"Beef" Stroganoff

I LOVED my mom's recipe for this growing up (back in the days where a "fat gram" and a "calorie" were as foreign as "paying bills" and "laundry techniques"!)...I have managed to come up with a recipe that brings all of the comfort that this dish has to offer, without ALL of the guilt that follows!  Just so you know...this isn't one of my figure conscious recipes, although it is way better for you than the original!  (This is one of those "impress your husband meals")

7 oz of mushrooms (I used 1/2 shitake and 1/2 portabella), chunked largely
1 pkg of Smart Strips, Beef (you can certainly omit this and just add more mushrooms), chop into smaller pieces
1 Lg yellow or white onion chopped


Saute in 2 T "butter" (read the blog on substitutions) until onions are translucent, and mushrooms are browned.  1 T of garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

Add:
6 T Marsala cooking wine and simmer for a few minutes
Add:
1 c. unsweetened almond milk
1 t. ground mustard
5 T.  Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream
3 T. Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese (the yellow one, not the white)
2 T. Garlic powder (not salt)
2 T. fresh crack pepper
2 T. Vegenaise...vegan mayonaise (not the nasoya brand)

Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until it gets a tad thicker.

Boil a box of Eden Organic Garlic Parsley Noodles for 2 minutes, strain, rinse, and add to sauce until the noodles have finished cooking. 

I like things to have an extra kick to them, so I added a dash of cayenne pepper to it too!

If your mixture gets too thick, you can add a little more almond milk and a little more mayo!

Serve with some mashed potatoes, a side of steamed broccoli, and homemade garlic toast...YUM...I think I'll be making this again, very soon!

Note:  Homemade garlic bread is impressive to those who never make it, and WAY better for you than the salty, buttery slab of bread that you'll get most places...here's how I make mine:

I ALWAYS buy the Arnie's Brand Multigrain French Loaf...why?  Because it tastes amazing, the texture is unbeatable, and they don't use any preservatives in their baked goods!  If you don't have Arnies breads in your grocery store, I'm sorry...you'll just have to buy any loaf of whole grain french bread you can find!

Preheat oven to 350

Cut loaf lengthwise so you have 2 long halves
Spread liberally (and I mean slather) coconut oil or olive oil on both halves (obviously on the inside...just in case you were wondering)
1 T of garlic powder on each half (or 2 to each half depending on how much you like garlic!)
1 1/2 t of salt on each half (use sea salt if you can...the kind where you can actually see the minerals in it)
fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Bake for 5 mins and then finish on low under the broiler, until the top gets a little brown

It's that easy!  Now, if you're feeling fancy, here are some ways that you can change that up:

1 T oregano to each side
1 T basil to each side
1 T italian seasonings to each side
a sprinkle of cayenne pepper (for spicy bread)
a sprinkle of crushed red peppers (for mildly spicy bread)

you can do all of these at once, along with the original recipe up above, or just do 1 at a time...it's up to you!