Vegan Mushroom Pasta

As I wondered through the farmer's market on Saturday, I was inspired by the abundance of mushrooms that filled one particular vendor's baskets.  After contemplating potential flavor combinations, I settled on a rich garlic-mushroom-stroganof type dish and set out to create the meal which I had built in my head.  The end result was EXACTLY as I had imagined.  Unlike some vegan pasta dishes, this one has no lack of flavor.  Feel free to serve the mushroom sauce over a pasta of your choice - my selection was squid ink spaghetti from a local vendor.

VEGAN MUSHROOM PASTA

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp EVOO
1 sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic,  chopped
4 cups assorted mushrooms, chopped (I used portobello and shitake)
1/2 cup red wine
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tbsp italian herbs (I used a dried blend)
1-2 cups vegetable broth

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the EVOO in a saute pan over medium heat.
2. Add the chopped onion and garlic, sauteing for approximately 10 minutes.  Stir frequently to allow even caramelization.
3. Add the roughly chopped onions to the pan, mixing to combine with the onions.  Cook for 3 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low and add a splash of vegetable broth.
4.  In a mixing bowl, combine the wine, coconut aminos, worcestershire, dijon, and italian herbs.  Pour over the mushroom-onion mix.
5.  Continue to cook the mushrooms for an additional 2 minutes.
6.  Add 1 cup of vegetable broth to the pan and stir well.
7.  Cover the pan and allow to simmer over low heat for approximately 10 minutes.
8.  Just prior to serving, you can add a splash of broth based on your preference.
9.  Serve over your favorite pasta.

**For a more cohesive dish with great mushroom flavor in every bite, I'd recommend adding your cooked pasta directly to your mushroom pan and mix well.  If you prefer the more traditional approach, however, you could plate the pasta and then ladle the mushroom sauce over the top.**

No weekend food post would be complete without - you guessed it - PANCAKES.  In this case, it's waffles.  These were straight out of the freezer and into the toaster thanks to some planning ahead on a previous weekend.

I went a bit overboard at the farmer's market on Saturday morning.  What can I say, there was just so much great looking produce.  For lunch, I chopped lots of veggies for a salad (romaine, cuke, red bell pepper, radish, tomato, avocado) and topped it with sardines (mashed with dijon and plain Fage yogurt) and a few sweet potato wedges.  And thanks to the glorious spring temperatures, I chomped away while soaking up the sun on the deck.

Last, but not least, a bit of fun.  Friday night a group of our ortho residents met at Ten Park Lanes for a few drinks and rounds of bowling.  Our ortho family is having a baby boom at the moment, and of the six girls there, I was the only one without an expanding baby bump.  At first I was feeling a bit out of place among all of the baby talk, but next thing I knew the boys were shoving a bowling ball under my shirt and snapping pictures.  Despite the rather anatomically correct appearance of the photo - no worries, my uterus remains vacant.  We'll just call this picture pregnancy empathy!