Marsala Mushroom Casserole

This recipe has been moved to my new blog. Click here for the recipe. Sorry for confusion.

White Wine Marinated Portabella Mushroom Burger

So I must confess, the mushroom burger recipe I posted a while back has had many views, but I got lazy...I made an easier one. I still really like that recipe. But let's face it...when your friends are grilling burgers, the last thing you want to bring is a messy/falling apart mushroom patty or spend a long time prepping. I gave in to the world of portabella mushroom burgers. 

I knew they were easier, but I just hadn't enjoyed the texture in the past. Every time I tried them, they were too chewy rubbery. But after a friend attempted to marinate one in some Italian dressing for me, I got an idea. (The Italian dressing marinate was great, don't get me wrong...but my idea fits my taste buds perfectly).

White Wine Marinated Portabella Mushroom Burger with (imitation) Swiss Cheese

1 portabella mushroom (try to find one the same width as the bun you will use)

1/2 cup white wine (cooking wine is fine)

1 tsp. thyme

1/2 T. butter (just enough to "grease" the pan)

Imitation Swiss Cheese Slice (I use one of the kinds you can buy at Walmart, but any cheese will work).

1 "hamburger" bun of your choice/phe allowance

PREP: Remove mushroom stem and wash mushroom well. Place mushroom in a plastic Ziploc bag with the 1/2c. of white wine and the thyme. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.

GRILLING: Bring to the grill and place on the grill just like anyone else would place their burger. I can't help with timing, because it all depends on the grill. If you are worried about the white wine dripping, you may place the mushroom on foil before placing it on the grill. I always hand it to the men in my life and let them do the grilling! Sorry, not much help there. The real point is that I can throw all the prep stuff into a bag in about 5 minutes and bring it to a friend's house. 

PAN:

1. Set burner on medium heat and melt butter.

2. Add mushroom from bag (save "juice" in the bag). Allow mushroom to cook in the butter, a few minutes each side. Flip as needed.

Mushroom with thyme, cooked and almost ready

3. When the pan starts to get dry, add the "juice" from the bag. Allow mushroom to simmer in the white wine until liquid is ALMOST gone.

4. Turn burner to low and place cheese slice on top of the mushroom. If you have a PKU-friendly non-melting cheese like I use, just leave it there until it is warm and the rest of the liquid is gone. If you are impatient, you can put the mushroom and cheese in the microwave for a few seconds.

Add cheese when only a little liquid is left

5. Place mushroom on bun and add ketchup and/or other exciting things you might want to add.

That's it. Very simple, low prep work. I still enjoy the other recipe, but this one is so easy. The white wine and mushroom and "swiss" taste is great together, and it's simple to bring over to a cook out. I would imagine non-PKU people might enjoy the flavors as well (with real cheese of course). Feel free to pass the recipe along. Enjoy.

Yum! Ignore the non-melty cheese and the bun that is too small. It tasted great.

"Cheese-Itz"

Now that I'm trying to get my levels down, I am desperate for snacks I can munch on without guilt. Cheez-Its are my favorite temptation...so we found a recipe for low-phe "cheese" crackers. I haven't made them in many years and couldn't find all the same products as in our original recipe...but it still worked well. 

Recipe:

1 1/2c. Low-Pro Baking Flour (I used Country Sunrise or LoProfin)

1/2c. cheese sauce mix (I used country sunrise)

1 1/2t. baking powder

salt to taste

1/3c. butter flavored Crisco

1/4 c. water

Mix dry ingredients. Cut crisco in mixer or food processor until it is crumbly. Add water and mix until moistened. Divide dough in half keeping unused portion covered. 

"Dough" looks like this

Roll out to 1/8' thick or less (thin is better) between 2 pieces of wax paper ( I used saran wrap in the picture...it doesn't work as well- I ended up rolling it out directly on the pan). 

Roll out very thin

Cut with a pizza or pastry cutter.

 You should try to make better lines than I did :)

 Pierce each with a fork or toothpick. Bake on 500 for 4-5 minutes. Let cool and enjoy. Repeat with second half of the dough. They will store well in ziplock bags...but mine never last long so I can't tell you how long they stay fresh.

