Mushroom Bourguignon

This rich and hearty vegetarian version of a classic French dish is so delicious you won't miss the meat!  The vibrant mix of vegetables and herbs creates a silky stew that perfect for serving over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.  

Mushroom Bourguignon

I love a classic Beef Bourguignon but it takes a lot of time to cook.  This vegetarian dish uses mushrooms as the main ingredient and let me tell you, once you try this, you won't miss the meat!  It's rich and hearty with meaty mushrooms, tender carrots, and onion, cooked in an aromatic sauce from the rosemary, red wine and beef broth, which gives it a deep rich flavor.  Delicious is what this dish is!

Easy enough to make on a weeknight, this dish will be on the table in under 45 minutes.  Make sure to serve it with your choice of mashed potatoes, rice, or even egg noodles.  This dish is heaven on a plate and perfect for these chilly nights.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• whole baby bell mushrooms
• carrots
• yellow onion
• rosemary
• garlic
• tomato paste
• flour
• beef broth
• red wine
• sherry vinegar

Substitutions and Variations

• Use frozen pearl onions instead of chopped yellow onion

• Use sliced mushrooms, but note they will shrink more and be smaller bites

• Use beef consume for a deeper flavor

• If you don't have sherry vinegar you can use red wine vinegar

• Leave out the wine and use more beef broth

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Don't salt the mushrooms when cooking them or they will give off too much moisture.  You want them dry to brown well.

• This dish comes together in under 45 minutes so it's great for weeknights.

• Prep all your ingredients first for a quicker cooking time and smoother process.

• You can purchase pre-cut onions, baby carrots, and mushrooms to cut down on prep time.  If using baby carrots, I would cut them in half.

• Double the recipe if serving 4 or more people.

• Great for using leftover mashed potatoes or rice.

Items You Will Need

Dutch Ovens

Chef Knives

Cutting Boards

Wooden Spoons

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Mushroom Bourguignon

serves 2-3

8 oz  whole baby bella mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
2 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 Tablespoon flour
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup red wine
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
salt & pepper
olive oil

mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice for serving

In a medium Dutch oven or pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high.   Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and any liquid is evaporated, about 7-9 minutes.

Add onions, carrots, and 1 tablespoon oil.  Cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in chopped garlic and rosemary, tomato paste and flour.  Cook until fragrant and tomato paste is slightly darkened, about 1 minute.

Add in beef broth, red wine, and sherry vinegar, stirring to combine and scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until vegetables are tender and sauce resembles a thick stew, 10–15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins - Lower Carb Version

Sinfully good muffins studded with mini chocolate chips and real strawberries in this lower carb version!

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins - Lower Carb Version

A bright sunny weekend had me reminiscing about the chocolate dipped strawberries we had for Valentine's Day and started a craving for the combination of strawberries and chocolate that I had to satisfy.  You know I love muffins so I decided to make a lower carb version because I've been experimenting with a new product, King Arthur Baking Company Baking Sugar Alternative.  (Check my Product Review below for my thoughts)

These mini muffins are the cutest things!  I wanted to make mini snacking size muffins that we could just pop in our mouths on the go or have with a cup of coffee or tea,  but my mini muffin pan decided to play hide and seek...and it won.   So the next best thing was my donut hole pan, which produced the cutest little muffin bites!  Strawberries and chocolate is a winning combination and these muffin bites come out moist and bursting with flavor.  Perfect for snacking, dessert, and of course breakfast.

Enjoy!

Product Review:

This is NOT a sponsored review.  I bought this product out of curiosity in hopes of finding a good alternative to sugar for baking.  King Arthur Baking Company Baking Sugar Alternative is a 1:1 sugar alternative made from a blend of plant based sweeteners like monk fruit and stevia.  I've made a couple of baked items with this product and I have to say you can't tell the difference.  There is no after taste, items bake up beautifully, and the integrity of the baked goods holds up day after day.  So if you are looking to reduce sugar, calories, and/or carbs this is a great product that I recommend.  You can find the product here.

What Ingredients do I need?

