Mushroom "Risoniotto"

A few years ago, the parents of my preschool group gave me a generous gift card to Amazon and I promptly ordered three cookbooks, including River Cottage Veg  by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.  I had perused the library's copy and decided it was a welcome addition to  my collection.  Fast forward five years and I hadn't made one dish from the book. Not. One.  I would read through the book and decide that I should give it away. Read through it again and decide that I must keep it. 

Thankfully, iheartcookingclubs is celebrating their tenth anniversary. Usually, they highlight one chef for six months and anyone can join in by cooking recipes by that chef. For IHCC's tenth anniversary, they are featuring all previous chefs (including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall) giving me the perfect opportunity to actually cook from Veg.  I chose the Mushroom "risoniotto" on page 258 of the book. The Washington Post printed the recipe in 2013 (hopefully with Mr. Fearnley-Whittingstall's permission) so I am posting a link here.

It is easy to make and most ingredients are readily available if not already in your pantry. I found the recipe a bit bland, but to be fair, it says to add salt and pepper to taste and I didn't add a lot. I probably could have added more fresh thyme and maybe two teaspoons of balsamic vinegar instead of one. Still, this is a good dish for a simple, filling meal. 

Aromatic Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce

In honor of St. Paddy's Day, it's Green Eating week at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  For this Irish holiday, I chose a dish featuring Asian flavors. Lots of green veggies and pasta are flavored with peanut sauce.  Originally, I was going to make this dish in February for our pasta themed week, but the snow peas and sugar snaps looked rather sad. 
So I waited. One month later, the veggies are green and crisp.  Ellie describes the vegetables as a "refreshing yin to the yang of the rich, spicy peanut sauce." Very true.

I've made many versions of peanut noodles, but this version is really good. The use of natural peanut butter and roasted peanuts give the sauce a deep, nutty flavor that is not too sweet. The addition of veggies make this a meal in a bowl.

 

The recipe can be found in The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger or on the Food Network website.  You can also find more green eating at IHCC.