Meatless Monday

It's Monday, exactly one week until Labor Day. While summer might technically be around for almost another whole month, Labor Day usually signals the end of summer around the U.S. (Sorry for reminding everyone of that!). But over the next week, I'll be posting several recipes to help you enjoy the Labor Day weekend.

In the meantime, it's Meatless Monday, time for six yummy vegetarian recipes, including Maryann’s Fruit Salad and Vegetarian Red Curry Tofu with Green Peas. Enjoy!

MARYANN'S FRUIT SALAD

I hadn’t seen Maryann for over 18 years when she came for a week’s visit. One night, she fixed this to go with dinner.

This recipe, as well as the next one (Fruit Salad) are from my e-cookbook Off the Wall Cooking.

2 apples, peeled & diced

2/3 C raisins

3 oranges, peeled & sectioned

1 C grapes

Mix fruits together & chill. May be drizzled with honey just before serving.

FRUIT SALAD

1 cantaloupe, diced

1/2 C grapes (note)

2 bananas, cut up

1 C sour cream

1 can pineapple chunks

Mix & chill.

NOTE: Red grapes look especially nice in this, though any type can be used.

GOURMET GREEN BEANS

This is from Publix Supermarket's April 2006 issue of Aprons

2 (12-ounce) bags fresh snipped green beans (snapped, if desired)

1 (8-ounce) package sliced baby portabella mushrooms

3/4 cup water

2 tablespoons garlic butter

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Place beans, mushrooms, and water in microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on HIGH 12–14 minutes, stirring once, until crisp tender.

Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place butter in sauté pan and swirl to coat. Add sesame seeds and heat 1–2 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned.

Drain beans and mushrooms and add to sauté pan. Sprinkle with seasoned salt. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until desired tenderness. Serve.

CALORIES (per 1/8 recipe) 70kcal; FAT 4g; CHOL 5mg; SODIUM 220mg; CARB 8g; FIBER 3g; PROTEIN 2g; VIT A 15%; VIT C 25%; CALC 4%; IRON 6%

BLACK BEAN VEGGIE BURGERS

This recipe begins, “Hearty, tasty and inexpensive, these black bean burgers taste great grilled or baked in the oven.”

From Diabetic Connect

To view this online, go to http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetic-recipes/general/4711-black-bean-veggie-burgers

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces

1/2 onion, cut into wedges

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 egg

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions

If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.

In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.

In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.

Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.

If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Nutritional Facts: Servings: 4; Calories: 198; Total Fat: 3 g; Cholesterol: 53 mg; Sodium: 607 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 33.1 g; Dietary Fiber: 9.8 g; Protein: 11.2g

VEGETARIAN RED CURRY TOFU WITH GREEN PEAS

This comes from Jolinda Hackett, The Spruce’s vegetarian expert. Jolinda wrote, “This Thai inspired recipe for a basic vegetarian (and vegan!) red curry sauce with vegetables will go best served over steamed white rice, though you could always eat it plain as a curry soup dish. I'm personally not a big fan of green curry, though I suppose you could try a green curry paste instead of red in this recipe, if you'd like. I'd probably omit the fresh cilantro, in that case.

“Though the recipe calls for tofu, carrots, peas and baby corn (my personal favorite!) you can use just about any vegetable you have on hand, and adjust the cooking time accordingly if needed. A note about store-bought red curry pastes: be sure to read the ingredients to make sure it is vegetarian (a few brands will contain some sort of fish). I usually use Thai Kitchen brand red curry paste, which is easy to find, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free.

“This Thai red curry recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free.”

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 tbsp fresh basil, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp vegetarian red curry paste (make sure it's vegetarian)

1 14 ounce can coconut milk

1 carrot, sliced thin

1/2 cup green peas

1/2 cup baby corn, chopped

1 block firm or extra firm tofu, well pressed

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp brown sugar

juice from one lime

Directions

Like most vegan tofu recipes, this one will taste best if you press the tofu first. Not sure how to do that? See this easy step-by-step guide: How to press tofu.

After your tofu is well-pressed, chop it into about 3/4-inch (bite-sized) chunks.

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the basil, vegetarian red curry paste and coconut over medium high heat, stirring well to mix curry paste.

Add the remaining ingredients, including the sliced carrot, green peas, baby corn and pressed and chopped tofu.

Bring the mixture to a slow simmer.

Cover the pot and allow your curry to cook for about 10-12 minutes, or until the veggies are tender, but not overcooked.

Serve your vegan Thai red curry over rice if desired. Or, pair it with a healthier whole grain, such as quinoa or kaniwa for the extra protein boost.

If you like this red Thai curry, here's more vegetarian curries you might enjoy.

AL ROKER’S VEGETABLE LASAGNA

This is from The Today Show’s Al Roker. The recipe begins, “This vegetarian lasagna, which is bubbling with gooey cheese, is a delicious way to sneak lots of vegetable servings into dinner.”

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Yield: 1 lasagna

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 zucchini, medium dice

1 small yellow squash, medium dice

1 medium yellow onion, medium dice

1 medium red bell pepper, medium dice

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups marinara sauce

3 tablespoons chopped basil

1 pinch red pepper flakes

Lasagna

32 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1 pound dry lasagna noodles, cooked according to packaging

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella

Preparation

For the sauce:

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add zucchini, squash, onion and red peppers. Season with salt and sauté vegetables until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Pour in marinara sauce and chopped basil. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook sauce for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.

For the lasagna:

While sauce is cooking, mix together ricotta cheese and egg until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

In a 9x13-inch baking dish, assemble the lasagna: Spoon vegetable sauce on bottom, cover with noodles in a single layer, spread a layer of the ricotta mixture and sprinkle some Parmesan. Repeat until the lasagna is fully built, finishing by covering the top with the shredded mozzarella.

Cover lasagna with aluminum foil. Bake in a 400°F oven, covered, for 40 minutes, then remove foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes, until the cheese turns golden brown.

Once cooked, let lasagna sit for 8-10 minutes before cutting and serving.