• eggs
• low-fat milk
• canola oil
• all purpose flour
• King Arthur Baking sugar alternative or sugar
• baking soda
• salt
• strawberries
• mini chocolate chips

Substitutions and Variations

• Don't care for sugar alternatives? You can substitute real sugar cup for cup with the alternative.

• Use white whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose flour.

• Change up the fruit, raspberries would be great.

• Make 6 regular size muffins instead of mini muffins

• Use either a mini muffin pan, or a donut hole pan.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• 1st rule of thumb when making muffins is not to "overmix" the batter.  You want it batter to just come together.  Little spots of flour is okay.

• To get high muffin tops turn your oven up to 400 degrees.

• Make sure you are using fresh baking powder.  To test put 1/2 teaspoon into 1/4 cup of boiling water.  If it bubbles, you are good.

• Double the recipe for 12 muffins.

• Muffins can be frozen individually and kept for 3 months.

• Fill the muffin tin almost to the top for nice big muffins.

• Here is my donut hole pan.

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Strawberry Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins - Lower Carb Version

makes 20 muffin donut holes

1 egg
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup King Arthur Baking sugar alternative
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped strawberries
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin or donut hole pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl add the egg, milk, and oil. Mix together using a whisk.

Add the flour, sugar alternative, baking powder, and salt.  Stir just until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in chopped strawberries and mini chocolate chips.

Using a small cookie scoop, add batter to the individual mini muffin tin or donut hole pan.  Bake 8-12 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes in the tin. Remove from the pan and serve.

Southern Staple: Chicken and Biscuits

Chicken and Biscuits is a Southern staple that makes you feel like you are wrapped in a warm blanket.  Tender chunks of chicken and vegetables in a delicious sauce topped with a flaky biscuit.  It's the perfect winter meal!

Chicken and Biscuits

This Southern classic is usually a time-consuming effort, but with the help from a few high quality convenience items you can have this dish done in 1 hour!  This version utilizes Bisquick, to help with making the biscuits, and a rotisserie chicken.  The vegetables are  staples of mushrooms and peas along with leeks, which are a more delicate substitution for standard onions.  To jazz up the biscuits I've added Swiss cheese along with fresh thyme for a bit of a savory bite.

The sauce comes out rich and creamy and has loads of flavor to compliment the chicken and vegetables. Great comfort food in under and hour is heaven in my book.  Perfect for a Sunday dinner!

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• Bisquick
• milk
• Swiss Cheese
• fresh thyme
• leeks
• white button mushrooms
• flour
• garlic
• low sodium chicken broth
• heavy cream
• rotisserie chicken
• frozen peas

Substitutions and Variations

• Use Gruyere cheese instead of Swiss

• Use leftover roasted chicken breasts or make your own shredded chicken in the Instant Pot (fresh chicken tastes the best)

• Use a yellow onion for the leeks

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Buy a block of Swiss cheese and grate it yourself.  Pre-grated cheese is full of ingredients that keep it separated.  

• Par-baking the biscuits help them from getting gummy as thy would if baking fully with the chicken.  

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Chicken and Biscuits

serves 6

1 1/2 cups Bisquick
3/4 cup milk
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3  Tablespoons canola oil
1 lb. leeks, white and light green parts, washed thoroughly and sliced thin
8 oz, white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup flour
3 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Stir together Bisquick, milk, cheese, 1 Tablespoon of chopped thyme, and pepper together in a medium bowl.  Scoop out biscuit dough using a spoon to make about 9 drop biscuits and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Par-bake the biscuits for about 7 minutes.  They will not be done at this point but they will cook through once they top the chicken and vegetables.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add leeks and mushrooms and cook about 5-7 minutes until soften and lightly browned.  Add the flour and garlic to the skillet and stir for about 1 minutes.  Whisk in broth and cream, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet and smoothing out any lumps.  Simmer until thickened about 3-5 minutes.  Stir in shredded chicken and peas and 1 Tablespoon of fresh thyme.  Simmer until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper.

Pour mixture into a 9x13 greased baking dish or casserole dish.  Place biscuits on top and bake until the filling is bubbly and the biscuits are browned, about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, let cool slightly and serve.