Finished Crackers

50g of crackers = 17.5mg/PHE

TIPS

If they are too chewy, roll thinner next time

If they burn they are too thin. 

Be conservative on the salt until you find the best amount that works for you.  You can always shake salt in the bag after they are done to add more...it won't stick as well but it taste the same.

Spicy Enchiladas

   Our new favorite recipe in our household is not one I can take any credit for, but I do want to share it with the world. It's really for Spicy Avocado Chicken Enchiladas. My meat-free version, however is a bit different. The sauce makes enough for one pan of enchiladas (between 6-10, depending on how much you back in there) I usually make half for me, half for my husband. The link is for the chicken avocado version...which is what he gets. Mine is a lower-protein, avocado-free recipe with mushrooms as the filling.
   I make my husbands chicken version using this recipe I found on pinterest, Spicy Avocado Chicken Enchiladas And then my more-PKU friendly recipe is adapted. I make the sauce the same for both of us. ( I just make one recipe). The "insides" are what I change. Here is the PKU-friendly version. I have not added the PHE yet, but I will update later with an amount of PHE.


Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 Serrano pepper, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup medium salsa verde
1/2 cup fat free sour cream

For the enchilada filling*   
This makes enough for half the pan, if you are making this just for the PKU crowd, double the filling ingredients.

4-5 sliced large white mushrooms

1 T. chopped cilantro

1 T. salsa verde
1 small yellow onion, chopped (you will use half for the chicken recipe if making both)

4 oz. low-pro cheddar cheese shreds 
Low-Protein flour tortillas (or regular if you are allowed the PHE, as I am)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Sauce: In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute Serrano pepper and garlic, for 1 minute. Stir in flour, constantly stirring, and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a low boil. Once boiling, whisk in the sour cream, salsa verde and cilantro. Remove from heat. 

Filling: In a small frying pan, saute sliced mushrooms in the1 tablespoon salsa verde and 1 tablespoon cilantro. I usually do this on medium heat, stirring until mushrooms have soaked up all of the salsa verde. Set aside for filling.

Assemble: Spray/grease a 9×13 baking dish. Add 3/4 cup sauce to the bottom of the pan. Warm up the tortillas by placing a them on a plate in between a 2 wet paper towels in the microwave for 30 seconds. This makes them softer and easier to roll. Place a spoonful of the mushrooms and onion in the tortilla. Add low protein cheese if using. If you do not have low-protein cheese (or do not like the cheese) you can use a small amount of sour cream instead. Roll the enchilada and place it seam side down in the pan. Repeat until filling is all used. Continue with the steps for the chicken enchiladas if making those. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHICH SIDE IS WHICH. I always use the end of a pepper or the cilantro stem to mark which side is the chicken and which is low protein. Pour the remaining sauce over all the enchiladas. Place remaining cheese on the correct sides (real cheese on chicken side, low-pro cheese on PKU side). Bake for 15-20 minutes and serve.

Left is the chicken avocado, right (after the pepper) are the mushroom*
*I did top my side with REAL cheese (not low-pro) b/c am allowed the PHE

Mushroom Burgers, minus the soy/eggs

This recipe has been moved to my new blog. Click here for the recipe. Sorry for any confusion!

My burger, after Saran Wrap is removed, right before cooking

7.

BetterMilk Fudgsicles

A PKU post
After my horrible experience with the hot chocolate formula, I was hesitant to try any other recipes. But I reasoned with myself and decided if I like my formula really cold, what could be better than in Fudgsicle form. I had fun taking pictures this time and was actually excited to try them- until they were frozen and ready. Then I started making excuses, tons of them. Finally, only because my husband would get tired of seeing them in the freezer, I gave in. The flavor was pretty good, but the after taste still lingered a bit.

I decided that I don't want to sip my formula slowly or eat my formula in any recipe type form- I just like to get it over with fast. I also like it to taste the same everyday. So I won't be venturing out toward any more recipes. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't at least try a few. Maybe you aren't as picky as me!

Ingredients

It looked like "normal" pudding

Don't use this popsicle-maker set - it didn't work well. I had to use a spoon!

