Meatless Monday

It's Monday, which, of course, means Meatless Monday. Here are today's six vegetarian recipes to help you through the day. Enjoy!

BLACKBERRY-RHUBARB FOOL

This comes from the March 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times, and begins, “Foolishly simple to make, this old-fashioned English dessert marries a fruit purée with whipped cream. To cut down on calories, we folded drained vanilla yogurt into a small amount of real whipped cream.” Serve 6.

To view this online, click here.

3 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb (about 12 oz.)

1 1/2 cups frozen blackberries, divided

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbs. orange juice

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 6-oz. containers low-fat vanilla yogurt (1 1/4 cups)

1/3 cup whipping cream

1 Tbs. crushed vanilla wafers

Combine rhubarb, 1 cup berries, sugar, orange juice and cinnamon in saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove lid and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until rhubarb is tender and mixture has broken down into a chunky purée, stirring often. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, line sieve or colander with cheesecloth or coffee filters, and set over bowl. Spread yogurt in sieve, and let drain in refrigerator 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or overnight.

Chill mixing bowl and beaters in freezer 1 hour, or overnight. (This will make it easier to whip cream.) Put remaining 1/2 cup blackberries in refrigerator.

Fold yogurt into rhubarb mixture with spatula. Whip cream in chilled bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold into rhubarb-yogurt mixture, leaving distinct swirls. Spoon into dessert dishes, and garnish with wafer crumbs and thawed blackberries.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 157; Protein: 4 g; Total Fat: 6 g; Saturated Fat: 3.5 g; Carbohydrates: 25 g; Sodium: 41 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 20 g

PINEAPPLE-COCONUT SORBET

This also comes from the March 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times. It begins, “Desserts don't get faster or easier than this: Frozen fruit plus a food processor equal a refreshing sorbet.” Serves 6 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

1/3 cup coconut chips or flaked coconut, optional

1 16-oz. pkg. unsweetened frozen pineapple chunks (3 cups)

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup light unsweetened coconut milk, chilled

2 Tbs. lime juice

Preheat oven to 300°F if using coconut chips. Spread on small baking sheet, and toast 5 to 10 minutes, or until light golden, stirring occasionally. Cool, and store in airtight container.

Pulse pineapple and sugar in food processor until finely chopped. Combine coconut milk and lime juice in small bowl. Pour coconut milk mixture gradually through feed tube, with machine running. Process until smooth and creamy, stopping once or twice to scrape down bowl.

Serve sorbet, garnished with coconut chips if desired. To store, transfer to airtight container, and freeze. Place in refrigerator 30 minutes before serving to soften slightly, or microwave at low (20%) power, 1 to 2 minutes.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 107; Protein: 1 g; Total Fat: 4 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 19 g; Sodium: 4 mg; Fiber: 1 g; Sugar: 16 g; Vegan

LEMON POTATO SALD WITH MINT

This comes from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “This light and refreshing potato salad is the antithesis of the usual, creamy, mayonnaise-based recipes. The mint and scallion add a bright, herbal flavor while the sprinkle of chile lends a kick. Make this the morning you plan to serve it and let it marinate at room temperature all day long. Or refrigerate for longer storage but be sure to bring it to room temperature before serving. Other herbs like cilantro, parsley, tarragon and sage can be substituted for the mint; adjust the quantity to taste.” Yield: 8 servings; Time: 45 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 pounds small waxy white or yellow potatoes, roughly about the same size

Juice of 1 lemon, more for serving

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and light green parts, more for serving

1/4 cup torn mint leaves, more for serving

1/4 teaspoon Turkish pepper, more for serving

Preparation

Place whole unpeeled potatoes in a large pot with enough salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are just tender, 15 to 25 minutes depending upon size. Drain and cut potatoes into 1 1/2-inch chunks as soon as you can handle them.

In a bowl, whisk together lemon juice, salt and olive oil.

Transfer hot potatoes to a large bowl and toss with dressing, scallions, mint and Turkish pepper. Let cool to room temperature, or refrigerate until ready to use. Just before serving, top with additional lemon juice, scallions, mint and Turkish pepper.

TOFU WITH HOT CHIPOTLE BARBECUE SAUCE

This comes from Martha Rose Schulman, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Martha wrote, “Instead of throwing out the adobo sauce that canned chipotle peppers are packed in, use it for this sauce. You can marinate the tofu in it for an extra-hot dish, or just brush it on cooked or uncooked tofu. This makes enough for a pound of tofu.” Yield: 1/2 cup.

This was featured in “Tofu Dresses To Beat the Heat”, and can also be found by clicking here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon adobo sauce from canned chipotles

2 teaspoons light or dark brown sugar

Salt to taste

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons unrefined peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 to 2 tablespoons water (more to taste)

Preparation

Mix together all of the ingredients. Brush on seared or grilled tofu as soon as it comes off the heat, or onto uncooked slices.

Tip

Advance preparation: This keeps for a week in the refrigerator.

BROCCOLI CHOWDER

From Diabetic Gourmet. Yield: 6 servings, 1 cup each

Source: "The Eating Well Diabetes Cookbook"

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped (1-1/2 cups)

1 large carrot, diced (1/2 cup)

2 stalks celery, diced (1/2 cup)

1 large potato, peeled and diced (1-1/2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3-1/2 cups vegetable broth (two 14-ounce cans)

8 ounces broccoli crowns, cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated (3 cups)

1 cup grated reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more.

Transfer 2 cups of the chowder to a bowl and mash; return to the pan. Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through. Season with salt.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 cup each): Calories: 180, Fat: 8 g, Cholesterol: 15 mg, Carbohydrate: 23 g, Protein: 6 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sodium: 354 mg Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1 Vegetable, 1 High-Fat Meat

GEMELLI WITH BLISTERED CHERRY TOMATOES, CHICKPEAS, AND SMOKED PAPRIKA

This recipe comes from the September 2015 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 28, and begins, “For an extra kick of flavor, sprinkle this spicy-smoky dish with quartered Kalamata olives.” Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

2 Tbs. olive oil

16 oz. cherry, tear drop, or grape tomatoes (about 3 cups)

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

1/2tsp. smoked paprika

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 Tbs. chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 Tbs. chopped fresh marjoram

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

8 oz. gemelli

1 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese, optional

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in large non-stick skillet over high heat. Add tomatoes, and cook 10 minutes, or until tomatoes blister in spots, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1 Tbs. oil, garlic, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Fold in parsley and marjoram, then chickpeas. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook gemelli in large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid.

Add gemelli to tomato-chickpea mixture in skillet, and toss to coat. Mix in enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and serve sprinkled with feta (if using).

nutritional information Per Per 1 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 393; Protein: 13 g; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 64 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 248 mg; Fiber: 8 g; Sugar: 8 g