Meatless Monday Meal and Blog Shame (or ... New Thing 1)

Well, I did not make it far into that AT ALL did I?  My life has been absolutely crazy for way too long but that's really no excuse now is it?  This probably means I should start over.  What do you think?

So, here we are at the new thing 1.  I've never made a mushroom sauce before, my ex hated mushrooms, and I've had very limited experience with cream sauces.  This morning I opened my email and there was a yummy looking pasta dish.  I had some of the ingredients but not all and I didn't feel like spending much time or money at the grocery.  Several substitutions later my man and I had a delicious, filling dinner.

Here's what we ended up with:

ready to eat!

1 pound box of bowtie pasta (multigrain is the best)
2 cups of baby portabellos, cut into chunks or thick slices
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 large shallots, halved or quartered and sliced
1/2 cup feta crumbles (did you know it's usually cheaper at the deli counter than at the cheese section?)
1/3 cup white balsalmic vinegar
4 tablespoons of butter (divided)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch
1/3 teaspoons sea salt
one generous pinch of crunched up dried basil
teensy pinch of ground black pepper
teensy pinch of sea salt

Melt  2 tablespoons of butter and brown sugar in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add shallots and pinches of salt and pepper, stir and cook until they start to soften; then turn them down to low.  Let them cook slowly for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

carmelized shallots

Meanwhile, melt the other 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and stir for about 5 minutes, until they start to darken a little.  Add almond milk, white balsalmic vinegar and basil.  Stir well until it starts to bubble again.  Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 20 minutes.  (Start your pasta during this 20 minutes.)  Whisk corn starch in well then add the 1/3 teaspoon of sea salt and stir to combine. 

all mixed up

Put pasta into a big bowl and drizzle it with the olive oil.  Pour on the mushroom cream sauce, the feta and half of the shallot mixture.  Stir until well mixed.  Serve in bowls with a spoonful of shallots on top.  Enjoy.

oh man that's good!