From the story: The Elephant in the Room.
Not everything that is delicious has to be bad for you. The proof is in the pudding–Dr. Eric’s Healthier Mushroom Pudding (Kugel). He has a knack for knowing the perfect ingredients to substitute when he creates dairy-free, paleo, or keto recipes. In this recipe he uses almond noodles instead of white flour noodles, coconut cream instead of dairy cream, and almond milk instead of dairy milk. He adds a new dimension with his shot of dry sherry. You’ll be surprised how delicious a kugel can be without dairy products! He recently hosted a dinner for ten people, and all ten raved about this dish as they went back for second and even third helpings!
Doctor's Healthier Mushroom Kugel
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 1.5 packages Cappello's almond fettuccini available at Whole Foods
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk for boiling noodles
- 1 13.5 ounce can coconut cream
- 4 to 8 ounces plain, unsweetened almond milk
- 16 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I use Shiitake) use your favorite kind
- 1 tablespoon, plus 1½ teaspoons mushroom bouillon I use More Than Gourmet Essence De Champignon Gold (Mushroom Essence)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- ¼ teaspoon fresh nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon onion powder to taste
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced and sautéed to taste
- 1-2 ounces dry sherry
- ½ cup parmesan cheese (optional)
- dash ground black pepper to taste
- olive oil to sauté mushrooms and grease baking dish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8"x11" baking dish.
- Clean and slice mushrooms. Dry on paper towel.
- In a pan, sauté the sliced mushrooms in olive oil. The mushrooms will release their own juices and soften. During this time, stir, flipping mushrooms over so each side faces the heat. Add dry sherry to finish. Set Aside.
- In a saucepan, bring the coconut milk and coconut cream to a gentle boil. Instead of boiling fettuccine in water, cook with this coconut milk and coconut cream mixture. Add partial almond milk for more liquid if necessary. By using Cappello's Almond Flour pasta as called for in this recipe, it will only take one minute and 45 seconds to cook perfectly al dente, as Cappello's is precooked fresh-frozen. (See back of package for directions). When done, pour the cooked noodles and cooking liquid into the prepared baking dish and let it cool. Do not shortcut the cooling process. (Noodles and liquid must be cool enough before adding the eggs in order to avoid cooking them.) When cooled, pour out the coconut milk, coconut cream, and almond milk (if used) into a large mixing bowl.
- In a blender, combine the Mushroom Essence/bouillon with the remaining almond milk. Add the cooled off cooking liquid (coconut milk, coconut cream, and almond milk mixture). Blend until everything is dissolved and mixed.
- Add salt, thyme, parsley, nutmeg, onion powder, garlic, pepper, and eggs. Blend until everything is dissolved and mixed. To this, add 1 cup of the sautéed mushrooms into the blender and pulse until they are in small pieces (~2mm).
- Pour liquid from the blender over the noodles.
- Gently fold in the remaining mushrooms with the liquid and noodles in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle shredded parmesan cheese on top of the mixture.
- Bake at 350℉ for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.
