Meatless Monday

It's Meatless Monday, time to try at least one day without meat in your diet.

Of course, if you're a vegetarian, you already know the benefits of going meatless, not to mention the variety of foods you can eat.

Here are six recipes to help you through the day, including Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onions and Chocolate Dump-It Cake. Enjoy!

ITALIAN EGGPLANT RAGOUT

This also comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “The meaty texture of eggplant makes it an ideal ingredient in vegetarian entrées, and its antioxidant content makes it a nutritional powerhouse. Eggplant is rich in a phenolic compound called chlorogenic acid, a potent free-radical scavenger that confers antiviral, antimicrobial, and cholesterol-lowering benefits. Prep tip: Salting the eggplant before cooking it draws out any bitter juices and helps the vegetable hold its shape when cooked.” Serves 6.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants, halved

2 Tbs. salt

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 Tbs. capers

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

Scoop out center and seeds of eggplant halves. Cut eggplants into 3/4-inch dice. Toss with salt in bowl, and let stand 30 minutes. Drain, rinse well, and pat dry.

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes, or until softened. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more, or until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes, chickpeas, and eggplants. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 minutes, or until eggplants are tender but not mushy. Stir in capers and sugar, and cook 2 minutes more. Fold in parsley, and season with black pepper.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 197; Protein: 6 g; Total Fat: 5.5 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 33 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 681 mg; Fiber: 10 g; Sugar: 8 g; Yield: Serves 6

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND RED ONIONS

This comes from Julia Moskin in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “Here is an easy, healthy addition to a Thanksgiving feast or weekday dinner from Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, which was included in a Julia Moskin video feature in 2013. Chop up a few red onions and a butternut squash, roast them in high heat, and drizzle them with tahini sauce, herbs and pistachios. That’s it. (Keep an eye on the onions, though. They may cook faster than the squash.)” Time: 1 hour; Makes 10 to 12 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

About 1/2 cup olive oil, plus extra for pans

4 large red onions

Coarse salt and black pepper

4 pounds butternut squash cut into 1/2-inch wedges, peeled or unpeeled

1/3 cup pine nuts or shelled green pistachio nuts (optional)

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, mint, cilantro or a combination, for garnish

For Tahini Sauce (Optional):

1/4 cup tahini paste

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 small clove garlic, crushed

Preparation

Heat oven to 475 degrees. Lightly coat two large baking sheets with olive oil.

Peel onions, leaving root ends intact. Cut each onion in half from stem to root. Cut each half into 4 wedges, leaving the root intact so that each wedge holds together. Spread on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil.

Put the squash in a large mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and about 1/4 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet, peel side down (if intact).

Place both pans in oven and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables have taken on some color and are cooked through. Keep an eye on the onions, as they may cook faster than the squash and need to be removed earlier.

If using nuts, pour 1 tablespoon oil into a small frying pan and place over medium-low heat. Add nuts and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the nuts are golden brown and smell toasty. Immediately remove from the heat and dump onto a cutting board to stop the cooking. If using pistachios, chop coarsely when cool enough to handle.

To make tahini sauce, place tahini in a bowl. Add lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk until sauce is the consistency of honey, adding more water or a tablespoon of olive oil if necessary.

When the vegetables are cooked, set aside until ready to serve. (The vegetables should be served the same day they are made. They can be served at warm room temperature, or reheated just before serving.)

To serve, combine vegetables on a large serving platter. If using tahini sauce, drizzle on top. Sprinkle herbs and, if using, nuts on top and serve.

LENTIL AND RICE STUFFED SQUASH

Yield: 6 servings

Serving size: halved zucchini

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/783.shtml

Ingredients

1/2 cup brown basmati rice

1/3 cup French green lentils

2 cups fat-free vegetable broth

3 large summer squash (about 2-2 1/2 lb.), halved

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2/3 cup finely chopped red onion

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 3 whole scallions, chopped

3 cups escarole, rolled up and sliced thin

1-2 Tbsp. finely-chopped fresh dill (optional)

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional

Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

6 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese

Directions

Combine the rice, lentils and vegetable broth in a deep saucepan with 1/2 cup water. Cook, covered, until the rice and lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain and transfer to a mixing bowl.

If using yellow squash, cut off the necks. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the squash 4 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water. When completely cooled, pat the squash dry and set aside.

Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat until hot. Sauté the onion 3 minutes. Add the garlic and scallions. Cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the escarole and pepper flakes (if using). Cook until the escarole is wilted and bright green, about 5 minutes. Stir the vegetables into the rice mixture. Mix in the dill and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a baking dish just large enough to hold them, arrange the squash. Spoon in the filling, generously mounding it. Sprinkle on the feta. Pour 1/2 cup water into the baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is soft, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate, covered in foil, until ready to use. Reheat before serving.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 173; Protein: 7 g; Fat: 5 g; Sodium: 240 mg; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Dietary Fiber: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 27 g; Exchanges: 2 Bread/Starch, 1 Reduced-Fat Milk, 1 Fat

'CHICKEN' AND DUMPLINGS

From a long-since-forgotten emailing list. Makes 6 to 8 servings

For the Dumplings:

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 stick (4 Tbsp.) margarine

3/4 cup soy milk

For the Soup:

1/2 stick (4 Tbsp.) margarine

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp. celery salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

8 cups vegetable broth

2 medium carrots, diced

1 lb. faux chicken, torn into small pieces (try Worthington brand Chickette or Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chick'n Strips)

1 bay leaf

Combine the dry ingredients for the dumplings in a bowl.

Mix the margarine with the dry mixture until crumbly. Add the soy milk, stirring until moistened. Add more soy milk, as needed, if the mixture is too dry.

Knead the dough for 30 seconds on a well-floured surface, then roll to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into 1/2-inch squares.

Place the margarine, onion, and celery for the soup in a large saucepan and sauté until the vegetables are soft.

Add the flour, salt, and pepper to make a thick paste. Slowly mix in the broth and bring to a boil.

Add the carrots, faux chicken, and bay leaf.

Add the dumpling squares one at a time, stirring gently. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often. Serve hot.

CHOCOLATE DUMP-IT CAKE

This deliciousness comes from Amanda Hesser in The New York Times' cooking newsletter. Amanda writes, “A couple of years ago, my mother taught me to make her dense but moist chocolate birthday cake. She calls it 'dump-it cake' because you mix all of the ingredients in a pot over medium heat, then dump the batter into a cake pan to bake. For the icing, you melt Nestlé's semisweet-chocolate chips and swirl them together with sour cream. It sounds as if it's straight from the Pillsbury Bake-Off, but it tastes as if it's straight from Payard. Everyone loves it.” Time: 1 hour 45 minutes; 10 servings

To view this online, go to http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9404-chocolate-dump-it-cake.

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups Nestle's semisweet-chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups sour cream, at room temperature

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a baking sheet on the lowest rack to catch any drips as the cake bakes on the middle rack. In a 2- to 3-quart pot, mix together the sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup of water. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally until all of the ingredients are melted and blended. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vinegar. Grease and flour a 9-inch tube pan.

When the chocolate in the pot has cooled a bit, whisk in the milk mixture and eggs. In several additions, and without overmixing, whisk in the dry ingredients. When the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla and whisk once or twice to blend. Pour the batter into the tube pan and bake on the middle rack until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack. (This can be tricky -- if someone is around to help, enlist him.) Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, then let cool to room temperature. Stir in the sour cream, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth.

When the cake is cool, you may frost it as is or cut it in half so that you have 2 layers. There will be extra icing whether you have 1 or 2 layers. My mother always uses it to make flowers on top. She makes a small rosette, or button, then uses toasted slices of almond as the petals, pushing them in around the base of the rosette.

CHICKPEA "MEAT" SAUCE OVER PASTA SHELLS [VEGAN]

This is also from the One Green Planet e-newsletter, and begins, “This recipe is the next best thing next to simmered-all-day pasta sauce. You'll have all your family and friends guessing how you managed to juggle your day while making such a fabulous meaty sauce – hey, we won't tell them it was super easy if you don’t!” High carb; vegan.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

1 small carrot, peeled and minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

A dash of red pepper flakes

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon red miso paste

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 1/4 tablespoon pure maple syrup, or to taste

13 ounces gluten-free or whole wheat pasta shells

Vegan Parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)

Chopped fresh basil, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Heat a large skillet to medium-high, add a splash of water or vegetable broth, and sauté the chopped onion and carrot for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute.

While the carrots and onion cook, put the chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to break them down. You don’t want hummus — but you also don’t want any whole chickpeas remaining. Set aside.

Stir the herbs and spices into the onion/carrot mixture and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the chickpeas and sauté for about 5 minutes, letting them brown a bit.

Add the crushed tomatoes, miso, tomato paste, and maple syrup, scraping up the yummy browned bits and stirring well to combine. Turn down the heat to low and let the sauce bubble for about 30 minutes. If you have one of those mesh screens, this is the time to use it.

Stir the sauce occasionally, adding broth or water if it becomes too thick. While it cooks, get the pasta water going and cook according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/4-1/2 cup of the pasta water, if desired (you can use this to further thin the sauce, if necessary).

When the sauce is done, taste and adjust the seasonings. Pour the pasta into the sauce and stir well, making sure to coat each and every tender shell. Serve with copious amounts of vegan Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.