One of my new favorite dinners! I usually have most of these ingredients on hand so it's one I can make on the fly. This mushroom stroganoff is warm, creamy, and tastes so good with rice and fresh thyme. Serve it over a bed of mixed greens or spinach to make it even healthier.
Creamy Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
(serves 2)
1 sweet onion, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
11 oz. mushrooms, sliced (baby bella/cremini)
4 T white wine
2-3 T soy sauce
3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 T cornstarch
3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I almost always use Lite Canned Coconut Milk for sauces – makes it ultra creamy without any coconut flavor! – Full Fat will give it a coconut flavor.)
Spice mixture: 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, a pinch of red pepper flakes, sea salt & black pepper to taste
Fresh thyme or parsley
Serve over rice or pasta of choice
1. Add cornstarch to the non-dairy milk and stir to dissolve. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
3. Add mushrooms and cook over medium heat for about 5 mins.
4. Pour in white wine, soy sauce, vegetable broth and the spice mixture. Bring to a boil.
5. Pour the milk-cornstarch mixture into the pan, stir, and cook on low-medium heat for about 10-12 minutes until the sauce thickens and the mushrooms have softened. Stir frequently and keep tasting it as it cooks. I always add a bunch more salt, pepper, and soy sauce!
6. Serve over rice or pasta and garnish with fresh thyme or parsley.
I call this little portrait session 'lucky' because it was totally unplanned. Yesterday I took Mr. Truck to the park in the afternoon. It was such a beautiful day. I brought a blanket, some snacks, and my camera bag. I wanted him to get some outside playtime in but I was also there for some Spring bloom shots. I had my macro and 80-200mm lenses to get the job done.
However, when we got there nothing was in bloom yet. I was just a few days too early. So we kept walking and decided to lay our blanket out in the field instead of our regular spot by the river. I immediately noticed a ton of purple wildflowers. They were everywhere! What a lucky find. I knew it would add such a beautiful Spring touch to some new portraits of Mr. Truck. So we did a little portrait session in the field among the purple blooms. Trucky is about to be 10 years old in a couple of months so I needed to get some updated pics of my old guy. He's seriously the best dog!
I love how beautiful and whimsical the purple wildflowers look in these shots. They are so soft and delicate. I am also glad I opted for his grey ball instead of his bright orange one. The neon orange color would have clashed so much with the background. It wasn't planned so looking back I made the right decision by grabbing his gray ball.
I also added some black and white photos into the mix to make it fun! I really love how these pictures came out!
Today is sunny and 70 here in Charlotte, NC! An absolute perfect day for a healthy and vibrant salad. For lunch I created this simple mixture of chickpeas, parsley, bell peppers, red onion, celery, lemon juice and spices and it came out so good. And it's great because you just toss everything into a bowl and stir until combined and it's ready in just a few minutes!
I packed it in a small container, along with a few strawberries, then my bulldog, Mr. Truck, and I headed to our favorite park for a picnic. I put down a beach towel and we sat and enjoyed nature. I saw a heron, a few mallard ducks, and an osprey. It was lovely!
Chickpea Salad with Bell Pepper, Celery, & Lemon
2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 & 1/2 cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped celery (about 2 ribs of celery)
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Add all ingredients to a large bowl and toss until combined. Taste and add additional lemon juice, salt, and/or pepper if necessary. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use. This keeps well, chilled, for about 2-3 days.
