Mushroom + Kale Frittata

Eggs.

Veggies.


Combined with cheese.


And baked.

MUSHROOM + BABY KALE FRITTATA

What you’ll need . . . 

• 6 eggs
• 4 large white mushrooms, chopped
• Gigantic handful baby kale (or other greens), chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons mayo or milk*
• 3/4 - 1 cup shredded cheddar 
• Black pepper to taste
• Pinch salt

* I know lots of you guys don’t like mayo, and I don’t use it often. But when you’re scrambling eggs or making bakes like these -- the texture is amazing. We use mayo that’s made with olive oil that contains half the fat and calories of a traditional blend.

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 x 8 inch casserole dish and set aside.
2. Chop your veggies, then sauté them on the stove, starting with the garlic. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes, until softened. Then add the greens and wilt. You don’t want the mushrooms super soft just yet. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Whisk your eggs with the mayo or milk, then toss in the shredded cheese and cooked veggies. Mix until combined. Then pour into your prepared casserole dish.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown and the middle is set. Let cool a while before slathering on the hot sauce. 

Yum!


This meal’s a good one to modify using whatever odds and ends you might find in your fridge. You can pretty much toss any vegetables or cheese in the mix. Frittatas tend to keep well for around 5 days when stored in an airtight container. You can eat it cold or heat up again for several minutes at 350 degrees F.

And my favorite way to enjoy this egg bake? Between two slices of crusty bread.

Enjoy!

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Food for Runners: M-U-S-H-R-O-O-M-S

It's been a while since we visited our Food for Runners series. Today I'm focusing on mushrooms solely because I've been eating a lot of them these days. At least from what I notice in my meal diaries. Man. I've been vegetarian for so long, eating a beefy grilled portabella, for example, is really like eating, well, beef!

I recently made a delicious mushroom + bean veggie burger (recipe below), which is where the photos in this post come from.

Psst: If you're catching up, we've covered tomatoes, almonds, pumpkin, cucumbers, bananas, eggs, garlic, quinoa, berries, peppers, and kale -- and included our favorite recipes from across the web.

"While full of protein, the star nutrients found in mushrooms are selenium, copper, zinc, vitamins B12 and B3." (Source)

"While meat, seafood, grains, and nuts have excellent levels of the mineral, mushrooms are the only produce that have high levels of it, so they are especially important to include in your diet if you are vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free." (Source)

"A study by the American Society for Nutrition found that white button mushrooms may promote immune function by increasing the production of antiviral and other proteins that are released by cells while they are trying to protect and repair the body’s tissues." (Source)


Here are some of our favorite recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner:

Lynn's Rustic Wild Mushroom Tart
Mark & Reese's Spinach + Mushroom Omelette
Our Portabellas with Peanut Sauce
Scott Jurek's Lentil Mushroom Burgers
Kim's Crimini Mushroom Risotto
Our Stuffed Portabellas
Jolinda's Mushroom + Bean Burgers (from the photos in this post)
Justin's Cream of Mushroom Soup
Soma's Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms w/ Goat Cheese
Our Open-Faced Portabella Sandwiches
Jennifer's Crispy Old Bay Mushrooms w/ Sriracha Mayo
Maria & Josh's Kale, Mushroom, and Ricotta Calzones


I probably roast a couple of portabellas each week. The best method I've found is to preheat my oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub the mushrooms very well + then take a spoon and scoop out the ruffled underbelly and stem. I suppose this part isn't necessary if you want them chopped up, but I usually roast them whole.

Then place on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place in the oven for 10 minutes // FLIP over // then roast another 10-15 minutes.

What's your favorite way to use mushrooms?

Don't forget to read up on these other healthy ingredients:

Food for Runners: T-O-M-A-T-O-E-S
Food for Runners: A-L-M-O-N-D-S
Food for Runners: P-U-M-P-K-I-N
Food for Runners: C-U-C-U-M-B-E-R-S
Food for Runners: E-G-G-S
Food for Runners: B-E-R-R-I-E-S
Food for Runners: B-A-N-A-N-A-S
Food for Runners: G-A-R-L-I-C
Food for Runners: Q-U-I-N-O-A
Food for Runners: K-A-L-E
Food for Runners: P-E-P-P-E-R-S

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East-Meets-West Chowder

We posted a recipe for wasabi dinner rolls a couple weeks ago. I've been meaning to post the chowder recipe since then, but couldn't find my notes. Fortunately, during the cleaning and reorganizing that went on this weekend, I found them. Phew! I'm always losing things. Seriously, despite how clean the house may look online, it can be quite messy. OK. I can be quite messy. Stephen's nodding his head at that statement . . . right . . . now.

