Meatless Monday

I don't know about you, but weekends are never quite long enough for everything I want to get done. No matter, there's always next weekend. In the meantime, here are today's vegetarian recipes for Meatless Monday. Enjoy!

SOY-SESAME BOK CHOY ROLLS

This comes from the June 2013 issue off Vegetarian Times, page 37. It starts off, “If you can’t find large, firm bok choy leaves to use as wrappers for this recipe, use smaller ones as “cups,” and serve the filling alongside. Choose a bold-flavored prepared teriyaki sauce or add sriracha or chile-garlic sauce for extra kick.” Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

16 large bok choy leaves (about 12 oz.)

7 1/2 oz. sprouted tofu, drained and cut into small cubes (1 1/2 cups)

1 cup shredded carrots

4 green onions, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. low-sodium teriyaki sauce

Trim stems from bok choy leaves. Finely chop stems, and toss in bowl with tofu cubes, carrots, green onions, and teriyaki sauce.

Place 1 bok choy leaf on work surface with stem end closest to you. Spoon 2 Tbs. tofu mixture in “cup” of leaf near tip end. Roll leaf around filling like a burrito, folding in sides. Secure with toothpick. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

nutritional information Per Serving (4 rolls): Calories: 95; Protein: 9 g; Total Fat: 3 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 9 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 477 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 5 g; Vegan

CARROT DIP WITH CRUSHED WALNUTS AND OLIVES

This comes from the June 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 44. It sarts off, “Laced with harissa, a Tunisian chile sauce, this dip offers a spicy, low-fat alternative to hummus. Serve it with pita wedges or pita chips. Leftover dip makes a great sandwich spread or pasta sauce.” Makes about 2 cups in 30 minutes or less.

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1 1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch-thick rounds (4 cups)

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tsp. whole coriander seeds

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. harissa

3 Tbs. chopped toasted walnuts

1/4 cup oil-cured black olives

Place carrots and garlic in large pot, and add enough salted water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and partially cover. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Drain, and place in bowl of food processor.

Toast coriander in small skillet over medium heat 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Grind toasted coriander in coffee or spice grinder, or crush with mortar and pestle, and add to carrots.

Add oil, lemon juice, and harissa. Pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spoon into shallow bowl, and garnish with walnuts and olives.

nutritional information Per 1/4-cup serving: Calories: 99; Protein: 1 g; Total Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 10 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 132 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 4 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

SPINACH SALAD WITH CHERRIES AND CANDIED CASHEWS

This one comes from the April/May 2014 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 74. It begins, “Candying nuts in the oven is a snap when you coat them with a mixture of egg white, sugar, and spices. The nuts keep well in a sealed glass jar, so you might want to make extra for future salads. Candied nuts for dessert? Simply omit the thyme, salt, and pepper in the Candied Cashews recipe above, and you have a crunchy dessert topping.” Serves 6.

To view this online, click here.

Candied Cashews

1 large egg white

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups raw cashews

Cherry Vinaigrette

1 cup halved and pitted fresh cherries (about 22 cherries)

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp. white wine vinegar

Spinach Salad

8 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup halved and pitted fresh cherries

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

1/4 cup dried cherries

To make Candied Cashews: Preheat oven to 300°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly spray with cooking spray.

Whisk together egg white and 1 Tbs. water in large bowl. Whisk in brown sugar, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add cashews, and stir to thoroughly coat cashews.

Spread cashews on prepared baking sheet in single layer. Bake 15 minutes, then stir cashews on tray, and bake 15 minutes more, checking every 5 minutes to avoid burning. Cool.

To make Cherry Vinaigrette: blend all ingredients in blender until smooth, thinning with 1 to 2 Tbs. water, if desired.

To assemble Spinach Salad: Toss together all ingredients in large bowl with 1/4 cup Cherry Vinaigrette. (Reserve remaining vinaigrette for another use.) Sprinkle with Candied Cashews.

nutritional information Per 1 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 325; Protein: 9 g; Total Fat: 16 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 38 g; Cholesterol: 8 mg; Sodium: 598 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 25 g; Gluten-Free

TABIL-SPICED POTATO-AND-EGG CIGARS

From the July 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 44. It starts out, “Savory pastries made with rolled and foled brek pastry leaves, or warka, are common starters in North Africa. Here, easy-to-find phyyllo sheets replace the specialty brek leaves and encase a savory potato-and-egg filling.” Makes 14 cigars

1 large Yukon gold potato (3/4 lb.), peeled and sliced

1 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 Tbs. tabil spice blend, or 2 Tbs. ground coriander

