I'm Back with Some Awesome Seitan-Mushroom Stroganoff for Your Dining Pleasure!

I know I haven't posted in f-o-r-e-v-e-r. So sorry. It has been a wild few months, but that's for another blog post. Today I want to get right down to business, and by business, I mean FOOD!

I received Isa Chandra Moskowitz's newest (and most beautiful) cookbook in the mail the week before last and have been slowly but surely making my way through it. Of course I always gravitate toward the comfort-y type dishes and Asian noodle dishes first. That's just me.

One of the first recipes I tried was the Tofu-Mushroom Stroganoff. It was amazing! If it was so amazing, why did you change it at all, you may be asking. Rightly so. It is perfect the way it is. I just made a few changes that brought it closer to the stroganoff I remember as a kid.

Back in the day, when I knew that's what my mom was making that night, I made sure I was home in time for dinner. Loved it. There was something about the rich, creamy sauce and the egg noodles that I could not resist. (Hello! Comfort food!) The beef, I couldn't really care less about. In fact, I barely took any of it which made the rest of my family happy. More for them!

Soooo, after making and enjoying the original recipe, I just did a little tweaking, and not in a Breaking Bad kind of way. My changes include using sliced, pan-fried seitan instead of tofu chunks, adding more cashew cream and altering the spices a bit. It was fantastic! I have a feeling, with winter coming up, it will go into heavy rotation in our house.

Give it a go and of course, try Isa's too if you have the book. Like I said, it is delicious. Would love to hear what you think!

Tofu-Mushroom Stroganoff

Serves 3-4 in 30 minutes if you have cashews pre-soaked or a Vitamix. Allow at least two hours for soaking.

8 oz. organic wheat pasta of your choice
(I used Pipe Rigate, the ones that look like yawning faces and fusilli. Large shells - Conchiglie - would be a good one as well.)
1-1/2 C vegetable broth (Mushroom or no-chicken broth work too.)
12 oz. seitan. sliced (I love Sweet Earth slices. So good! It's really easy to make too. Just click here for the simple recipe.)

For the sauce:

1 C raw cashews, soaked for 2+ hours (If you have a Vitamix or something equally high-powered, no need to soak.)
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. salt plus a pinch or so more
4 cloves garlic, minced (If you are lucky enough to have gigantic, organic California garlic, you may only need 2. You be the judge.)
8-12 oz. organic crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 T dried thyme
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried sage
1/2 C dry white wine (or water)
Several generous pinches of freshly-ground black pepper
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme  for garnish (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta according to package. I prefer al dente, but whatever floats your boat. Drain and set aside. Also, I am on the hunt for a good, vegan wide, flat noodle, like that would be in the traditional version of this dish sans egg. Holla if you've got one that you like!

Drain the cashews if you're soaking. Add them to your blender along with the veggie broth. Blend until very smooth, scraping the sides with a spatula if needed. Depending on the blender, this could take 1-5 minutes.

Prep the seitan:
Pre-heat a large, preferably cast iron pan, over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Sauté the seitan slices until  they have browned on both sides. Remove from heat, set aside and cover with foil.

Prep the sauce:
In the same pan you used to cook the seitan, turn the heat down to medium and add olive oil. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt and sauté for about 4-5 minutes, until translucent. Add the minced garlic and stir for about 30 more seconds, being careful not to burn the garlic. Turn down the heat if your stove runs hot like mine does.

Add the sliced mushrooms, thyme, parsley and sage and cook 4-5 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and lightly browned. Add the wine (or water if you're not into vino), remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and a couple big pinches of pepper. Turn the heat up to high and stir, reducing the wine to about half. This should take 3-5 minutes. Return heat to medium.

Pour in the cashew cream mixture. Stir well until combined and let thicken for about five minutes. Have a taste for seasoning. At this point I added several more pinches of pepper and a bit more salt. Add the seitan and combine so that it all gets coated with sauce. Serve over pasta and garnish with sprig of thyme if you've got it. Makes it pretty. Pour a big glass of wine and DIG IN!