Meatless on Monday #1

I mentioned on Saturday that we are going Meatless on Monday.  That means in between my No-Bake series I'll be posting meatless recipes which may or may not require baking.

Why Meatless on Monday?  I'm glad you asked!  I found a ton of useful info at MeatlessMonday.com about the health and environmental benefits of going meatless one day a week.  While we don't eat meat every day, this is a great opportunity to plan out my week of meals (SO much more on that later).

According to meatlessmonday.com
"Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.
Read about these benefits below. But keep in mind that just going meatless is not enough. That’s why we give you the information you need to add healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives to your diet each week. Further, if you do eat meat on other days, we strongly recommend grass-fed, hormone-free, locally-raised options whenever possible."

If you are looking for a healthier meat, check out Midlife Farmwife at South Pork Ranch.

On to the recipes!  I chose an oldie but a goodie for day 1 plus a bonus new recipe for "dessert."

Healthy Mushroom Stroganoff

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 -8.8 ounce package dried pappardelle (wide egg noodles)

1 1/2 pounds sliced mushrooms, such as button, cremini, and/or shiitake

2 cloves garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 -8 ounce carton light sour cream

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 cup vegetable broth

Snipped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley (optional)

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; keep warm.

2. In extra-large skillet cook mushrooms and garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat 5 to 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. (Reduce heat if mushrooms brown quickly.) Remove with slotted spoon; cover to keep warm.

3. For sauce, in bowl combine sour cream, flour, paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in broth until smooth. Add to skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; cook and stir 1 minute more. Serve mushroom mixture and sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley.

Easy Tropical Fruit Salad

8 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups  seedless red grapes or cherries

1 large  orange, sectioned

1 banana, sliced

1 can  (8 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained

1 cup  miniature marshmallows

8 oz low-fat or fat-free  Sour Cream

¼ cup  Coconut flakes, toasted

Directions

Mix all ingredients and cover.

REFRIGERATE 2 to 3 hours.

**I didn't have grapes so I used cherries (remove the seeds) and I didn't have an orange so I used 1 large can of mandarin oranges**