Meatless Monday

Here's to Meatless Mondays! Enjoy!

Note: Don't forget to check out my two new food blogs: Vegetarian Delights: A Confessions of a Foodie Offspring and Diabetic Delights: A Confessions of a Foodie Offspring. Confessions of a Foodie will continue, so you'll now have a larger selection of recipes to choose from during the week. (Enjoy!)

FROZEN BLUEBERRY YOGURT POPS

This comes from Ocean Spray's newsletter. This very yummy recipe yields 8 pops. Prep Time is 5 minutes plus freezing.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 cup Ocean Spray® Blueberry Juice Cocktail

1 cup Fresh Blueberries, cleaned and rinsed

1 6-ounce container of fat-free vanilla yogurt

8 wooden craft sticks

Directions

Combine all ingredients in blender. Cover; blend on high speed 15 to 20 seconds or until smooth.

Pour into 8 frozen pop molds (2.5 ounces to 3 ounces each). Cover, insert craft sticks, and freeze for 2 hours or until completely firm.

To serve, dip outsides of molds into warm water to loosen.

SLOW-COOKER STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB CRISP

When I was a kid, my parents bought a place in the northeast corner of Connecticut. (Actually, two places, both with plenty of memories.) The second place had a good-sized garden that the previous owners had put in; the fresh fruits and veggies were wonderful. One of the garden's offerings was rhubarb, which threatened to overtake the garden. It was the first time I'd had rhubarb; I've been a fan ever since. Whenever I run across a recipe that includes rhubarb as an ingredient, I'm reminded many wonderful memories.

This recipe comes from Tablespoon.com, and begins, “Strawberries and rhubarb team up with Betty Crocker™ cake mix and old-fashioned oats, making this scrumptious slow-cooker sweet a sure-fire winner.” Prep Time: 10 min; Total Time: 2 hr 40 min; Makes 6 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 cups sliced strawberries

3 cups sliced rhubarb

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

1 cup Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ yellow cake mix (dry)

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes

Whipped cream, if desired

Directions

In medium to large slow cooker, toss strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and orange peel.

In medium bowl, stir cake mix, oats and cinnamon. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is size of small peas. Dump on top of strawberry-rhubarb mixture.

Cover; cook on High heat setting 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until fruit is bubbling and crisp topping is lightly golden brown. Serve immediately with whipped cream.

GRILLED PEACH AND RASPBERRY FRUIT SALAD

This comes from the July/August 2015 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 66. It begins, “The play of temperatures and textures, plus the surprise addition of tomatoes, gives this simple salad extra flavor.” Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

1 pt. fresh raspberries, divided

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 1/2 Tbs. agave nectar

1 Tbs. grated lemon zest

1 Tbs. chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish

8 firm, ripe peaches, halved and pitted

4 tsp. vegetable oil, plus more for grill or grill pan

1 Tbs. sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

2 small or 1 large heirloom tomato, cut into wedges (2 cups)

2/3 cup toasted pecan halves (2 oz.)

Mash 1 cup raspberries with fork in bowl. Stir in lemon juice, agave nectar, lemon zest, and mint. Set aside.

Brush cut sides of peaches with oil. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and pepper in bowl; sprinkle cut side of peaches with sugar mixture. Set aside.

Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

Lightly grease grill plates. Place peaches cut side down on grill or grill pan. Grill 3 to 5 minutes, or until grill marks appear and peaches are tender.

Divide peaches, tomato wedges, and remaining 1 cup raspberries among serving plates. Serve topped with raspberry sauce, pecans, and chopped mint.