This chowder isn't traditional. What prompted us to create it? Well, what usually is responsible for our crazy flavor combos: We use what we have, when we can, and we don't worry about the end-result.

If that means using shiitake mushrooms instead of white . . . so be it! If that means subbing in sesame oil for vegetable oil . . . alright, then! Low on spices means using green curry paste to give the whole thing flavor. And speaking of green curry paste, if you'd like to make your own, Emily recently posted a wonderful, from-scratch recipe!


EAST-MEETS-WEST CHOWDER

What you'll need . . .

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 cooking onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 cups red-skinned potatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon green curry paste
• 2-1/2 cups almond or soy milk
• 1 can (about 1-1/4 cups) vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 1 can low-sodium corn kernals, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method . . .

1. Heat sesame oil in a large stock pot. Add the onion, green pepper, garlic, and potato. Saute over medium heat for approximately 3 minutes. Until onions are glassy.
2. Add in the green curry. Stir to coat everything well.
3. Stir in the flour (make sure it coats everything). Then stir in the almond milk, vegetable broth, and soy sauce.
4. Add the mushrooms, corn kernals, and black beans. Bring everything to a boil (keep stirring it), then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. The green peppers and onions should be tender, but not soggy.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with wasabi dinner rolls.

This recipe is great to make for dinner . . . and then turn around and pack for lunch. Just toss in your dinner roll. It will get soggy -- but not too soggy -- and absolutely delicious. Feel free to add/substitute whatever vegetables, mushrooms, oils, milks, and spices you need/wish to. Just use equal measurements for whatever you exchange. You should be just fine. :)

How have you recently used the ingredients you have on hand? Sometimes it's difficult. But I hate seeing good food go to waste. We'd love to hear you creative recipes! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Portabellas with Peanut Sauce

My favorite Thai restaurant is in Ithaca, NY -- Thai Cuisine. It boasts the "best Thai food in New York State, including New York City," according to Getaways For Gourmets. Every Sunday, there's this amazing dim sum brunch. Basically, the staff members carry around a couple trays of freshly prepared items. Then, they allow you to choose what you'd like to munch on, leave you alone for a short while, and return again with yet another selection of small dishes.

The process goes on for as long as you'd like it to. The best part is the price -- each plate costs less than $5 (and typically less than that!).

Of all selections, I most enjoy the portabellas with peanut sauce. And now that we don't live in Ithaca, I often crave the mushrooms like crazy. So, last night I set out to create a similar dish in our own kitchen. Though I didn't have coconut milk, the results are remarkably similar to the real deal.


PORTABELLAS WITH PEANUT SAUCE (for 4)

What you'll need . . .

• 4 large portabella mushrooms, scrub and remove stems
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter (I used Justin's with honey)
• 1 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sunflower or canola oil
• 1 tablespoon almond milk (or more, depending on your preferred taste)
• Sesame seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

Method . . .

1. Slice mushrooms into 1/4-ish inch slices.
2. In a large pan, spray with a bit of olive oil (or just lightly oil) and set over medium-high heat.
3. Lay out mushroom slices on the pan and reduce heat to medium. Cook and gently stir until both sides are lightly browned (mostly, the shrooms will get soft and juicy). Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, and oil. Then add the almond milk and whisk until smooth. Add the cayenne, ginger, and sesame seeds. Stir until well incorporated.
5. Lay out mushroom slices on a plate and drizzle/top with a generous helping of the peanut sauce. Garnish with basil for extra tastiness.

Truth time: We didn't eat ours displayed this beautifully. Nope. That's all for show. Instead, we dumped a ton of the sauce onto the mushrooms and dug in immediately.


We've been on a quest to recreate many of our beloved weekend meals at home (because we go out to eat far more than I'd like to admit). We're getting pretty good at it, too -- enough that we're starting to prefer our twist on the dishes to the real thing.