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese

7 frozen phyllo sheets, thawed

3 Tbs. melted butter

Place potato slices in medium pot, and cover with water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, reduce heat to medium, and cook 12 to 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Transfer to large bowl, and coarsely mash with fork.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat, and cook onion 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tabil, and cook 1 minute more. Stir onion mixture, parsley, and beaten egg into potato mixture. Fold in hard-boiled eggs and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 1 sheet phyllo with long side facing you. Brush with butter, and fold in half like a book. Cut crosswise to make 2 stacked rectangles. Spoon 2 Tbs. potato mixture on center right edge of one rectangle, fold in top and bottom edges, and roll up like an egg roll. Place seam-side down on prepared baking sheet, and repeat with remaining phyllo and filling. Brush rolls with remaining butter, and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Serve hot.

nutritional information Per Cigar: Calories: 101; Protein: 3 g; Total Fat: 5 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 10 g; Cholesterol: 47 mg; Sodium: 95 mg; Fiber: less than 1 g; Sugar: less than 1 g

BLACKBERRY ICE CREAM

This comes from the One Green Planet emailing list. They have quite a few really good vegetarian recipes. Give it a try!

This recipe starts off, “I served my ice cream as a soft serve, but I also froze it in an airtight container and it turned to the same consistency as the ice cream you knew/know and love/d as a non-vegan. I won't lie; this ice cream is not as creamy as the dairy kind, or the soya or nut-based ice cream you can buy from health food stores, but the banana makes this more than just a sorbet. Not to mention, it cuts the calories by half. At least. So enjoy your 'ice cream' guiltlessly! You have my permission.”

Ingredients

2 cups frozen blackberries

2 frozen bananas, in chuncks

a few splashes of almond milk

Preparation

In a blender or food processor, blend the frozen fruit with a little bit of almond milk, adding the milk little by littled. Don't add too much or you'll just end up with a frozen smoothie, you want to add just a few splashes when necessary. Depending on the speed of your blender or food processors, this will take about five minutes. You may need to stir the ice cream mixture with a spoon between pulsing to make sure everything gets blended (unless you want chunks).

Serve immediately as soft serve, or place in a container in the freezer for at least one hour before scooping it out.

NEAPOLITAN TARTLETS

This comes from the June 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 60. It starts off, "Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry are the classic Neapolitan flavor combination (like the ice cream). Here they’re showcased in chocolate tartlets filled with vanilla-flavored strawberries. Baking the tartlets on double-stacked baking sheets (aka double panning) ensures that the tart shells bake evenly, with no burned bottoms." Makes 4 4-1/2-inch tartlets.

To view this online, click here.

Dough

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting tarts

4 Tbs. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

6 Tbs. cold trans fat–free margarine or unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 Tbs. semisweet chocolate chips

Filling

2 lb. strawberries, hulled and thickly sliced

2 Tbs. sugar

2 Tbs. cornstarch

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 vanilla beans, or 2 tsp. vanilla extract

To make Dough: Pulse flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in food processor 10 times, or until combined. Add margarine, and pulse 10 times, or until mixture is crumbly. Add 2 Tbs. water, and pulse 5 times, or until Dough comes together.

Divide Dough into 4 equal pieces, shape into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out Dough disks to 1/8-inch-thick rounds on lightly floured work surface. Press rounds into 4 1/2-inch tart pans with removable bottoms, and trim away excess. (Excess Dough can be rerolled to make small cookies, if desired.) Prick bottoms of tart shells 8 to 10 times each with fork, and place on 2 stacked baking sheets. Bake 20 minutes, or until tart shells begin to pull away from sides of pan. Remove from oven, and sprinkle 1 1/2 tsp. chocolate chips into each shell. Spread melting chips into thin chocolate layer with pastry brush.

To make Filling: Combine strawberry slices, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in medium bowl. Halve vanilla beans, and scrape seeds into strawberry mixture; stir to combine (reserve vanilla pods for another use), or stir in vanilla extract. Let stand 30 minutes. Stir to combine juices and strawberries.

Layer 1/2 cup strawberry slices into each tart shell, pressing down lightly. (Tarts will be very full.) Return tarts to oven on double-stacked baking sheets, and bake 20 minutes, or until Filling bubbles around edges. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack before removing tarts from pans. Dust tarts with cocoa powder.

nutritional information Per Tartlet: Calories: 464; Protein: 6 g; Total Fat: 20 g; Saturated Fat: 8 g; Carbohydrates: 70 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 331 mg; Fiber: 7 g; Sugar: 33 g