Meatless Monday

It's time for another Meatless Monday. And since it's already November, a time when we start gearing up for the fall and winter holidays, most of these recipes can be added to the holiday table.

That said, here are six vegetarian recipes to help you through the day, including Tuscan Tomato Burgers and Onion Supreme. Enjoy!

TUSCAN TOMATO BURGERS

This was in an old Weight Watchers email. The Weight Watchers PointsPlus was 3 per serving. Makes 2 servings.

1 tomato, coarsely chopped

1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 frozen Boca All American Flame Grilled Burgers

2 Tbsp shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

4 C torn salad greens

Combine tomatoes, basil and vinegar. Cook burgers as directed on package; top with cheese. Cover; cook 1 min. or until cheese is melted. Place salad greens on 2 plates; top with cheeseburgers and tomato mixture.

ASIAN-FLAVORED QUINOA SALAD

This was also in an old Weight Watchers email. The Weight Watchers PointsPlus was 6 per serving. Serves 4.

1 1/2 C canned chicken broth or water

3/4 C uncooked quinoa (+)

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp orange marmalade

2 tsp dark sesame oil

1 Tbsp fresh, minced ginger root

1 tsp kosher salt

1 C trimmed & halved sugar snap peas (*)

1 C shredded carrots (*)

1 C shredded red cabbage (*)

1 small sweet red pepper, thinly sliced (*)

3 Tbsp fresh, chopped cilantro

2 TBSP thinly sliced scallions (*)

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

In small saucepan, combine broth & quinoa; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover & simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make dressing, in small bowl, whisk together vinegar, marmalade, oil, ginger, & salt; set aside.

After quinoa has cooked for 10 cooked for 10 minutes, toss in snap peas to partially steam them; cover & simmer until most of liquid has been absorbed, about 5 – 6 minutes.

Remove pan from heat & stir in carrots, cabbage, peppers, & dressing; mix to thoroughly combine. Garnish with cilantro, scallions & sesame seeds. Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled. Yields about 1 heaping cup per serving. Serves 4.

+ If quinoa is not “pre-rinsed,” rinse in colander before cooking to remove its outer coating.

Anything marked with an asterisk (*) is a filling food.

CUBAN-STYLE ARROZ CONGRI

This is from Kim Severson in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Kim wrote, “The combination of white rice and black beans is a Cuban staple. Black beans served on top of or next to white rice is most commonly called Moros y Cristianos, a reference to the medieval battle between Islamic Moors and Christian Spaniards on the Iberian Peninsula. When rice and beans are mixed with sautéed aromatic vegetables and sometimes bits of pork, the result is called congrí. (In some Cuban households, it is also called Moros y Cristianos.) As a rule, congrí is a fluffier and drier dish than Moros y Cristianos. Yolanda Horruitiner, who has lived in Cuba for all of her 70 years, makes this simple version of congrí without pork or cumin, which is a staple in some versions. Feel free to add either to the sofrito base. This recipe uses a stovetop to cook both the rice and beans, although the dish can be assembled more quickly using a pressure cooker and rice cooker and making the sofrito in a separate sauté pan, then mixing it into the rice before it’s all cooked.”

Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.

This was featured in “For Cuban Home Cooks, Ingenuity and Luck Are Key Ingredients” and can be viewed online here.

Note: This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon dry red wine, or vino seco. Since I don’t keep alcohol around, I would substitute 1 tablespoon water.

Ingredients

1 cup dried black beans

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

1 small green pepper, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

5 or 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, roughly chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried dill

2 small bay leaves

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon dry red wine, or vino seco

1 1/2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed

Preparation

Rinse the beans and pick them over for any small stones. Put the beans and 8 cups water in a medium-size pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, partly cover and cook until tender, about 1 to 2 hours. (Time will vary depending on the bean.)

Meanwhile, make the sofrito: Put the oil in a medium-size pot (large enough to hold the rice as well) over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onion, green pepper and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are limp. Stir in the oregano, dill and bay leaves and remove from heat.

Drain the beans, reserving the broth and being careful to not break the beans. In a large measuring cup, add the vinegar and wine, 1 cup of the reserved bean broth and enough water for all the liquid to measure 2 1/4 cups.

Put the sofrito back on medium heat, add the rice and stir to combine. Cook the rice for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the seasoned bean broth/water mixture and the salt. Bring to a boil, stir, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 17 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and return cover to pot for 10 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and put rice mixture into a mixing bowl. Gently mix in the beans, being careful not to break them. Season well with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve hot.

CHOCOLATE FILLED CAKE ROLL

Servings: 12 one-inch slices

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/23.shtml

Ingredients

Cake:

5 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

3 packets of Sweet'n Low

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

Filling:

2 cups skim milk

1 package sugar-free chocolate instant pudding mix

Topping:

2 teaspoons sugar-free cocoa mix

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F.

Grease and line the bottom of a 10x15" jelly roll pan with waxed paper.

Beat eggs in a large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy.

Sprinkle sugar, Sweet'n Low and vanilla over eggs; continue beating for 2 minutes.

Sift flour, cornstarch, and baking powder together.

Sprinkle half the mixture over batter; fold in with spatula.

Repeat with remaining flour mixture.

Spread batter evenly in pan.

Bake on center rack in oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until cake is golden and springs back when lightly touched.

Arrange a towel on work surface and cover with wax or parchment paper.

Loosen edges of cake; unmold on paper.

Roll cake jelly roll style, using towel as a guide.

Leave cake rolled until it cools into jelly roll shape.

To make filling, blend milk with pudding mix according to package directions.

Refrigerate pudding until it thickens.

Unroll cake, spread evenly with pudding, and reroll.

Lightly sprinkle sugar-free cocoa over the top to decorate.

Cut into 1" slices and serve.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 122; Fat: 2 g; Sodium: 197 mg; Cholesterol: 92 mg; Carbohydrates: 21 g; Exchanges: 1 Fruit; 1/2 Skim Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1 Starch

ONION SUPREME

My dad came to visit for a week at Christmas, 1987. He fixed this to go with Christmas dinner, along with several other veggies. The day I drove him to Tampa International to fly back to New York, we went for coffee at a shop in the airport. When I asked for a copy of this, he grabbed a paper napkin and wrote down the recipe. It’s a great way to fix onions; I’ve always had onions in things, but never as a side dish. However, this is incredibly easy, as well as fantastic.

This recipe can be found in my e-cookbook Off the Wall Cooking..

2 leeks (discard green), sliced thin

3 – 4 yellow onions, sliced thin

1 stick butter or margarine

4 bunches scallions (discard green), sliced thin

20 small white onions

1 1/2 C half & half

2 cloves garlic, sliced thin

Melt butter over low heat and sauté leeks, scallions, garlic and yellow onions for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, cook white onions in enough water to just barely cover. Add white onions (after 45 minutes) to skillet and pour in half & half. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes more & serve.

JEAN'S SPECIAL POTATOES

Jean and I used to spend many hours on the phone together. One afternoon, we spent the better part of 30 minutes talking about food. I told her about Dad’s Onion Supreme; she, in turn, gave me this recipe.

This recipe can also be found in my e-cookbook Off the Wall Cooking.

8 – 10 potatoes

8 oz. sour cream

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 C butter

2 tsp. chives

Peel and cook potatoes. Whip cream cheese and add potatoes. Mix sour cream, butter and chives. Add to potato mix. Cover and chill overnight (or several hours). Put in greased 2-quart casserole & cover; bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.