Meatless Monday

It's Monday, so here are today's vegetarian recipes. Enjoy!

LOVELY, TENDER ANGEL FOOD CAKE

This comes from the June 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 75. It starts off, “One secret to perfect angel food cake is sifting the flour with some of the sugar so it blends into the meringue with minimal folding. The other is hanging the tube pan upside down over a glass bottle so the cake won’t deflate.” Serves 10.

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1 cup cake flour

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1 1/4 cups egg whites (9–10 eggs)

1 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. almond extract

Position oven rack just below center, and preheat oven to 350°F. Sift cake flour and 1/2 cup sugar into medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, vanilla, salt, and almond extract in separate bowl with handheld electric mixer at medium-low speed until soft peaks form. Increase speed to medium. Gradually beat in remaining 1 cup sugar. Increase speed to medium-high, and beat 5 minutes, or until meringue is thick and shiny, and firm peaks hold when beaters are lifted.

Sprinkle one-quarter of flour mixture over meringue, and gently fold in with spatula or flat whisk just until blended (do not overmix). Repeat 3 more times. Scrape batter into ungreased 10- x 4-inch angel food cake pan with removable center.

Bake cake 30 to 32 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned, and wooden skewer inserted near center comes out clean. Insert narrow-neck bottle into center tube, and invert pan to cool cake upside down.

Once cooled, remove pan from atop bottle, and cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Lift out pan’s center tube with cake. Cut under cake and around center tube to release cake. Cut into wedges, and serve.

nutritional information Per Slice: Calories: 185; Protein: 4 g; Total Fat: less than 1 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 41 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 99 mg; Fiber: less than 1 g; Sugar: 31 g

THAI GREEN CURRY

This recipes comes from the March 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times, and starts off, “Some Thai green curry pastes contain shrimp paste, so look for vegetarian versions in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.” Serves 6 in 30 minutes or less.

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2 Tbs. vegetable oil

4 shallots, minced

2 tsp. Thai green curry paste

1 14-oz. can low-fat coconut milk

1/2 cup whole basil leaves

2 Tbs. grated lime zest

1 15-oz. can sliced bamboo shoots, packed in water

3/4 lb. frozen precut green beans

1/2 lb. white round or other waxy potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 carrots, shredded

1 8-oz. pkg. Thai-flavored baked tofu, cut into strips

2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add shallots and curry paste; stir-fry 1 minute.

Blend coconut milk with 1?4 cup basil and lime zest in blender or food processor; add mixture to pot. Add bamboo shoots with their water, green beans, potatoes, carrots and salt to taste. Stir, and cook uncovered 10 minutes.

Add tofu and soy sauce. Cook 5 minutes, until green beans are just tender.

Add remaining basil and serve.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 257; Protein: 13 g; Total Fat: 14 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 20 g; Sodium: 494 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 5 g; Vegan

VEGAN QUINOA FRIED 'RICE' WITH MUSHROOMS, TOMATOES AND SPROUTS

This is from Jolinda Hackett, About.com's Vegetarian Food expert. She writes, "With tofu as well as a quinoa, this is a protein-packed fried "rice" recipe perfect for vegetarians and vegans. Use tamari instead of soy sauce to keep this recipe suitable for those on a gluten-free diet as well. If you have some leftover baked or fried tofu on hand, toss that in there for extra goodness. Use whatever vegetables you like: green peas, diced carrots, red bell peppers or baby corn would all be excellent choices. This vegan quinoa fried rice is an excellent vegetarian or vegan one-dish dinner idea." Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 20 minutes; Yield: about 3 servings

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Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp fresh minced ginger

4 scallions, chopped

1/3 cup fresh sliced button or white mushrooms

1/2 block firm or extra-firm tofu, well-pressed

1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 cups pre-cooked or leftover quinoa, cooled

hot sauce, to taste

1/4 cup (medium handful) bean sprouts

2 tbsp soy sauce (use tamari to keep it gluten-free)

1/2 tsp sesame oil

squeeze of fresh lime (optional)

Preparation

In a large sautee pan, heat the onion and garlic in olive oil for 3-4 minutes, until unions are almost soft, then add the ginger, scallions and diced tofu. Heat for another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally so the tofu cooks evenly.

