Meatless Monday

It's time for another Meatless Monday. Since Christmas is this week, here are six last-minute recipes to help with your holiday meal, including Ultimate Stuffed Acorn Squash and Baked Macaroni and Cheese. Enjoy!

LOADED SWEET POTATO

This is from page 35 of the June 2017 issue of Runner’s World website, and begins, “Sweet potatoes have more antioxidants than white ones do.”

Makes 4 servings

To view this, as well as other recipes in the article, online here.

Ingredients

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon each paprika, garlic powder, cumin

1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, kosher salt

1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sweet potatoes to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup water. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until potato pieces are soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Halfway through cooking, stir in beans. Cover and continue cooking. In a small bowl, combine paprika, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, and salt. Stir spices and vinegar into skillet. Uncover skillet to let any excess water evaporate. Divide mixture among 4 bowls and top each portion with yogurt and cilantro.

ULTIMATE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

This is from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “The Native American 'three sisters'—corn, beans, and squash—come together in these individual holiday entrées stuffed with corn pudding and black beans.”

Makes 8 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 Tbs. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.), divided

4 acorn squash, halved and seeded

1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder, plus more for sprinkling squash

1/2 tsp. ground coriander, plus more for sprinkling squash

3 cups fresh or frozen organic corn kernels, divided

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 large eggs

4 Tbs. melted butter or olive oil

3 oz. soft goat cheese or low-fat cream cheese (1/3 cup)

3 oz. grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (3/4 cup), plus more for sprinkling tops, optional

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 large poblano chile or 1 small red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

8 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced (1 cup), plus more for sprinkling tops

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine oil and 2 tsp. minced garlic in small bowl. Brush squash halves with garlic oil, and sprinkle lightly with ancho chile powder and coriander. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and place on large baking sheet.

Pulse 2 cups corn kernels in food processor until finely chopped and milky. Set aside.

Whisk 1/2 tsp. each coriander and ancho chile powder into cornmeal, along with sugar, baking soda, salt, and cayenne (if using) in medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together buttermilk and eggs in separate bowl. Whisk in butter, then puréed corn, remaining 1 cup corn kernels, goat cheese, Cheddar, and remaining 2 tsp. garlic. Fold in cornmeal mixture with spatula, then fold in black beans, poblano chile, and green onions.

Divide filling among squash halves. Sprinkle each squash with extra Cheddar (if using).

Bake squash halves 30 to 45 minutes, or until squash are tender and filling is set. Sprinkle with green onions. Squash can be prepared 24 hours ahead, then reheated 20 minutes at 325°F.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 425; Carbohydrate Content: 53 g; Cholesterol Content: 80 mg; Fat Content: 20 g; Fiber Content: 8 g; Protein Content: 15 g; Saturated Fat Content: 10 g; Sodium Content: 533 mg; Sugar Content: 6 g

PUMPKIN SHEET PAN PIE

This is from LandOLakes, and begins, “Pie for everyone! Classic pumpkin pie topped with the most delicious caramel whipped cream is perfect for your Thanksgiving dessert.”

Makes 24 servings; Prep Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Crust

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups cold Land O Lakes® Butter cut into chunks

1 1/4 cups cold water (additional if necessary)

Filling

4 large Land O Lakes® Eggs

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup Land O Lakes® Heavy Whipping Cream

1 (29-ounce) can pumpkin

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon salt

Caramel Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cups Land O Lakes® Heavy Whipping Cream

1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions

Heat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually stir in 1 cup water with fork, adding enough additional water just until flour is moistened.

Divide dough into 1/4 and 3/4 portions. Shape each portion into ball; flatten slightly. Wrap larger portion of dough in plastic food wrap; refrigerate.

Roll out smaller portion of dough on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using various fall-shaped cookie cutters, cut out at least 40 pieces. Place 12-18 cut-outs onto prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate remaining cut-outs. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired. Bake 5-7 minutes or until crust is lightly golden brown. Cool completely. Set aside.

Beat eggs at medium speed in medium bowl until thick and pale yellow in color. Add all remaining filling ingredients; beat until well mixed. Set aside.

Roll out larger portion of dough on lightly floured surface into 19x14 (1/8-inch thick) rectangle. Fold dough rectangle into quarters. Place dough into ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Unfold dough, pressing firmly against bottom and sides. Crimp or flute edges.

Pour filling into crust. Decorate top of crust with remaining unbaked cut-outs. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350°F. Bake 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted into center of pie comes out clean. Cool completely.

Beat chilled whipping cream, caramel sauce, and sugar in chilled bowl at low speed, scraping bowl often, until caramel sauce has dissolved. Continue beating at high speed until stiff peaks form.

Serve pie with a dollop of whipped cream and crust cut-out garnish.

Tip #1

To make ahead, prepare pie crust and filling the day before serving. Cover and refrigerate separately overnight. Bake cut-outs, assemble and bake pie.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY PIE - Vegan tofu cherry "cream" pie recipe

This is from Jolinda Hackett, who wrote for The Spruce Eats. Jolinda wrote, "Chocolate cherry pie - Vegan tofu cherry 'cream' pie recipe - delicious! I'd love to try this same method with strawberries or perhaps even Elvis-style, with bananas."

Note: I'm no longer able to find the link for this.

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz.) box firm silken tofu

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 prepared vegan graham cracker pie crust

1 (12 oz.) package frozen dark sweet cherries, thawed and drained

1 cup non-dairy whipped topping

Preparation:

First, prepare the cherries. Slice them in half and remove the pics, if needed. Set a handful of cherries aside to use as a garnish on top of the pie.

Next, prepare the chocolate "cream" filling. Process the tofu in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy. Add the cocoa powder, sugar, melted chocolate chips, and almond extract. Process again until mixture is smooth.

To prepare the pie, place about 1/3 of the chocolate tofu mix in a single layer in the prepared pie crust. Next, place the cherries in a single layer on top of the chocolate tofu mixture and spread the remaining chocolate tofu on top.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Garnish each slice with whipped topping and reserved cherries.

This recipe makes one pie of 8 servings.

Nutritional information, per serving: Calories: 270, Total Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 100mg, Carbohydrates: 36g, Dietary Fiber: 2g. Sugar: 24g, Protein: 6g

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

This is from an old Weight Watchers' email. Serves: 8; 5 Points (old points value).

12 oz uncooked macaroni, elbow-type

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

12 oz fat-free evaporated milk

8 oz low-fat cheddar or Colby cheese, shredded

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cook pasta according to package directions without added fat or salt; drain & transfer to a large bowl. While pasta is still hot, stir in sour cream; set aside.

Heat milk in small saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear just around the edges. Reduce heat to low, add cheese & simmer until cheese melts, stirring constantly with wire whisk, about 2 minutes; remove from heat & stir in mustard, salt, pepper & nutmeg.

Add cheese mixture to pasta; mix well. Transfer to a 4-quart casserole dish. Combine bread crumbs & Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over pasta. Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

APPLE CRISP

This comes from a long-since-forgotten-emailing-list.

4 large apples

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. melted butter

1 egg

1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel, core & slice the apples. Put apples in a bowl & mix in 1/2 cup brown sugar. In a separate bowl, using a fork, mix together 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, & 1/4 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, beat together 1 egg, 2 tablespoons melted butter & 1/2 cup water. Add them to the dry ingredients. This is the topping. Put apples in baking dish & pour topping over them. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes. When done, apples should be soft & topping golden and crisp. Remove from oven & let cool.