Nutrition Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 176; Protein: 3 g; Total Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 25 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 2 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 19 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

VEGAN ROASTED BANANA ICE CREAM

This was in The New York Times (Vegan Ice Cream to Scream For, by Melissa Clark, page D1, Wednesday July 22, 2015). It is adapted from “Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream,” by Laura O'Neill, Van Leeuwen and Pete Van Leeuwen, with Olga Massov. Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus overnight soaking and chilling times; Yield: about 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups/200 grams raw, unsalted cashews

4 medium bananas, preferably somewhat speckled but not brown, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices

6 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons/90 grams extra-virgin coconut oil

2 tablespoons/28 grams dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon/5 grams plus a pinch kosher salt

3/4 cup/150 grams granulated sugar

1/2 cup/80 grams cocoa butter, available at baking supply stores and online

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons/266 milliliters coconut milk

1/2 cup/65 grams chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)

Preparation

To make the cashew milk, place the cashews in a large bowl and add water to cover by a couple of inches. Soak cashews overnight.

In the morning, drain the cashews and place them in a blender with about 1 3/4 cups (375 grams) fresh water. Blend until smooth. If you use a Vitamix, there will be no need to strain – the milk will be perfectly smooth; for other blenders, check the consistency and, if necessary, strain the cashew milk through a fine-mesh strainer. Cashew milk will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.

To roast the bananas, heat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss the bananas, 2 tablespoons/27 grams coconut oil, brown sugar and pinch of salt. Spread on prepared baking sheet and bake until caramelized, about 15 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Put 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan over medium to low heat. Add sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until sugar has dissolved. Add cocoa butter, remaining 4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons/63 grams coconut oil and remaining salt. Stir until melted.

Pour the sugar mixture into in a food processor (or use a tall 2-quart container and an immersion blender), and add the coconut milk and 1 cup/212 grams cashew milk. Blend until smooth. Add roasted bananas and blend again to combine until very smooth. Cover and refrigerate the ice cream base until chilled, 1 to 2 hours.

Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. In the last minute of churning, add toasted walnuts, if desired, and churn until incorporated. Transfer the ice cream to a storage container and freeze up to 7 days. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately. It will be the consistency of soft-serve.

TOMATO AND WATERMELON SALAD

This comes from Sam Sifton for The New York Times Cooking section (featured in How to Make a Perfect Summer Feast, on July 3, 2015). Sifton writes, “Summer in a bowl: salty and sweet, with a hint of acidity. Make it with the best tomatoes you can find, a cold watermelon, less dressing than you would think and, if you can find it, Bulgarian feta.” Serves 6 to 8 in 15 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 to 6 large tomatoes, ideally heirloom varieties, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes

1 small seedless watermelon, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup feta cheese, torn into large crumbles

Preparation

Combine the cubed tomatoes and watermelon in a large, nonreactive bowl and toss gently to combine. Add salt and let stand 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the dressing.

Whisk together the oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the cheese to the tomatoes and watermelon, then the dressing, and toss gently to combine.

VEGETARIAN "BEEF" AND GUINNESS STEW

Jolinda Hackett is about.com's vegetarian cuisine guide. She wrote, "Beef and Guinness stew, an Irish pub favorite, gets a vegetarian makeover in this recipe, using seitan instead of beef to absorb all that rich stout flavor. Yum! The flavor of the beer is very strong in this recipe, so I've suggest using half the amount of Guinness and adding an equal amount of vegetable broth if you aren't a Guinness fan."

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

Approx 14 oz seitan, cut into thin strips

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp steak sauce

3 tbsp butter or margarine

1 onion, diced

3 ribs celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 medium potatoes chopped into 1 inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 12 oz bottles Guinness Stout OR 1 bottle plus 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp brown sugar (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Sautee seitan in olive oil and soy sauce until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat, add steak sauce and stir until seitan is lightly coated. Remove from heat and aside. In a large pot, sautee onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and garlic in butter or margarine for 3-5 minutes, or until onions are slightly soft. Reduce heat and slowly add Guinness, gently stirring to combine. Add flour, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper and stir well. Add seitan and allow stew to simmer until Guinness reduces and stew thickens, about 40-50 minutes.

Add more salt and pepper if desired and enjoy!