Meatless Monday

If it's Monday (and it is), it's Meatless Monday. Here are today's six vegetarian recipes. Enjoy!

MEMPHIS CORN PUDDING

This comes from GE Appliances. To view it online, click here.

Ingredients

2 boxes corn muffin mix (8 ounce)

2 sticks butter, melted

2 cans yellow whole corn

2 cans cream corn

2 eggs

16 oz sour cream

Method

Mix all together thoroughly.

Spray a 9"x13" baking pan with Pam.

Pour in batter.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

SPARKLING LEMONADE

As hot as summer gets, what's better than a refreshing lemonade? This if from Vegetarian Times' June 2014 issue, page 33.

Serves 8

The acidity of the lemon juice slows the yeast activity for this soda, so start it about a week before you plan to serve it.

1 cup sugar, plus more if desired

1 pinch salt

2 cups fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. champagne yeast

Bring 1 cup water to a boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add sugar and salt, and stir to dissolve both. Cool, then stir in lemon juice.

Pour juice mixture into clean 2-liter soda bottle using funnel. Top off bottle with water, leaving at least 1 inch headspace. Taste, and add more sugar if desired. (Extra sugar will dissolve on its own.)

Add yeast to juice mixture. Screw on cap, and shake bottle to dissolve and distribute yeast. Let bottle sit at room temperature away from sunlight 5 to 7 days, or until lemonade is carbonated. Check bottle periodically; lemonade is ready when bottle feels rock-solid with very little give.

Refrigerate overnight, or up to two weeks. Open bottle very slowly over 
sink to release pressure gradually and avoid bubble-ups. Store in refrigerator.

nutritional information Per 1-cup serving:

Calories: 111; Protein: less than 1 g; Total Fat: less than 1 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 29 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 18 mg; Fiber: less than 1 g; Sugar: 27 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

WATERMELON GRANITA WITH MINT AND LIME

From the July 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times.

Serves 4

Watermelon lovers go wild for this dessert: Freezing watermelon juice with a sugar syrup intensifies the fruit flavors.

1/3 cup sugar

1 small fresh mint sprig

1 2-inch piece lime zest

2 1/2 Tbs. lime juice

3 lb. watermelon, cut into chunks

Combine sugar, mint, lime zest and 1/3 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook 1 minute, or until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, and cool. Strain, and remove mint and zest.

Purée watermelon in blender or food processor. Strain liquid. You should have about 2 cups juice.

Combine watermelon juice and lime juice in large bowl. Add sugar syrup and stir to combine. Pour into 9×9-inch baking tin, and freeze 45 minutes. Stir with fork. Continue to freeze 3 to 4 hours, stirring every 1/2 hour to fluff crystals and prevent granita from turning solid. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until dessert time. Scoop into bowls with fork or small spoon, and serve.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 100; Protein: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 26 g; Sodium: 1 mg; Sugar: 24 g; Vegan

LEMON-BLUEBERRY SCONES

From Vegetarian Times' May 2005 issue.

Makes 16 scones

30 minutes or fewer

Scones, like biscuits, are most tender when handled minimally. So use a soft touch when mixing and patting the dough. The scones can be made the night before, left unbaked and refrigerated. They can go straight from fridge to oven; just add 5 minutes to the baking time.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 Tbs. unsalted butter

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. low-fat buttermilk

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup dried blueberries

Milk for brushing tops

Granulated sugar for tops

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease baking sheet. In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Mix buttermilk, zest, vanilla and egg in medium bowl. Stir in dried blueberries. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Pat into 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Use 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out dough. Form scraps into more scones. Place 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet. (If making ahead, stop here, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate.) Brush tops with milk, and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until tops are lightly browned.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 270; Protein: 5 g; Total Fat: 5 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 48 g; Cholesterol: 40 mg; Sodium: 330 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 16 g

SUPER MEAT SEITAN MEAT SUBSTITUTE

This is from Jolinda Hackett, About.com's vegetarian blog. Jolinda writes, "A super meaty tasting seitan recipe that you can add to stir-fries, Chinese food recipes, vegetarian sub sandwiches or just gobble up right out of the pan. The combination of ingredients may seem a bit odd, but the salty soy sauce, tangy vinegar and sweet barbecue sauce all combine for a really meat-like flavor in this vegetarian and vegan seitan recipe."

Ingredients:

Approx 1 pound seitan, sliced into strips or bite-sized chunks

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp barbecue sauce

1-2 tbsp water

Preparation:

Sautee seitan in oil over medium-low heat until lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Add soy sauce, stirring to coat seitan well, then add vinegar, barbecue sauce and a tablespoon or two of water, stirring to mix well and coat seitan.

Heat for 1-2 more minutes, until water is absorbed and seitan is cooked.

BEST-OF-SUMMER-FRUIT SALAD

This comes from the July 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times. It starts, “Tossing fruit in a lemon-infused syrup lightly sweetens it and keeps it from browning once it's cut and stirred into a salad. Feel free to substitute whatever fruit you may have on hand for the choices here. If you plan to use bananas, though, do not add them until just before you're ready to serve the dish.” Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

1/3 cup sugar or 1/4 cup agave nectar

1/4 cup fresh mint or lemon verbena leaves

2 Tbs. lemon or lime juice

2 cups seedless grapes, halved

2 peaches or nectarines, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup sliced strawberries or whole raspberries

1 cup blueberries

Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in saucepan. Simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in mint and lemon juice. Steep 15 minutes. Strain out mint.

Combine grapes, peaches, strawberries, and blueberries in large bowl. Stir in sugar syrup. Cover, and chill 2 hours, or overnight.

Per 3/4-cup serving: Calories: 91; Protein: less than 1 g; Total Fat: less than 1 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 23 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 1 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 20 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free