Food has always been a big nostalgic trigger for me. Certain meals can conger up memories of family meals and the comfort that went along with them. One of my very favorite meals growing up was creamy, mushroomy stroganoff. Even as an adult when I was going to visit my mom and she would ask if I wanted anything special for dinner, 9 times out of 10 my answer would be stroganoff.

The recipe we used back then was basically cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, ground turkey and sour cream. The thought of the ingredients now pretty much grosses me out – but I’ve been longing for the taste for years and finally decided to try my hand at a vegan version.

I don’t consider myself an amazing chef by any stretch of the imagination. I’m a home cook that can make some pretty kick ass meals, but I’ve had my fair share of disasters as well. Whenever I try out a new recipe I basically expect failure so when something turns out good (and spoiler alert – this shiz turned out frickin GOOD!) I’m all kinds of happy. Especially when it happens on the first try!

The stroganoff was filled with a rich creamy wild mushroom flavor and a hearty texture. Originally I was going to add in some meatless crumbles, but the mushrooms gave the dish enough heft that I decided to leave it out last minute and cut down on the processed ingredients. I used portobello and shiitake, but any combination of mushrooms would work. I served this over jasmine rice, though noodles would be equally as pleasant. I was ecstatic with how this turned out and can’t wait to make it again – it completely brought me back to those wonderful childhood memories.

What dishes remind you of your childhood??