Scalloped Potatoes with Best-Ever Mushroom Sauce

Fine recipes are rather like classic stories. An instant spark of inspiration, or musings of days, maybe years, perhaps a combination of the two, the final result is to be savoured and revisited many times over. Scalloped potatoes are certainly one of those classic preparations that deserve our creative attention.

The lazy days of summer call for a certain conciseness, both in literature and food. We want good nourishment, with an elegant flare, but usually don't want to labor over the enjoyment of the experience. And so, after pulling myself away from the garden and my edition of Pushkin's complete prose works, I headed upstairs and Scalloped Potatoes with my Best-ever Mushroom sauce were born. I have more ideas for this most delicious of sauces, because it's become a favorite in my household, as has this preparation, though it's a new addition to the menu.

To make this recipe, you will need to prepare a batch of Best-Ever Mushroom Sauce. I increased the quantity of the original recipe slightly by adding some extra mushrooms (I used white button and creminis), a 1/3 cup more or so of yogurt and cooked the sauce for less time because it gets simmered with the potatoes in the oven and I didn't want it to thicken up too much.

Scalloped Potatoes with Best Ever Mushroom Sauce

5 - 6 large potatoes, sliced
sea salt and freshly black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons of butter

1 batch of best ever mushroom sauce

Cover the bottom of a medium-sized casserole dish with a layer of sliced potatoes. Top with half the butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and pour half of the mushroom sauce over the potatoes. Repeat the steps and sprinkle the top with a little more salt and pepper. A bit of milk can be added if you need to thin it out a bit.

Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60 - 80 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened. Let the potatoes sit for 10 minutes or so before serving.

Serves 4 - 6.

More Scalloped Potato Recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Scalloped Potatoes with Coconut Milk and Mushrooms
Scalloped Potatoes with Wild Mushroom Soup

Indian Lemon Brown Rice

Lemon rice has long been one of my favorites, but for some reason, I've only made it using white basmati rice. I was excited to see that Yasmeen made a version using brown rice which inspired me to come up with a recipe based on my classic Piquant Lemon Rice. This twist on a South Indian classic is quite possibly a new favorite. If you tend to think of rice as a side dish, this preparation will have you reconsidering. Serve with Mung Beans and Mixed Vegetables for a satisfying and delicious Indian vegetarian dinner.

I'm sharing this with Michelle, who is hosting the Heart of the Matter this month. The theme is budget friendly foods. Rice has been a staple food for centuries and is certainly one of the most economical and healthy foods available.

Indian Lemon Brown Rice

1 cup of brown basmati rice
1/2 cup of raw cashews, halved
2-3 tablespoons of ghee or a mixture of butter and oil
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon of urad dal, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
2 - 3 green chilies, finely chopped
small handful of dried curry leaves
1/4 cup of coconut
juice from one lemon
sea salt to taste

Soak the rice in two cups of water overnight. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover and cook until the water is absorbed - roughly 40 minutes. Set aside.

In a frying pan, heat the ghee or butter and oil over moderate heat. When hot, add the cashews to the pan. Stir and fry until they are golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the cooked rice.

Raise the heat slightly and add the urad dal, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds to the pan. Stir and fry until the mustard seeds turn grey and begin to pop. Add the chilies, turmeric, curry leaves and coconut to the pan and stir-fry for another minute or two. Transfer to the rice pot, along with the salt and lemon juice. Gently mix with a fork until everything is well combined.

Serves 4.

Related:
Piquant Lemon Rice with Cashews
Simple Lemon Rice
Lime Flavored Rice with Split Peas

Asparagus & Feta Cheese Scramble

If you're like me and always pick up more asparagus in season than you know what to do with, a quick steaming, a splash of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sea salt is always a simple and appetizing solution. But asparagus also pairs as easily and beautifully with cheese and eggs, lending itself to quick throw-togethers without having to resort to forethought or pre-planning.

This recipe started as a routine trip into the kitchen to fry up a few plain eggs for the standard breakfast. Without even quite knowing how, the accidental discovery of a bunch of asparagus and half a brick of feta cheese that I had meant to use up turned the old over-easy eggs into an elegant and delicious scramble … and at the expense of only an extra five or ten minutes.

Asparagus & Feta Cheese Scramble

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch fresh asparagus
1 shallot, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
8 large eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese
sea salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet over just less than medium heat. Meanwhile, snap off the woody ends of the asparagus and chop the spears into 1-inch pieces.

When the butter is foaming, add the asparagus and shallot and stir for 2-3 minutes. Cover the pan and let the asparagus cook until just tender, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the thyme and cover for another minute.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the feta cheese. Pour the eggs and cheese into the vegetables and gently trawl through the mixture with a wooden spoon for a couple of minutes. Cover the pan and cook until the eggs are set, lifting the lid and stirring occasionally.

Season with sea salt and plenty of fresh ground black pepper.

Serves 4.

Other fast morning ideas you might like:
Asparagus and Feta Cheese Frittata
Good Friday Scramble
Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

Blueberry Goat Cheese Muffins

Restless and craving a baked treat on a lazy Sunday evening, I rushed off to the kitchen within an hour of finding this recipe for Blueberry Goat Cheese Muffins at Coconut and Lime. The addition of goat cheese is barely perceptible to the palate, but it certainly adds a delectable creaminess to these blueberry packed muffins that literally melt in your mouth, especially when served warm. I can honestly say these are some of the tastiest blueberry muffins I have ever eaten, and that's saying something, because blueberry muffins are my favorite berry muffin.

