Winter: Hearty Vegetarian Stroganoff

It's raining in the Pacific NW, after a long, hot, and very dry summer. I'm glad the weather has finally turned-- cozy months ahead!

Recipe:

** Note: I don't have any exact measurements when cooking, so these are all approximations and you can adjust to taste.

1. Roast some vegetables. Whatever you want-- an organic variety of mixed veg, especially if in season, is best! 

Pan 1: I added Rosemary to the mix on left (chopped finely after taking picture): potatoes, parsnips, cauliflower, red onion, and entire head of garlic, peeled and left in whole cloves. + olive oil, sea salt

Pan 2: cauliflower, sweet potato, onion. + olive oil, sea salt. This is set aside for tacos later this week!

2. While veg roasts, cook 1 cup whole spelt with 2.5 cups water until tender. Bring to a boil, then simmer with lid on for 30 - 45 minutes. 

3. While those things cook, make mushroom stroganoff!!

-- add oil or butter to pan, enough to prevent sticking and make the food a little fatty too, because fat is delicious. 

-- add sliced/chopped onions, chopped mushrooms, and either eggplant (my most frequent choice), TVP, tempeh, or veggie sausage. I prefer the brand Gimme Lean for this dish if I'm going to use a meat replacement. 

Sauté this together until mushrooms are well-cooked. 

-- add ~1 cup semi-concentrated broth. I mix my broth paste with less water for bigger flavor, and if you are using prepared/liquid broth I'd recommend cooking it down a bit in the pan. 

I like to buy little jars of broth extract paste that one mixes with water to make broth. I like the brand "Better Than Boullion," and their vegetable broth is good here. They also have a great no-chicken chicken broth that is vegetarian and really great for other dishes. 

-- In a small jar, mix flour with cold water in a ratio that makes sense for the amount of liquid in your mushroom pan. This will be the thickener for all the liquid, turning it into delicious gravy. 

Add flour thickener, and stir until gravy textured. You might need to add more water or more flour thickener. Relax and imagine how delicious the gravy will be. 

-- add dried dill weed and smoked paprika to flavor. 

Let this all summer for a bit, then let cool for a bit. Once the gravy mix is no longer hot, add thick, plain yogurt and stir it up! Avoid adding yogurt while hot or it might curdle. 

Layer the foods, add some extra yogurt if you like, and serve with a side of your favorite pickles. 

I added pickled kale (recipe is in my canning archives) to mine. Enjoy!