Whether we like it or not, fall is in the air.

From a culinary standpoint, that's not a bad thing; while we'll miss the blueberries and peaches, the temptations of apples and squash are just ahead. The first apples, in fact, have begun to appear at the Farmers Market over the past couple of weeks.

The last day of our staycation I made a blueberry-cream cheese strudel, and had a few phyllo sheets leftover. This was the last of our indulgences; it was time for a return to healthy foods.

Now, it may seem like Mushroom-Onion Strudel wouldn't be that healthy, but with a few shortcuts, it really can be.

What I want from this strudel is a rich, Hungarian mushroom soup quality (like what you can find from Achatz Soups from Skratzch - their spelling, not mine), but without all the cream and calories. To make this healthier, I cooked the vegetables slowly in a bit of olive oil, used whole wheat phyllo dough (Fillo Factory brand makes organic, whole wheat phyllo dough - which I got at Plum Market, but but which is also available at Arbor Farms and Whole Foods), and used 3 TBS of reduced fat sour cream, rather than a mixture of full fat sour cream and cream. To get a complex, smokey flavor, I used two types of paprika and some Gruyere. Our family loved this start to the fall. Enjoy!

Mushroom-Onion Strudel with Two Paprikas

Ingredients

5 sheets of whole wheat phyllo dough, thawed (regular phyllo dough will work fine, too) olive oil cooking spray or olive oil atomizer 1 TBS olive oil 1/2 lb. mushrooms, cleaned and chopped 1 large onion chopped 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 tsp sweet paprika 1/4 tsp smoked paprika 3 TBS reduced fat sour cream 4 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated (if you have a grater with small holes, or a microplane, so much the better as you can spread the cheese more - a light coating on the phyllo is fine) 1 tsp olive oil

Note: If you have only smoked paprika, 3/4 tsp can be used. If you only have sweet paprika, use the 1/2 tsp and add a pinch of cayenne pepper. This will be tastier with the two paprikas, however. Both kinds of paprika can be bought from By the Pound.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Saute onions in 1 TBS olive oil over medium heat, until onions start to become translucent. Add mushrooms, and continue to cook until they are golden brown - cook slowly. The sauteing should take about 30 minutes. Add salt, pepper, paprika and sour cream. Mix together. Set aside.

3. Spread a clean kitchen towel on a table. Working quickly so the phyllo won't dry out, place a sheet of phyllo dough on the towel. Spray with cooking spray or atomizer. Repeat until all five sheets have been used.

4. Sprinkle Gruyere across surface of the phyllo sheets, reserving 1 TBS. Along one edge, place the mushroom/onion mixture.

5. Using the towel, roll the strudel, jelly-roll style. When the strudel is rolled, brush the remaining tsp of olive oil along the seam and sprinkle with the remaining gruyere.

6. Carefully transfer strudel to baking sheet that is either greased or has a silicone mat or parchment paper covering it. (I'd recommend the latter two choices, if possible).

7. Bake for 25 minutes until strudel is golden brown. Let cool for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6

Nutritional Info

* Servings Per Recipe: 6 Amount per serving: * Calories: 191.1 * Total Fat: 11.2 g * Cholesterol: 24.7 mg * Sodium: 147.6 mg * Total Carbs: 14.5 g * Dietary Fiber: 1.7 g * Protein: 8.9 g

As always, nutrition information supplied by the recipe calculator at sparkrecipes.com.

Photos: Plate of Mushroom-Onion Strudel with Two Paprikas and heirloom tomatoes, close-up of Mushroom-Onions Strudel with Two Paprikas, phyllo dough and mushroom mixture ready to be rolled, rolled strudel ready for the oven. All photos by Jennifer Shikes Haines.

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I'm Jennifer Haines and my blog is a2eatwrite. Please contact me at: Jenshaines at gmail dot com. A2eatwrite will post a What's Cooking Wednesday piece each Wednesday in this space.