I added some cornmeal and goat milk to the recipe, cut back on the sugar and used St. Dalfour's Blueberry fruit spread sweetened with white grape juice instead of the blueberry puree called for in the original recipe. Imagine the possibilities.

Blueberry Goat Cheese Muffins

1 1/2 cups of unbleached white flour
1/2 cup of cornmeal
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup of milk (I used goat milk)
1/2 cup of goat cheese, softened and mashed
1/2 cup of blueberry jam
1/4 cup of butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 cups of blueberries, rinsed

Grease a 12 cup muffin baking tin generously with butter. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, butter, milk, blueberry jam, goat cheese and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the muffins sit in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cook for a few minutes before serving.

More berry muffin recipes from Lisa's Kitchen:
Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins
Raspberry Cornmeal Muffins
Raspberry Lemon Muffins
Cranberry Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Three-Bean Salad with Fennel

Cool, crunchy and fresh … the mild savoury licorice flavour of raw fennel is always deliciously refreshing in warm weather. It's also part of a substantial and nourishing spring lunch in this attractive salad adapted from Yamuna Devi's Lord Krishna's Cuisine and provides a delightful contrast in colour, texture and taste with three different kinds of beans and a brisk lemon, herb and seed seasoning.

This is my contribution to My Legume Love Affair, one of my favorite monthly events celebrating the mighty bean. Susan is the mastermind behind this popular event and the host for the 13th edition is Harini of Tongue ticklers.

Three-bean Salad with Fennel

1/2 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 cup dried black-eyed peas
1/2 cup dried red kidney beans
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
2 hot green or red chilies, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh coriander, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ghee or a mixture of olive oil and butter
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon ajwain seeds
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced

Rinse the beans together* under cold running water and soak overnight under several inches of cold water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added. Drain and rinse the beans, then place in a medium saucepan and cover again with fresh cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are just tender but still firm. Drain and set aside to cool.

Put the ginger, chilies, parsley, coriander, salt and fresh ground pepper to taste in a salad bowl. Heat the ghee or olive oil-butter mixture over medium heat in a small frying pan. Toss in the black mustard seeds, ajwain seeds and caraway seeds and fry until the black mustard seeds start sputtering. Remove from heat, and pour the seasonings straight into the salad bowl. Whisk together thoroughly, and gently stir in the beans and fennel.

Refrigerate before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

*Note: If you don't want the pink from the kidney beans to bleed into the other beans, soak and cook the kidney beans separately.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Hummus with Goat Cheese

Hummus has long been a popular easy summer meal solution. Also a delightful appetizer to serve to guests, such a simple indulgence will likewise bring comfort to the staunchest of hermits. Once the beans are cooked, and a few things roughly chopped, everything goes into a food processor and in minutes, you have a healthy legume dip to serve with raw vegetables and slices of pita bread or perhaps some Whole Meal Biscuits - assuming you can resist the urge to eat it by the spoonful, in large quantities. Honestly, I could eat vats of this stuff, which might account for the large quantity this recipe yields. Imagine 4 cups of good nourishment dressed up as decadence.

This is a riff on my favorite trio of sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese and olives. Inspired by memories of Olive Tapenade, Olive Hummus, and Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, this new favorite was born and consumed with pleasure. For a vegan version, simply omit the goat cheese.

Enjoy with a full-bodied glass or two or three of Ruffino.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Hummus with Goat Cheese

1 cup of dried chickpeas (roughly 2 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas)
2/3 cup of sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup of tahini
juice from one lemon
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped
generous 2/3 cup of kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup of goat cheese
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1/3 cup of fresh parsley
2 tablespoons of olive oil
sea salt to taste

Soak the chickpeas overnight in enough water to cover. Drain, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and cover and simmer until the beans are buttery soft - roughly 1 - 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 15 - 20 minutes. Reserve the soaking liquid and roughly chop the tomatoes.

Reserve a few olives for garnishing, along with a few chopped olives to stir into the processed hummus for added texture.

In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, a few tablespoons of the reserved sun-dried tomato soaking liquid, jalapeno pepper, cumin, cayenne, paprika, goat cheese, olive oil, parsley and sea salt. Process until all of the ingredients are well combined. Add more of the reserved sun-dried tomato liquid to achieve your desired consistency.

Stir in the reserved olive bits and garnish with a few whole olives and some sprigs of parsley.

No Croutons Required - The Winner for June and the Theme for July

The winner of the June leafy green challenge is Yasmeen of Health Nut. She cooked up a healthy bowl of spicy Kale and Barley Soup. This hearty, fiber rich soup is certainly worthy of the No Croutons crown! Congratulations Yasmeen!

It's my turn to host No Croutons Required this month. The theme for July is grains because grains are an essential part of a healthy vegetarian diet. Rice, quinoa, millet, spelt, barley, oats ... choose your favorite grain(s) and make a soup or salad for a chance to win the July challenge. A recap of the submission guidelines can be found here.