Double-Post Thursday

Besides being Diabetic Thursday, it's Double-Post Thursday. Here are six yummy recipes to help you through the day, including Curried Vegetable & Chickpea Stew and Italian Grilled Stuffed Peppers. Enjoy!

DECADENT DIARY-FREE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

This recipe and the next (Fabulous Vegan Fudge Cake w/Bittersweet Icing) are from Vegetarian Times. Both the truffles and cake are listed as vegan; hopefully, that'll fit onto your healthy list. And dark chocolate is supposed to be healthy, isn't it? Either way, enjoy!

This one is from the May 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times

Serves 10 (makes about 30 truffles)

Truffles are usually made with heavy cream, but you'll never miss the dairy in these luscious vegan chocolates.

6 oz. high-quality dark chocolate (60% cocoa), finely chopped

1/4 cup walnut, almond or canola oil

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Place chocolate, oil and 1/3 cup water in microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high in microwave 1 minute. Stir; heat 1 minute more, or until chocolate has melted. Whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 6 hours, or overnight.

Place cocoa and nuts on separate plates. Shape truffle mixture by heaping teaspoonfuls into small, 3/4-inch balls. Roll in cocoa or chopped nuts. Chill until ready to serve.

Nutritional information, per truffle:

Calories: 66, Protein: 1 g, Total Fat: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Carbohydrates: 4 g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 3 g. Vegan.

FABULOUS VEGAN FUDGE CAKE WITH BITTERSWEET ICING

This is from the September 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times (page 66)

Serves 8

“I’ve tried vegan cake recipes in the past, but didn’t like the sour taste of the vinegar that is usually used to activate the leavening,” says single mom and café manager Shelly Platten. “I tinkered with some recipes that didn’t use vinegar to come up with a fudgy, satisfying cake.”

1 1/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill organic unbleached white flour

1 2/3 cups Florida Crystals organic cane sugar, divided

1 1/3 cups Chatfield’s cocoa powder, divided

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup Silk vanilla soymilk, divided

1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup canola oil, divided

1 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9-inch round pan with parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.

Whisk together flour, 1 cup sugar, 2/3 cup cocoa, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Whisk together 2/3 cup soymilk, 1/3 cup oil, and 1/2 cup water in separate bowl. Stir soymilk mixture into flour mixture. Spread in prepared pan, and bake 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Unmold onto plate.

Warm remaining 2/3 cup cocoa, 2/3 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup oil in saucepan over medium heat. Pour in remaining 1/3 cup soymilk, and cook 1 minute, or until smooth. Spread icing over warm cake, and sprinkle with hazelnuts.

Nutritional Information, per slice:

Calories: 525, protein: 5 g, total fat: 25 g, saturated fat: 2g, carbohydrates: 67 g, cholesterol: 0 mg, sodium 315 mg, fiber: 7 g, sugar: 43 g. Vegan

CURRIED VEGETABLE AND CHICKPEA STEW

This was in an email from TheKitchn. I absolutely love TheKitchn, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy. If you haven’t checked out either site, I highly recommend them. (Go ahead, I’ll wait…tap, tap, tap.)

Anyway, Emma Christensen, Contributor and former editor for The Kitchen, wrote, “This creamy coconut curried stew is a perennial favorite in my house. It's full of tender vegetables and chickpeas, along with the warming flavors of ginger and garlic — and it's vegan! Yes, a batch of this stew makes it worth pulling out the slow cooker and clearing some space on the counter.

“This is a great clearing-out-the-fridge recipe. My inspiration actually came from an old Cooking Light recipe and a fridge full of vegetables that needed using — but not vegetables that the original recipe called for. I love the big pieces of cauliflower that came from that experiment, but I have also made versions with parsnips, sweet potatoes, turnips, winter or summer squash, extra carrots, and Swiss chard.

“Since this makes such a large batch, you can freeze what you don't think you'll eat in a week. Just freeze it before adding the coconut milk since that can separate and become grainy once frozen.

“This recipe is also easily replicated in a Dutch oven, if you'd prefer that route. Preheat your oven to 350°F and do all the steps in your Dutch oven. Cover and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until the vegetables are tender.

To view this online, click here. Serves 8 to 10. Adapted from Cooking Light. This recipe was originally published on The Kitchn in October 2008.

