Meatless Monday

I hope your Thanksgiving weekend was nice. Ours was, even if someone (your's truly) spent it with a cold. At least it forced me to slow down after Thanksgiving Day and relaxing in front of the television, watching movies I haven't had time to watch for a while. I can live with that!

But now it's time to gear up and head into the homestretch of winter holidays - Christmas, Hanukkah, the Solstice, New Year's...whatever we celebrate over the next month.

Enough already. Since today is Monday (otherwise known as Meatless Monday), here are today's six vegetarian recipes to help you through the day. Enjoy!

This was originally posted my Vegetarian Delights blog on July 7, 2016.

It seems that I've ended up on quite a few emailing lists over the years. Some are from blogs, some from national venues (like The New York Times cooking e-newsletter), some where members send out recipes for other members' enjoyment. And while many lists will give you a short menu for a meal, there's no reason you can't swap things around. As an example, while the Pumpkin Apple Butter comes from the infamous long-since-forgotten-emailing-list, there's no reason you can't use it on Sam Sifton's All-Purpose Biscuits from The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The nice thing about finding new recipes is that you can kind-of mix and match whatever works.

That said, here are today's six vegetarian recipes to get you through the day. Enjoy!

BUCKWHEAT BERRY STRIPED CAKE

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “A combination of buckwheat and whole wheat flour gives this deeply buttery cake a character that is nutty, rich and complex, while a little almond flour adds tenderness. Baking it in a shallow tart pan instead of a cake pan allows the colorful berries to rest on top of the batter rather than sink to the bottom. It’s prettiest in a 10-inch tart pan, where the pattern will be at its most striking. But if you don’t have one, a 9-inch pan also works. We arranged the berries into stripes here, but feel free to create any design you like. Serve this on the same day as you bake it, preferably within 6 hours of baking. It doesn’t keep well overnight.” Yield: 10 servings; Time: 45 minutes.

This was featured in “The Trick to Keeping Berry Cake Beautiful” and can be viewed by clicking here.

Ingredients

1/3 cup almond flour

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 stick butter, softened, more for buttering pan

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/4 cup buttermilk, sour cream or whole milk yogurt

1 cup mixed berries, such as strawberries, blueberries or raspberries, more as needed

1 tablespoon turbinado (or use granulated sugar)

Confectioners’ sugar, for serving

Whipped cream or crème fraîche (optional)

Preparation

Heat oven to 375 degrees and butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Line the bottom with a round of parchment, and butter that as well.

In a large bowl, whisk together almond, all-purpose, whole wheat and buckwheat flours, baking powder and salt.

Using an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar and vanilla extract until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in buttermilk. (The mixture will look curdled, and that’s O.K.) Stir in flour mixture until just combined.

Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing and leveling the top. Place berries on top of batter and sprinkle with turbinado or granulated sugar.

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack and unmold. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve, with whipped cream if you like.

ALL-PURPOSE BISCUITS

This comes from Sam Sifton, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Biscuits are what take us into the kitchen today to cook: fat, flaky mounds of quick bread, golden brown, with a significant crumb. Composed of flour, baking powder, fat and a liquid, then baked in a hot oven, they are an excellent sop for sorghum syrup, molasses or honey. They are marvelous layered with country ham or smothered in white sausage gravy, with eggs, with grits. Biscuits are easy to make.” Of course, for those of us who are vegetarians, the country ham can be replaced by a decent vegetarian substitute of your choice. If/when you try these, let me know how you've had these – plain, with gravy – whatever caught your fancy.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: 1 hour.

This was featured in “A Quest for New York’s Perfect Biscuit”, and can be viewed online by clicking here.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 scant tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, preferably European style

1 cup whole milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a food processor. Cut butter into pats and add to flour, then pulse 5 or 6 times until the mixture resembles rough crumbs. (Alternatively, cut butter into flour in the mixing bowl using a fork or a pastry cutter.) Return dough to bowl, add milk and stir with a fork until it forms a rough ball.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and gently pat it down again. Repeat. Cover the dough loosely with a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

Gently pat out the dough some more, so that the rectangle is roughly 10 inches by 6 inches. Cut dough into biscuits using a floured glass or biscuit cutter. Do not twist cutter when cutting; this crimps the edges of the biscuit and impedes its rise.

Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

This comes from the infamous long-since-forgotten-emailing-list.

1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni

1/2 cup evaporated milk

2 eggs

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1 teaspoon seasoning salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse with cold water.

In a bowl mix milk, eggs, sour cream, seasoning salt, and pepper. Layer macaroni, cheddar cheese, and milk mixture until pan is full. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and pour melted butter on top.

Bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until milk mixture is done.

PUMPKIN APPLE BUTTER

Another recipe from that long-since-forgotten-emailing-list. It begins, “A great butter for spreading on your toast, muffins, bagels, crackers, you name it! You'll find this pumpkin apple butter recipe is easy to make. And, it is so tasty, that it will quickly disappear.” Makes: 3 cups.

1 3/4 cups Solid Pack Pumpkin

1 cup Apple Juice

1 cup (about 1 medium) Peeled and grated Apple

1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

3/4 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

Combine pumpkin, apple juice, apple, sugar and pumpkin pie spice in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Pour into container. Cover,chill. May be stored in refrigerator for up to two months.

THAI LEMONGRASS TOFU SKEWERS

This comes from the July 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times, and begins, “Pressing and draining tofu before marinating it gives it a chewy texture that goes well with barbecue flavors.” Serves 4.

To view this online, click here.

16 oz. extra-firm tofu

1 stick lemongrass, peeled and chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil

5 green onions, trimmed, each cut into 4 batons

20 snap peas

16 Boston lettuce leaf cups

1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves

1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

Drain tofu between 2 cutting boards set on angle over sink, 1 hour. Cut into 16 cubes.

Purée lemongrass, shallot, and ginger to paste in food processor. Whisk together soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, sesame oil, and 2 Tbs. water in bowl. Transfer half of soy sauce mixture to bowl for dipping sauce. Add lemongrass mixture to remaining soy sauce mixture.

Toss together tofu, green onions, snap peas, and lemongrass–soy sauce mixture, and marinate 30 minutes.

Oil grill grates, and preheat grill to medium. Thread 4 tofu cubes, 5 green onions, and 5 snap peas onto each of 4 skewers. Place on grill, close hood, and cook 4 minutes. Turn, close hood, and cook 4 minutes more. Transfer to platter. Slide skewer ingredients off with lettuce; garnish with mint, peanuts, and sauce.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 281; Protein: 16 g; Total Fat: 14 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 26 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 603 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 16 g; Vegan

HEARTY SWEET POTATO HASH

This is also from the November/December 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times page 36. It starts off, “Everybody loves breakfast for dinner; besides, this hearty hash is just too good to eat only in the morning!” Serves 6 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

3 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 large onion, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbs.)

6 oz. ground soy “meat”

6 large eggs, beaten

1 cup chopped parsley for garnish

Heat 2 Tbs. oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add sweet potato and onion, and sauté 10 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. Reduce heat to medium, add corn and garlic, and sauté mixture 2 minutes more.

Add remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and stir in soy “meat.” Stir in eggs, and season with salt and pepper to taste; cook 5 minutes, or until eggs are cooked through, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, spoon hash onto individual plates and garnish each serving with sprinkling of parsley.

Per serving: 258 calories; 14 g protein; 13 g total fat (2 g saturated fat); 23 g carbs; 212 mg cholesterol; 381 mg sodium; 4g fiber; 2 g sugar.