Meatless Monday

Christmas is almost here. It really doesn't seem possible, does it? Here are a few vegetarian recipes to help with your Christmas meal. Enjoy!

ROASTED GREEN BEAN BUNDLES

This recipe comes from the November 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 58. It starts off, “These individual bundles of seasoned, roasted green beans will impress guests and make serving a cinch.” Serves 8 in 30 minutes or less.

This can be viewed online here.

1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed

1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise

1 Tbs. garlic-flavored olive oil

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp. salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

Lemon slices, for garnish, optional

Hawaiian salt, black salt, or fleur de sel, for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or coat with cooking spray.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and red onion, and blanch 3 minutes. Drain, then pat vegetables dry with paper towels.

Whisk together oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Add beans and onion slices; toss to coat.

Group beans and onion slices into 8 bundles (about 10 to 15 beans each), and tie each bundle with 8-inch piece of kitchen twine. Place bundles tie side down on prepared baking sheet. Bake 7 to 10 minutes, or until bean ends begin to brown. Flip bundles with spatula so tie side is up, and bake 7 to 10 minutes more, or until all bean tips are brown. Transfer bundles to serving plate, and garnish with lemon slices and Hawaiian salt, if using.

nutritional information Per Bundle: Calories: 35; Protein: 1 g; Total Fat: 2 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 4 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 80 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 2 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

DIY CRANBERRY JUICE COCKTAIL

This recipe and the next (Cranberry-Pecan Salad) are from an article on healing foods, titled Cranberries by Maria Lissandrello in the November/December 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times. This one starts off, “One of the biggest complaints about bottled cranberry juice is the high sugar (and low cranberry) contest: a 1-cup serving contains more than 130 calories – beating out a sugary soft drink! For an easy homemade version that delivers a higher concentration of cranberry juice and a lot less sugar, follow these steps:

1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. agave nectar

2-inch cinnamon stick

4 cups boiling water

Mix unsweetened cranberry juice with the agave nectar in a heatproof, 1-quart measuring cup.

Add the cinnamon stick to the mixture.

Stir in the boiling water. Cool, and enjoy.

CRANBERRY-PECAN SALAD

This starts off, “The antioxidant-packed vinaigrette for this salad is made with unsweetened cranberry juice rather than vinegar.” This vegan recipe serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

Cranberry Vinaigrette

2 Tbs. unsweetened cranberry juice

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 Tbs. canola oil

1 Tbs. walnut or hazelnut oil

1 small shallot, finely chopped (2 Tbs.)

Salad

4 cups arugula

2/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans

To make Cranberry Vinaigrette: Whisk together cranberry juice and mustard in small bowl. Whisk in canola and walnut oils until smooth. Stir in shallot, and season with pepper.

To make Salad: Toss arugula, dried cranberries, and pecans with vinaigrette.

Per serving: 207 cal; 2 g prote; 14.5 g total fat (1 g saturated fat): 21 g carb; 0 mg cholesterol; 242 mg sodium; 2 g fiber; 14 g sugar.

CRANBERRY PIE

This recipe can be found in my e-cookbook Off the Wall Cooking, which is for sale on Amazon.com. (To buy a copy of it for your Kindle or tablet, click here.) My dad sent this recipe in a letter dated “18 No 79”. He wrote, “Here is a recipe for a pie. 1st the way it was in the paper and the way I made it.”

2 T cornstarch

1 C sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 C hot water

1 C raisins

1 T butter

2 C cranberries

Pie crust

Blend 1st four ingredients & cook in double boiler until thick. Add next 3 ingredients & cook 10 minutes. Put in pie shell & bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, covering pie with foil for the first 10-15 minutes. (Crust can be any kind you want, whether double crust or simply a bottom crust.)

VARIATION

2 Tbls cornstarch

3/4 C honey + 1/4 C molasses

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 C hot water

1 C raisins

1 T margarine

1 1/2 C cranberries + 1 C canned cranberries (kind with berries in sauce)

Pie crust

Make as above.

ROASTED SQUASH AND APPLE CHOWDER WITH COLORFUL POTATOES

This is from the October 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 76. It starts off, “Puréed roasted butternut squash provides the creamy base for a hearty chowder. If making the chowder ahead, prepare the recipe through step 3, then assemble and reheat just before serving.” Serves 8.

2 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks (6 cups), divided

3 medium apples, peeled and diced (3 cups), divided

2 large leeks, white parts cut into 1-inch chunks (1 cup), plus 1/2 cup thinly sliced leek greens, divided

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. pure maple syrup

1 lb. multicolored potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

1/2 cup apple juice

1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine 5 cups butternut squash chunks, 2 cups diced apple, leek whites, oil, and maple syrup in large bowl, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spread squash mixture in single layer on prepared baking sheet, and roast 30 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Cook potato chunks and remaining 1 cup butternut squash in boiling, salted water 5 to 7 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, and set aside.

Purée roasted vegetables in blender until smooth. Add purée and apple juice to large soup pot with 4 cups water. Whisk in vinegar, and heat over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Add boiled potatoes and squash, remaining 1 cup diced apple, and leek greens, and simmer 5 minutes, or until hot.

nutritional information Per 1 1/4-cup serving: Calories: 162; Protein: 3 g; Total Fat: 2 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 36 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 12 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 12 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

ENGINE 2 DIET VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

This was on a long-forgotten email list. But it comes originally from a cookbook titled The Engine 2 Diet: The Texas Firefighter's 28-Day Save-Your-Life Plan that Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds. Personally, I'm considering picking up a copy for myself. Check it out!

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 head broccoli, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1 can corn, rinsed and drained

1 package Silken Lite tofu

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon rosemary

2 jars pasta sauce

2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles

16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

6 roma tomatoes, sliced thin

1 cup raw cashews, ground

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Sauté the onion and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until the onions are limp and the mushrooms give up their liquid. Remove them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve the mushroom liquid in the pan. Sauté the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the mushroom bowl. Sauté the peppers and corn until just beginning to soften. Add them to the vegetable bowl.

Drain the silken tofu11 by wrapping in paper towels. Break it up directly in the towel and mix into the vegetable bowl. Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine.

To Assemble:

Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy. Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover the lasagna with thinly sliced roma tomatoes.

Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cashews, and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 10 - 12 servings of sweet potato lasagna.