‘Creamless’ Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff

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When I was growing up, the two dinners I looked forward to my mom cooking the most were, Stack-A-Dinner which I have shared with you in a prior post, and Stroganoff.  I recall it being mostly hamburger and cream on pasta with some canned mushrooms highlighting the dish.  Man I loved that meal.  When I look back on the recipe, it certainly was an artery clogger…  Like most of the recipes I have used over the years, this one has evolved with my diet changes.  When I became vegetarian, I substituted the hamburger for a vegetarian ground round product, then as I realized that dairy wasn’t a friend, I used Amy’s mushroom soup and a plant based yogourt instead of cream.  Once I became vegan I kind of set the recipe aside as the Amy’s soup contained a bit of dairy.  It seemed too challenging to make it plant-based, low in fat and really tasty.

Periodically my eldest would ask if I could PLEASE make Stroganoff again.  I was missing it too so I figured it was about time to figure out how to make it taste good and be heart healthy as a plant strong recipe.

After some fiddling around, this is what I came up with.  Just by making a few modifications to recipes, great gains can be had by raising the nutritional value of the dish.  Unlike the regular Stroganoff recipe that contains saturated fat, cholesterol, and hormones from the hamburger and cream and yogourt, this recipe contains no added fat, no cholesterol and no animal hormones!  This recipe also contains fibre from the beans and cashews, which is an added benefit not found in the traditional dish.

People tend to think of pasta as the enemy, when it doesn’t actually have to be.  No, white pasta isn’t great.  It’s kinda like eating hardened and shaped white flour. Don’t fall for the ‘enriched’ label.  It really just means they have stripped the grain of all of its nutrients, then artificially put some of the vitamins and minerals back in.  Kind of a waste of time and good nutrition if you ask me… Look instead for a whole wheat pasta, brown rice pasta, chickpea flour pasta, or one of the many other whole grain options out there.  You will be choosing something less processed and more nutritionally dense.  Always look for pasta with the least amount of ingredients possible.  There are some out there with one ingredient like green pea flour.  That kinda blows me away!

I always like to add a little nutritional education to my blog post so here goes!  Here are three great things about the top three ingredients in this sauce:

Mushrooms: 

1. Mushrooms are thought to protect against breast and other hormone-related cancers particularly because they inhibit an enzyme called aromatase, which produces estrogen.   
2. Mushrooms also contain specialized lectins that recognize cancer cells and have been found to prevent cancer cells from growing and dividing.”
3. They are low in calories and are great sources of fibre and protein. They also provide many important nutrients, including B vitamins, selenium, potassium, copper. (Information pulled from the Food Revolution Network- link here.)  Make sure to eat them cooked as they contain agaritine, a natural toxin that is destroyed by the cooking process.  Here’s an informative video from none other than the amazing Dr. Greger!

Cashews:

1. According to Dr. Greger, eating one ounce of raw nuts everyday has been shown to cut your risk of heart disease in half.
2. Cashews are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and a good source of protein. They also contain; calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and zinc. 
3. The magnesium in cashews is important for bone formation as it helps with the assimilation of calcium into the bone.

White Beans:

1. Need more calcium in your diet?  White beans are shown to contain even more calcium than dark beans.  They also contain potassium, folate, vitamin C, and non-heme iron.
2. Worried about being ‘gassy’ when you eat beans? People who regularly eat dried beans suffer less from flatulence as the microbes in their digestive tracts adjust over time. So just eat them more!
3. Canned beans can last a long time but are more expensive.  Buying dried beans in bulk is cheaper.  Look for beans that are not wrinkled.  Cook a big batch then freeze them in small amounts to pull out for later. 

Okay, back to the task at hand!  Getting you the recipe for this velvety Stroganoff dish that can easily pass for the ‘real deal’.  I hope it tantalizes your taste buds and that it becomes your kids new favourite.  You can eat this the next day as a leftover, but I’m going to be straight with you, it is much better served hot immediately!  Those dang creamy sauces just don’t hold their heat, so get everyone seated with their fork in hand before you dish up their plates!
I hope you enjoy it.  Please let me know if you make it by commenting at the bottom of this post.

Onions, garlic and oregano.

Add white wine vinegar, mushrooms, veggie broth or extra water as needed so the mixture doesn’t stick to the pan.

Voilà!  Top with cilantro or parsley and eat it quickly!

'Creamless' Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes 20 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• For the Creamy Sauce:1/2 cup cashews, soaked for an hour if you don't have a Vitamix1/2 cup water1 tablespoon lemon juice1/2 teaspoon salt1-2 cloves of garlic1/4 teaspoon black pepper10 drops hot sauce2 tablespoons nutritional yeast1/4 cup of tofu (medium or firm) (option to substitute the same amount of white beans instead)1/2 cup canned or cooked white beansOn the stove: 1 onion chopped finely2 cloves of garlic minced1 teaspoon oreganoground pepper to your liking1-2 teaspoons white wine vinegar (or regular if you don't have it)1/4 cup veggie broth or water to add to the pan while cooking the vegetables3 cups of mushrooms, sliced5 cups pasta of your choice, boiled in salted water until just slightly firm 

Instructions

1. Blend all ingredients for the creamy sauce in a Vitamix or blender. Set aside.
2. Chop onions, garlic, and mushrooms.
3. Boil a large pot of salted water and cook pasta as per directions on the package. Try to time the pasta to be ready at the same time as the mushroom mixture.
4. Heat a large frying pan.  Place onion, garlic and oregano in hot pan and allow the onion to turn slightly brown while stirring often. Add chopped mushrooms to the pan and cook until they are cooked through but still slightly firm.  Add pepper, if you like, vinegar and some water or veggie broth to the pan as needed to keep the onion mixture from sticking to the pan.
5. Stir the creamy sauce mixture into the pan and allow it to come to a boil.
6. Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

www.thevibrantveggie.com

Notes

A delicious addition is a cup of peas or broccoli florets to the dish. Just add in when cooking the mushrooms.