Next, add the mushrooms and heat for another minute. Add the quinoa, tomatoes, hot sauce, and soy sauce and heat, stirring, for a another 3-4 minutes, until quinoa is hot and ingredients are well combined.

Stir in bean sprouts and drizzle with sesame oil and remove from heat.

Finally, give your quinoa fried rice a squeeze of fresh lime juice to make all the flavors really pop. Garnish with extra fresh scallions, if you'd like. I like my fried rice with a little dusting of sea salt just before serving as well.

PUTTANESCA SAUCE WITH FRIED CAPERS OVER LINGUINE

This comes from the June 2014 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 27, and starts off, “This versatile sauce also works great spread on crostini, spooned over soft polenta, or served with poached eggs.” Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

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1 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. capers, drained and patted dry with paper towels

1 red onion, chopped (1 cup)

3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved (3 1/2 cups)

1 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, divided

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

12 oz. linguine

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add capers, and fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until many capers have split. Remove capers with slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Add onion to skillet, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, then stir in garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook 1 minute more. Stir in tomatoes, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to break down. Stir in 1/2 cup basil and olives, and remove pan from heat.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Add drained pasta to skillet, and toss to combine with sauce, adding some pasta water if mixture seems too thick. Serve garnished with remaining 1/2 cup basil and capers.

nutritional information Per 1 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 395; Protein: 14 g; Total Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 74 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 254 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 8 g; Vegan

GREEN PASTA PRIMAVERA

This is from the April/May 2015 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 38. It begins, “Tossing cooked pasted with puréed toasted pine nuts and pasta water creates a delicious cheese-like coating for the noodles.” Serves 6 in 30 minutes or less.

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1/2 cup plus 3 Tbs. pine nuts

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1 Tbs. lemon juice

8 cloves garlic, minced (3 Tbs.)

2 medium leeks, sliced (2 cups)

1 lb. broccoli raab, chopped

2 cups frozen peas, thawed

6 cups baby spinach

8 oz. farfalle pasta

Toast pine nuts in skillet over low heat 5 minutes, or until golden, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat. Blend 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts in food processor with 2 Tbs. oil, lemon juice, and 1 Tbs. water until smooth. Set aside remaining 3 Tbs. toasted pine nuts.

Heat remaining 2 Tbs. oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, and sauté 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden. Stir in leeks, and season with salt, if desired. Sauté 5 minutes. Add broccoli raab, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add peas, and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in spinach, and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/3 cup cooking water. Return pasta to pot; stir in sauce and reserved pasta cooking water. Fold in broccoli raab mixture. Serve topped with whole toasted pine nuts.

nutritional information Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 395; Protein: 14 g; Total Fat: 20 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 48 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 70 mg; Fiber: 6 g; Sugar: 6 g; Vegan

VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

I’d been making lasagna for years, using a favorite cookbook. One time, my oldest son took the same recipe, and replaced the meat with eggplant. His came out tasting better than when I made it.

I tried recreating the eggplant version, but it never quite came out the same. So, I ended up changing the recipe drastically, changing ingredients and amounts. The funny thing is that, while I use one or two packages of tofu crumbles instead of meat, it tastes enough like meat to fool several non-vegetarians. One person, after eating this, even looked at me aghast, asking, “What are you, some kind of vegetarian?” Never heard from him again.

Tomato sauce:

2 – 3 onions, chopped

3 – 5 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz. can tomatoes

2 – 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

2 – 6 oz. cans tomato paste

2 T oil

1 T oregano

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. dill

1 tsp. anise

1 or 2 – 10 oz. package tofu crumbles

Brown onions & garlic in oil. Add remaining ingredients, stir well, simmer for 1 hour. While sauce is cooking, in a separate pot, cook 16 oz. lasagna noodles & make cheese layer.

Cheese layer:

2 C sour cream

2 C cottage cheese

2 eggs

4 C mozzarella, grated

2 C cheddar cheese, grated

1 C Parmesan cheese

Mix ingredients together in large bowl.

Assemble:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In 9” X 13” pan, place half the cooked lasagna noodles length-wise. Top with half the cheese mixture, then half the tomato sauce. Repeat. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before cutting, as it tends to be a little runny when it first comes out of the oven. Serve with a salad and a loaf of hot Italian bread. Very yummy.