Meatless Monday

It's Monday, which, of course, translates into Meatless Monday, at least here. That said, here are six vegetarian recipes to help you through the day. Enjoy!

ALMOND CAKE

This comes from Mark Bittman and Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. It begins, “This moist and fragrant cake from Molly Wizenberg, the author of the popular food blog Orangette, calls for a whole orange and lemon, almonds and olive oil. It does require a little effort and the use of some equipment – a food processor and a mixer – but the ingredient list is short, and once you've boiled and puréed the citrus and ground the almonds, the whole thing comes together in a snap. It's excellent on its own, but we also like it with poached pears or grilled figs.” Yield: 8 servings; Time: 2 hours 15 minutes.

This was featured in “Feast In A Day” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 small to medium orange

1 lemon

6 ounces raw almonds

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup olive oil

Confectioners’ sugar

Preparation

Place the orange and the lemon in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and cool.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees, and set a rack in the middle position. Bake the almonds 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. When the almonds are cool, pulse them in a food processor until ground.

Set oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9-inch springform pan.

When the citrus is cool, cut the lemon in half, and discard the pulp and seeds. Cut the orange in half, and discard seeds. Put the fruits in the food processor and process almost to a paste.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder. Combine eggs and salt. Beat until foamy. Beat in the sugar. Fold in the flour mixture. Add the citrus, almonds and olive oil, and beat on low speed until incorporated. Pour the batter into the pan, and bake for about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes, unmold and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

BASIC CORN CHOWDER

This comes from Mark Bittman, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Mark wrote, “This is chowder at its simplest: corn, onion, potatoes and milk, with a couple of chopped tomatoes and a handful of parsley to add flavor and color. Starting with bacon and finishing with cream makes a richer version of the dish. But you could easily expand its borders by adding curry powder and ginger, sour cream and cilantro. Or when the potato is replaced by rice and the cream with coconut milk, Southeast Asian seasonings can be added to make a chowder that has little in common with the original, save for its intense corn flavor.” Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes.

This was featured in “Don't Toss Out the Cobs” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

4 to 6 ears of corn

1 tablespoon butter or neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped (optional)

1 cup whole or low-fat milk

1/2 cup chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation

Shuck corn, and use a paring knife to strip kernels into a bowl. Put cobs in a pot with 4 cups water; bring to a boil, cover and simmer while you continue.

Put butter or oil in a saucepan, and turn heat to medium-high. When butter melts or oil is hot, add onion and potatoes, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes; add tomatoes and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.

After corncobs have cooked at least 10 minutes, strain liquid into onion-potato mixture; bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. When potatoes are tender, add corn kernels and milk, and heat through. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Garnish with the parsley, and serve.

Tip

Curried corn chowder: In Step 2, use oil, and add 1 tablespoon each curry powder and peeled and minced ginger to the onions. In Step 3, use sour cream in place of milk; garnish with cilantro in place of parsley.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED STRAWBERRIES

Yield: 8 servings

Serving Size: 3 strawberries

Source: California Strawberry Commission

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/754.shtml

Ingredients

2 pint baskets California strawberries

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Finely chopped toasted almonds or pistachios (optional)

Directions

Line large baking sheet with waxed paper. Rinse strawberries and pat dry with paper towels.

In separate small, microwave-safe bowls (such as custard cups) melt chocolates, one at a time, in microwave at 50-percent (medium) power, allowing 1-1/2 to 2 minutes each. Stir until smooth. (If not completely melted, microwave a few seconds longer.) Or, melt chocolate as package directs.

Holding strawberry by stem end, dip into chocolate to cover about three-fourths of berry; dip into nuts, if desired, and lay on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strawberries, chocolate and nuts.

Refrigerate until chocolate is set.

For Double- and Triple- Dipped Strawberries:

After first coating of chocolate is set, dip into contrasting chocolate, leaving part of the first chocolate exposed. Repeat with third chocolate, if you wish, allowing each layer to set between dips.

To Drizzle Strawberries with Chocolate:

Microwave chocolate in small plastic bag until melted; squeeze into one corner of bag. Lay strawberries close together on baking sheet. With scissors, cut a small hole in corner of bag, and move back and forth over strawberries, squeezing bag gently. Or, drizzle contrasting chocolate over strawberries that have been dipped. Refrigerate until set.

NOTES: Microwave melting times vary with amount of chocolate and wattage of your oven. Chocolate amounts are approximate; amount needed depends on size of strawberries, and whether or not they are single, double, triple-dipped or drizzled.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 193; Protein: 3 g; Fat: 13 g; Sodium: 59 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 22 g

FRUIT SMOOTHIE

Another of my inventions. Fresh strawberries are okay, but frozen ones give this a nice chill on a hot day. This and the Eastern Sunrise Smoothie can be found in my e-cookbook, Off the Wall Cooking.

1 C orange juice

1/2 C yogurt

6-8 strawberries

1 T wheat germ

1 banana

Blend. Serves 1.

EASTERN SUNRISE SMOOTHIE

The fruits used are from the eastern U.S.: orange juice and strawberries from Florida, cranberries from Massachusetts. Top that off with a beautiful pink color. It’s a yummy way to start the morning.

1 C orange juice

1/2 C yogurt

4-6 frozen strawberries

1 T wheat germ

1/2 C frozen cranberries

Blend juice & berries. Add yogurt & wheat germ & blend about 15 seconds more.

PASTA WITH MARINATED TOMATOES AND SUMMER HERBS

This comes from Julia Moskin in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Julia wrote, “The easiest summer dinner known to man, pasta con salsa crudo, is a one-bowl, infinitely variable riot of seasonal flavors. It can be made with fancy Italian tuna and local heirloom tomatoes for foodies, or with supermarket mozzarella and tomatoes for children, or with excellent olives and extra pine nuts for vegetarians. It puts you in the kitchen for about a half-hour at the tail end of lunchtime. After that, all there is to do is cook the pasta, and serve with or without crusty bread, boiled corn, sliced tomatoes, or a nice, simple green salad.” Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: 30 minutes.

This was featured in “The House, the Food and Issues in Between” and can also be viewed online here.

Ingredients

About 1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, halved or quartered if small, diced if large

Salt

2 cans olive oil-packed tuna or 1 pound mozzarella cheese, diced (optional)

2/3 cup pitted oil-cured black olives, halved, or 1/2 cup pitted green olives, chopped, or 3 tablespoons capers (optional)

2/3 cup chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, mint, chives, cilantro, scallion tops, or a combination), more for garnish

Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)

About 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds short pasta, like fusilli, farfalle or penne

Hot red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

Preparation

Up to 4 hours before serving, put tomatoes in a large bowl and sprinkle all over with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes, then drain off liquid.

Add tuna and its oil, olives or capers, if using. Add herbs and zest. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and stir gently, flaking tuna into pieces. Cover and set aside at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Cook pasta in plenty of boiling salted water. Drain very well. Combine tomatoes and pasta well, then taste and add more oil, salt and pepper to taste. Add red pepper flakes if desired. Sprinkle with pine nuts, if using, and chopped herbs. Serve immediately.