Double-Post Monday

Besides being Meatless Monday, it's also Double-Post Monday (since not everyone wants to forgo meat, even for one day). Today's offerings include Sweet Corn Soup with Crab and Asparagus and Savory Meatloaf. Enjoy!

ROASTED VEGGIE BUDDHA BOWL

This is from the Food Network, and starts off, “Healthy vegetables and spiced chickpeas get roasted on the same baking sheet, making dinner a breeze to put together and clean up. Quinoa and avocado round out this nutritional meal.”

Active Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes; Level: Easy; Yield: 2 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

One 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3/4 teaspoon spicy curry powder

4 teaspoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small red onion (about 4 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small sweet potato (about 7 ounces), peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

4 ounces medium cremini mushrooms, halved

1/3 cup fat-free Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon tahini

1 lemon

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 avocado, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the chickpeas with the curry powder, 1 teaspoon of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl. Place on one side of a baking sheet. Arrange the onions next to the chickpeas, then the sweet potatoes and lastly the mushrooms. Toss the onions, sweet potatoes and mushrooms with the remaining 3 teaspoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Bake until the chickpeas are a bit crunchy and the sweet potatoes are softened and starting to turn brown in a few spots, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the yogurt, tahini and juice of half the lemon in a small bowl. Slice the remaining lemon into wedges.

Divide the quinoa between two bowls. Arrange half the vegetables and avocado slices on top of the quinoa, leaving a space for the yogurt in the middle. Dollop the yogurt in the empty space and serve with the lemon wedges.

SAVORY MEATLOAF

This comes from Campbell's Soup, and begins, “Meatloaf is the definition of comfort food and this saucy version shines when the family gathers for a good meal.”

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 1 hr 30 minutes; Serves: 6

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Tomato Soup

1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup water

Directions

Thoroughly mix the beef, 1/2 cup soup, bread crumbs, egg, onion, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper in a large bowl. Place the beef mixture into a shallow 3-quart baking pan and shape firmly into an 8 x 4-inch loaf.

Bake at 350°F. for 1 hour or until the meatloaf is cooked through. Let the meatloaf stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Heat 2 tablespoons pan drippings, remaining soup and water in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve the soup mixture with the meatloaf.

PINEAPPLE CREAM PIE

This is another one of those gems from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing lists.

Ingredients

1 graham cracker crust or pre-baked regular crust

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 large can crushed pineapple, well drained

1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in sweetened condensed milk. Stir in pineapple and pecans. Put into pie crust and top with whipped cream or Cool Whip. Refrigerate for several hours.

CANNOLI QUESADILLA WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE

This was in an old Weight Watchers email (we're talking more than 10 years ago). The plan has changed several times since then.

This recipe begins, “Whip up this Italian-inspired specialty in honor of Mother’s Day. Topped with a simple strawberry sauce or just sliced strawberries, it’s a sweet treat every mom will love.”

POINTS® Value: 3 (value from when this recipe was emailed); Servings: 4; Preparation Time: 10 min; Cooking Time: 1 min; Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

8 oz fat-free ricotta cheese

3 Tbsp McNeil Nutritionals SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener, or similar product, or to taste

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

4 medium whole wheat tortilla

5 oz sweetened frozen whole strawberries, partially thawed and pureed (1/2 a 10 oz package), or whole sliced strawberries if you prefer

Directions

Mix together ricotta cheese, Splenda and almond extract by hand in a large bowl until well-combined and smooth; gently fold in chocolate chips. Chill for at least 2 hours (and up to overnight); drain off any liquid.

To soften tortillas, wrap them in layers of paper towels and then microwave them on high for 30 seconds.

Place about 1/4 cup of cheese mixture down the center of each cooled tortilla; fold tortilla over in half (or roll up burrito-style). Drizzle each serving with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of strawberry sauce or top with fresh strawberry slices; serve immediately. Yields 1 cannoli per serving.

Notes: Add more Splenda if you prefer your desserts very sweet. And feel free to top the quesadillas with freshly sliced strawberries when they’re in season. Or you can use a combination of pureed and sliced strawberries.

Note: Okay, this is me talking. I personally would refrain from the Splenda, simply because I'm not a big fan of non-sugar (read not-quite-sure-it's-not-synthetic) sweeteners. But that's my preference. I would use sugar or no sweetener at all. It's your call here.

SWEET CORN SOUP WITH CRAB AND ASPARAGUS

This begins, “This Cantonese-style soup is practically a meal in itself.”

Yield: 8 servings

Source: Reprinted with permission from The New American Heart Association Cookbook, Seventh Edition, Copyright 2004 by the American Heart Association. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers.

Print Friendly: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=1310

View recipe with photo: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/1310.shtml

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds fresh asparagus

1/4 cup water

4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added cream-style corn

2 teaspoons low-salt soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

Egg substitute equivalent to 3 eggs, or 3 large eggs

2 (6-ounce) cans crabmeat, rinsed and drained

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

6 medium green onions (green part only), finely chopped

Chili garlic sauce to taste (optional)

Directions

Trim the asparagus and cut into 1-inch pieces.

Put in a microwave-safe dish with 1/4 cup water. Microwave, covered, on 100 percent power (high) for 5 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Don't overcook. Drain well.

In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the corn, soy sauce, and salt. Return to a boil.

Meanwhile, put the cornstarch in a cup. Add 2 tablespoons water, stirring to dissolve. Pour into the broth mixture, stirring constantly.

Pour the egg substitute into the boiling soup in a thin stream. Remove from the heat.

To serve, spoon 1/2 cup asparagus into each bowl. Ladle the broth mixture over each serving. Top with the crabmeat and sesame oil. Sprinkle the green onions over each serving.

Serve the chili garlic sauce on the side.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 138; Protein: 15 g; Fat: 1 g; Sodium: 278 mg; Cholesterol: 38 mg; Carbohydrates: 17 g

LEMON SNACKING CAKE WITH COCONUT GLAZE

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “With a poundcake-like texture and zippy lemon flavor, this tender treat is loaded with grated citrus zest and topped with a sweet, mellow coconut frosting. Like many snacking cakes, it’s easily whisked together without a mixer, and quick to bake. Perfect as an afternoon pick-me-up, it goes as well with a glass of milk as it does with mugs of coffee, tea or hot cocoa.”

Yield: 12 servings; Time: 1 hour, plus cooling

This was featured in “Three Snacking Cakes to Change Your Afternoons”, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1/2 cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola, plus more for pan

3 lemons

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 packed cup shredded sweetened coconut

For the Glaze:

3 tablespoons coconut milk

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

Pinch of fine sea salt

2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

Finely grated lemon zest, for garnish

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-9-inch pan, and then line with parchment paper, letting the two long ends hang over the edge of the pan by at least 2 inches.

Grate 2 tablespoons of zest from the lemons. Juice the lemons so you have 1/4 cup juice. Add juice and zest to a medium bowl, then whisk in oil, sour cream, coconut milk and eggs.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk wet mixture into dry mixture until smooth.

Scrape batter into baking pan and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle evenly with shredded sweetened coconut. Bake until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely.

When cake is cool, make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, oil and salt. Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Pour over the cake, and grate some lemon zest over the top. Let the glaze set for at least 30 minutes before serving.