Wintry, Shroomy Stroganoff

About a week ago, after picking up our - beautiful, fragrant, eight-foot-tall! - Christmas tree, we stopped to refuel at the monthly all-you-can-eat buffet at our local Loving Hut (http://lovinghut.us/about.html). Before leaving, we checked out the (rather dizzying) array of fake meat in the freezer case, and eventually came away with a package of May Wah "vegetarian pepper steak." In considering what to do with it, it occurred to me that  - since it's been really, really cold here lately - something involving noodles might be in order, and "beef" stroganoff sounded perfect. A quick Google search revealed that there are about a million recipes available, but I basically started with the one in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook and went from there. Since the original is extremely timid (a tablespoon of minced onion? Seriously?), I had some upgrading to do, but the end result was extremely satisfying, and gets my unqualified recommendation for those bleak, mid-winter nights when you want a hearty, homey dinner like Mama used to make. We liked the May Wah stuff, but if you don't have access to it, you could easily substitute some other vegan "meat" like seitan, Gardein, reconstituted soy curls, or just skip it altogether and use extra mushrooms, which to my mind are really the main point of this dish, anyway. It's very filling, so you're sure to have leftovers unless you're feeding an army; stroganoff is usually served over noodles, but a fluffy bed of mashed potatoes would work just as well. Since no plate looks right without something green on it, I steamed some string beans to have on the side, drizzled with melted Earth Balance and lemon juice. And Bob's your uncle: dinner!

Wintry Shroomy Stroganoff

Ingredients
~ 1 tbsp. Earth Balance
~ 1 tbsp. olive oil
~ 1 large onion, diced
~ 1 lb. fake "beef," sliced thin
~ 1 lb. mushrooms, sliced (2 lbs., if omitting beef substitute)
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, parsley
~ 2 tsp. each: paprika, dill
~ Pinch of nutmeg
~ A few generous grinds of black pepper
~ 1 tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
~ 1 cup vegetable broth
~ 2 cups vegan sour cream or plain, unsweetened soy yogurt
~ 1 lb. noodles, cooked and drained according to package directions (vegan "egg"-style noodles would be perfect), or a big batch of your favorite mashed potatoes

Directions
~ In a large, deep skillet, melt the EB and the olive oil together, then saute the onions over medium heat, about 5 minutes.
~ Add the "beef" (if using) and cook about 5 minutes more.
~ Add the seasonings and the mushrooms, stir to combine, and cook - you guessed it! - 5 minutes.
~ Add the broth and the Worcestershire sauce, cover the pan, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
~ Stir in the sour cream, mix thoroughly, and remove from heat.
~ If using noodles, toss them with a little margarine or oil, salt, pepper, and parsley.
~ Place the noodles (or mashed potatoes) on plates, ladle the stroganoff on top, and serve garnished with a little extra parsley and a grind or two of black pepper.