If you asked me a couple of years ago if I would be creating recipes to enter into cooking contests where I could win trips to Culinary School in Napa Valley, I would have laughed and said … whatever.  I’m a competitive gal, but when it comes to cooking…well, I just love to cook, not necessarily to win anything, but just because I enjoy it.  But here I am…sharing with you my creation for the Everyday Chef Challenge.

Here’s the scoop for the Everyday Chef Challenge:

I am one of 5 Featured Bloggers chosen to part of a cooking challenge where a secret ingredient plus a Pacific Natural Foods staple item are revealed.  We have one week to create, cook and then share a recipe for voting.  There are two Challenges in total, and winner of each Challenge moves on the the Final Round where voting starts over and the competition is really on for the Grand Prize – all expense paid culinary bootcamp at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley.

Now…I don’t have to be the only one having this much fun!  There is a totally separate Challenge going on here too…that includes YOU.  YOU can enter a recipe using those same “secret ingredients” and compete for the same prize!  Don’t you want to go to Cooking School with me???  I’ve already recruited a blogger friend, Merry, to enter…I put the idea in her head and 24 hours later her recipe is entered!

Okay…so do you want to know about my recipe?  Challenge 1’s secret ingredients were Mushrooms and any Pacific Natural Foods broth.  After thinking about it for a couple of days, I was pretty much stuck on the idea of Mushroom Marsala.  But how to serve it was my challenge…

The Mushroom Marsala is definitely where the flavor of this dish is…but the Garlic Herb Quinoa Pilaf is no joke either.  I wanted to keep the dish meatless, so I bulked up the veggies by adding fresh spinach leaves and sundried tomatoes to the baby portobellas.  I seasoned and floured the mushrooms before sauteeing them to add a little more texture too.  The marsala wine and Pacific Mushroom broth combo made an awesome sauce for it.

As for the quinoa…I wanted to kick it up a bit and cook it in a way I hadn’t before.  I looked up the term “pilaf” on Wikipedia (culinary research!) and it says:

Pilaf … is a dish in which a grain, such as rice or cracked wheat is browned in oil, and then cooked in a seasoned broth.

So that’s what I did.  I started the quinoa with a quick saute of minced garlic and onion in a little olive oil, then added the quinoa and toasted it till fragrant and slightly brown.  Instead of water I used vegetable broth and then added toasted pine nuts at the end.  Wow is all I have to say.  If you’ve tried quinoa and haven’t been impressed, give it another try cooked this way.

If you think this sounds delicious (I assure you, it was.) then I would love to have your vote!  You can vote one time a day everyday until next Wednesday so you may get a friendly reminder or two from me!  Thanks so much!

Mushroom Marsala with Garlic Herb Quinoa Pilaf

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

For Quinoa Pilaf:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups Pacific Vegetable Broth
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

For Mushroom Marsala:

• 1 and 1/2 8oz packages of sliced portobella mushrooms (total 12 oz)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1-2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup marsala wine
• 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup Pacific Mushroom Broth
• 1 3oz package of sundried tomato halves (not in oil)
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves

Additional Toppings

• freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
• Toasted pinenuts, optional

Directions:

1. Pre-rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer until water runs clear. Let water drain and let quinoa dry for a few minutes prior to cooking. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add minced shallots and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add quinoa to pan and stir frequently for about 5 minutes. This will toast and enhance the flavor of the quinoa. Once quinoa is fragrant and a light golden brown, add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce down to slow simmer and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add toasted pine nuts, salt and pepper to quinoa and gently stir to combine. Cover and set aside.
2. In a large shallow dish, combine flour, salt, pepper, garlic, oregano and thyme. Gently toss sliced mushrooms in flour mixture. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sliced shallots and minced garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Gently dust excess flour off sliced mushrooms and add to pan. While mushrooms are cooking, add 1 tablespoon butter to pan and continue to saute. Cook mushrooms until browned, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of Marsala wine to pan and bring to a quick boil.  Add mushroom broth along with sundried tomatoes and spinach leaves and bring to a quick simmer. Gently stir together as spinach leaves and sauce cook down.  Season lightly with a pinch of salt and pepper. Serve over quinoa pilaf and with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and additional toasted pine nuts (optional).

The post Mushroom Marsala with Garlic Herb Quinoa Pilaf {Pacific Natural Foods Everday Chef Challenge Entry} appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

I had one of the best lunches I have had in a while at a little shop in Lake Mary called That Deli! I really wasn’t sure what to expect other than a sandwich when I got in there…but once I started looking over their menu I found myself having a lot of trouble narrowing down what I wanted to eat.  This place has so many awesome sounding sandwiches and salads…I ended up ordering the Looney Shrooms on a spinach wrap.  I can’t tell you how good it was.  That was Friday.

On to Saturday…all I wanted for lunch was another Looney Shrooms wrap.  Lucky for me, I had most of what I needed to try to recreate it at home.  It was missing the yummy garlic mayonnaise, yes, but that was okay with me…I can usually do without mayonnaise.  What I loved about this wrap was all the roasted veggies and their flavor.  It was filling, yet light since all it is is veggies!  And that’s what I wanted since it was a Gator Game Day and I was going to be indulging in beer and burgers later on.  I used a tortilla wrap from La Tortilla Factory…these guys are so good for you!  They are made with whole wheat and if you are trying to get some extra fiber in your diet, these babies have 7 grams per wrap!

I used some thinly sliced cheddar cheese in my veggie wraps, but go ahead and shmear some hummus on them for some extra protein!

Enjoy!

Roasted Mushroom and Pepper Wrap

Roasted Mushroom and Pepper Wrap

Ingredients:

• 1 8oz container baby portabella mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 large yellow pepper, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper
• 1-2 TB olive oil
• cheddar cheese
• whole wheat wraps

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss mushroom, peppers, onions and garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until vegetables are softening and starting to brown.
2. Place 2 thin slices of cheddar cheese in center of wrap. Spoon roasted vegetables in center of wrap and on the cheese. Tuck both sides in and roll wrap like a big cigar. Cut in the center. Serve with fruit for a light and healthy lunch or dinner!

Roasted Mushroom and Pepper Wrap

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Grilled Portabella and Brie Burgers

Yield: makes 2 burgeres

Ingredients:

• 2 large Portabella mushroom caps
• 1-2 zucchini, sliced thinly longways
• 1-2 summer squash, sliced thinly longways
• 4-5 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1-2 roasted red peppers, fresh or jarred, sliced thinly
• handful of fresh basil leaves
• 2 thin slices of Ile de France Brie cheese
• 2 French hamburger buns

Directions:

1. Place mushroom caps and sliced veggies in a large shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper and let marinate for 15 minutes. Place veggies over medium heat on grill and cook approximately 5 minutes on each side or until you veggies start to soften and you see grill marks. Place sliced buns on grill rack and watch carefully until lightly toasted.
2. Layer mushroom caps on bottom of your buns, top with slices of zucchini, squash and roasted red peppers. Top with 3-4 basil leaves. Spread brie on top half of warm bun and serve.

More meatless options for the grill:

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