What's for dinner?? #2

When I used to think of pasta, I'd instantly think of spaghetti. Not anymore! We eat pasta a couple times a week for dinner. One reason we eat so much pasta is because I'm a vegetarian and a good fettuccine goes really well with sauteed vegetables. When I decided to go vegetarian again (I've been on and off most my life) I was really worried it would kill my cooking skills. But in truth it's expanded them because it's forced me to cook with vegetables and ingredients I hadn't before. For example, I used to not like mushrooms. But I discovered that it's all in how they're cooked (for me at least). This is a really versatile week night recipe (if you'd even call it one) that I love.

First Step- Make mushroom's delicious:

*Put a pat of butter in a pan and arrange mushrooms in a single layer. Let them sit there till they turn a golden brown, then flip. Once the other side is golden- add a dry white wine and let the mushrooms absorb the wine. Next, add chopped up garlic and a pinch of some herbs (basil and thyme what I used). Add a pinch or sea salt and some ground pepper. Then add some diced shallots. Let simmer and let the wine and butter turn into a nice sauce. Yum...

Second step -- Add other vegies:

I typically add chopped tomatoes and cut up asparagus. But you can add artichoke hearts or just leave it as sauteed mushrooms. See, I told you it was versatile. Seriously, these mushrooms taste so good though. Wine, butter, garlic, shallots- um...hello?! How could it not taste good? And the mushrooms just soak up all the flavor - yum.

Last step -- boil pasta:

Add to boiling water, remove when done :) I like fettuccine personally for this dish.

To serve - place pasta on plate and then ladle your mushroom/vegie concoction on top. This is one of my hubby's new favorite dinners.

Side note: This meal would go well with a breaded chicken breast too. Just because I'm a veg-head doesn't mean I don't cook meat. I've only recently (a little over a month) gone back to eating vegetarian and my hubby is full carnivore :) Plus, I'd never deprive children of my home made 4th of July fried chicken. Enjoy!