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided

2 medium red or yellow potatoes, diced

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 medium green bell pepper, diced

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (10-ounce) bag baby spinach

1 cup coconut milk

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, season with 1 teaspoon of the salt, and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and 1 teaspoon of the salt, and sauté until just translucent around the edges.

Stir in the curry, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and cayenne if using and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in 1/4 cup of the broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer this onion-potato mixture into the bowl of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. (Halve this recipe for a smaller slow cooker.)

Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups broth, chickpeas, bell peppers, cauliflower, tomatoes with their juices, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. The liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the bowl; add more broth as needed. Cover and cook for on the HIGH setting for 4 hours.

Stir in the spinach and coconut milk. Cover and let sit for a few more minutes to allow the spinach to wilt. Taste and season with salt and other seasonings as needed. Serve on its own, or over couscous, Israeli couscous, or orzo pasta.

Recipe Notes

Smaller slow cookers: Cut this recipe in half for a smaller slow cooker.

Dutch-oven version: Instead of cooking in a slow cooker, simmer the stew in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat on the stovetop or in a 350°F oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the spinach and coconut milk and stir until the spinach has wilted.

ITALIAN GRILLED STUFFED PEPPERS

This comes from Kraft and begins, “Discover these Italian Grilled Stuffed Peppers and bring a little bit of Italy into your kitchen! These grilled stuffed peppers are delicious!”

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes; Servings: 6 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1-3/4 cups water, divided

1-1/2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked

2 cups frozen BOCA Veggie Ground Crumbles

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

1-1/2 cups OLIVO by CLASSICO Traditional Pasta Sauce, divided

1-1/2 cups KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

1 large each red, yellow and green pepper, cut lengthwise in half, seeded

Directions

Heat grill to medium-high heat.

Bring 1-1/2 cups water to boil in medium saucepan. Add rice; cover. Simmer 5 min. Remove from heat; let stand 5 min. Stir in crumbles, zucchini, seasoning and 1 cup each pasta sauce and cheese; spoon into peppers.

Place each filled pepper half on center of 12-inch-square sheet heavy-duty foil. Top with remaining sauce and cheese. Bring up foil sides. Spoon 1 Tbsp. of the remaining water onto bottom of each foil packet. Double fold top and ends to seal packets, leaving room for heat circulation inside.

Grill 20 to 25 min. or until peppers are crisp-tender and filling is heated through (160ºF).

CREAMY BROCCOLI MAC AND CHEESE

This comes from Chungah on her wonderful site, Damn Delicious. If you haven’t checked out her site, you really should! Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Chungah wrote, “The EASIEST and CREAMIEST mac and cheese made in less than 30 min! Comfort food perfection! And it is the perfect way to sneak in those greens!”

Yield: 4 servings; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes

To view this online, go to https://damndelicious.net/2017/12/28/creamy-broccoli-mac-and-cheese/

Ingredients

8 ounces medium pasta shells

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups whole milk

1 cup half and half

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cups chopped broccoli florets

6 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and shallot, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, half and half and Dijon until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Stir in pasta, broccoli and cheese until well combined, about 3-4 minutes.

Serve immediately.

WINTER VEGETABLE BEAN SOUP WITH PESTO

This recipe, from FamilyTime, begins, “The easy-to-make basil pesto adds great flavor to this hearty soup, featuring carrots, potatoes, turnips and leeks. Best of all, it's ready in less than an hour.”

Serves: 10 servings (1 1/2 cups each); Prep Time: 25 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 medium carrots, diced (about 2/3 cup)

3 medium potato, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)

1 medium turnip, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)

2 large leeks, white part only, sliced (about 2 cups)

2 stalks celery, sliced (about 1 cup)

5 1/4 cups Swanson® Vegetable Broth (Regular or Certified Organic)

1 can (about 19 ounces) white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Easy Basil Pesto

Directions

Heat the carrots, potatoes, turnip, leeks, celery and 1 3/4 cups broth in a 6-quart saucepot over medium-high heat to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender-crisp.

Reserve 1/2 cup of broth for the Easy Basil Pesto. Stir the remaining broth, beans, bay leaf and red pepper in the saucepot and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaf. Serve topped with the Easy Basil Pesto.

Easy Basil Pesto: Place 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, 3 cloves garlic and 1/2 cup reserved broth in a food processor or blender. Cover and process until smooth.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with Italian bread sticks. For dessert serve lemon bars.