Mexican Rice Recipe

The recipe for this yummy rice has been moved to my new blog. Click here for the recipe. Sorry for any confusion.

Best Mexican Rice Recipe

BetterMilk Hot Chocolate

PKU post
I was really excited to try the recipes that came with my new formula, but I wasn't a big smoothie fan. However, when Cambrooke posted a hot chocolate recipe idea on Facebook I got motivated. I love hot chocolate on a cold winter evening (or a 60 degree winter evening like we've had lately)
So I gave it a try. I should have known as soon as I smelled the warm BetterMilk it would not be a success. I have always been a snob about needing my formula to be very cold before I'll drink it. Room-temperature formula has always been gross to me. Hot formula with chocolate in it was even worse. Loved the idea of it, but it really had the worst aftertaste. If you or your PKU child doesn't mind the aftertaste, give it a try. But for now I'll save up my PHE and have a "normal" dairy free hot chocolate every now and then.

Forgot to get a photo of the final product! Oops.

PKU Pasta with Mushrooms and White Wine Sauce

Pasta with Mushrooms and White Wine Sauce

One of my hubbies fav new recipes comes from the Pioneer Woman Chicken and Mushrooms with Artichoke Hearts- he loves it and we make it often. I like my meals to "match" as often as possible, so of course I needed a great low-protein version. I highly recommend making the "real" version for your nonPKU family members, but this is a great variation for PKU. Depending on the low-pro brands you choose, it can be as low as 260mg PHE.

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
8 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Sliced
2 whole Garlic Cloves, Minced
1/4 cup White Wine, Or More To Taste
1 cup prepared Chicken-Flavored Consomme and Seasoning or other type Chicken broth
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
8 ounces your favorite low-pro, weight Pasta - prepare and drain

Preparation Instructions:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms to pan with the garlic, and stir around and cook for a couple of minutes. Add wine and cook for a minute while it evaporates.
Pour in chicken broth. Stir. Put the lid on the skillet and continue cooking over medium-low heat. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, enough for most but not all the broth to evaporate. (This is a great time to cook the pasta)
Remove lid and reduce heat to low. Pour in cream and stir. Put lid on pan again and cook for an additional 10 minutes to thicken sauce. Stir; add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour over cooked pasta.

Some tips:

Use the Pioneer Woman's photos to help. You won't have the exact same ingredients each step, but her photos show you what it should look like over all.

Rinse your low-protein pasta well before adding sauce. I like to mix in the pasta in the pan over the stove, but make sure you have enough room to mix without overflow!

If your diet allows more PHE than 260mg, you can add the artichoke hearts to your batch as well. I cook with them in for the flavor but then take them out when prepared. You can also add real pasta or real chicken broth if needed, but guessing most of you don't need more PHE.

Hope you enjoy this recipe and hope your non-PKU family enjoy the Pioneer Woman's recipe!

Marsala Cream Sauce for PKU

This is a recipe for those with PKU...but if you have no clue what I'm talking about, see the previous post for the real recipe.

For those fellow PKU-ers out there, this makes a great sauce variety for pasta. I don't know about you, but I have eaten my fair share of low-protein pasta with tomato based sauce. If you need a little variety, try this. I estimated the PHE, but you probably want to measure it out yourself based on what you actually use. From what I could tell, it would come out to about 250mg PHE. Feel free to correct on comments if you know better...my food list is a bit out of date! Thanks, and enjoy.

2 servings of your favorite low pro pasta*
1 1/2 tablespoons margarine
100g white mushrooms, sliced
40g onions, diced
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.

2 Melt the margarine over medium heat in a skillet. Saute the mushrooms, then set aside.

3. Add more margarine to the same skillet, if needed, and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the onions, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Add the Marsala wine, thyme, parsley, and pepper. Stir until the liquid is reduced to 2-3 tablespoons.

5 Add the cream and stir constantly until reduced by half.

6. Pour sauce over strained pasta.

*For an even better taste, use Cambrooke Food's Low Protein Portabella Spinach Ravioli or Cheese Ravioli and/or top with Mozerella Shreds