So, here's my question for you: Have you cooked up any of your restaurant favorites at home? Were you extremely satisfied or horribly unhappy with the results? Leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Everything but the Kitchen Sink Dinner

What do you do when all you have in the fridge are last week's rejects? I mean, how can you make a dinner out of a few green peppers and a couple tablespoons worth of peanut butter and . . . 1 cup of coconut milk? Don't forget the 1/3 of an onion hiding in there. Oh. And there are some pieces of portabella mushrooms. Parsnips? Goodness!

Yeah. That's right. You suck up your food lust for other tasty treats and get creative with all that stuff. It's definitely the budget friendly way to go. Certainly a way to improve your kitchen cred. And, of course, is far less wasteful than letting all that good produce rot until your husband hangs his head in shame, upset you've "done it again."

Oh, sorry. That last part is all about, well, me. I do that. Often. I'm trying desperately to stop. And our quest to lower our groceries bills (which is going extremely well, thank you) has been helping out. I imagine some of you other foodies out there fall victim to the whole always-wanting-the-absolute-freshest-most-interesting-(and abundant)-ingredients, too.

This recipe should help. Just use all those ingredients up. Slather them in a fun sauce. And call it dinner.


What you'll need . . .

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 to 1 large green pepper, sliced
• 1 to 2 medium parsnip, skinned and sliced
• 1/2 to 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 to 1 large portabella mushroom, chopped
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 to 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter
• Soy sauce, to taste
• Garlic powder and pepper to taste
• Honey, again, to taste

Method . . .

1. Over medium-high heat, cook onions in a little olive oil until glassy.
2. Add in the green pepper and parsnips and cook until soft.
3. Add portabella mushrooms and chickpeas. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Then whisk together the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper. Again -- it's all to your taste. Some people like it more soy-ish, others less. You may even wish to sweeten it a bit with some honey. The key is adding it all in small amounts. Go teaspoon by teaspoon with the extras.
5. Then pour this mixture over the stir-fry and cook until nice and bubbly.
6. Serve with a gorgeous grain like red quinoa.

"Ashley. That is a rather lax/lazy/sorry excuse for a recipe." I know, I know. The measurements are all weird. The sauce formula is far from set in stone. But I share this recipe with you, friends, to make a point. We get lots of emails asking us if it's OK to substitute this ingredient in for that ingredients. And what I want you all to know -- those of you who aren't comfortable cooking up a storm in the kitchen -- is that experimentation is more than OK, it's fantastic. It's the only way you can come up with good eats on your own.

Once you start letting go. Once you stop measuring out every little thing, you'll definitely have some awful creations on your hands. Yes. But you'll laugh about them and PRETEND you enjoy them. Other times, you'll come up with something so incredibly delicious, you'll wish you had written it down (keep that in mind -- I keep a pen and pad of paper in one of our drawers). Cooking need not be a scary venture. Instead, it's just another outlet for your imagination (and cravings) to run wild.



I'd also like to take this opportunity to publicly congratulate my brother on his graduation. He's the reason I'm posting less this week (thanks a lot, little bro!) -- all weekend was spent down in Bloomsburg, PA, sitting in the wind, waiting to hear his name be called so he could receive his diploma. So, employers: If you or anyone you know needs a college grad with a degree in marketing (and mad guitar skills -- I'm just sayin'), Ryan's your man!

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Curried Tofu Scramble: A Stephen-Favorite

I'm sure you've noticed the (painfully obvious) pattern emerging in my cooking/baking posts versus those recipes designated as Stephen-favorites. Mine are full of fat and sugar -- cookies and cupcakes mostly. Some apples sparkling with sugar. Veggies bathed in coconut milk. Stephen's, however, are teeming with veggies and lean protein.

He is truly the yin to my yang.

Despite your dietary preferences, curried tofu scramble works for any meal. Stephen enjoys it as a hearty post-run breakfast on Sundays . . . while I most enjoy it at night. With several slices of buttery french-bread toast.

What you'll need . . .

• 1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup broccoli, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon tumeric
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method . . .

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat and add onion. Saute until glassy.
2. Add mushrooms and broccoli. Saute for another 5 minutes (or so) until broccoli is softened.
3. Now add the garlic, soy sauce, spices, and salt.
4. Crumble the tofu (with your hands) and throw into the pan as well. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes -- stirring often -- until the flavors are well mingled.

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