Meatless Monday

Hope your weekend was good. Mine was, even if it was too short! Here are today's six recipes to get you going. Enjoy!

THREE-BEAN SOUP

This is one of my favorite quick meals that I usually only fix on weekends, especially if it happens to be cold and/or rainy. It’s from the November/December 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 37, in that issue’s “30 Minutes; Quick, Fast Food” section. This vegan recipe serves 6, and starts off, “Here’s a straight-from-the-pantry soup that’ll become a weeknight favorite. (Or, in my case, weekend favorite.) Pureeing one of the cans of beans creates a creamy base without adding extra fat or cholesterol. Garnish with crumbled feta cheese and serve with vegetable chips, if desired.”

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)

1 15.5-oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 15.5-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 Tbs.)

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water

1 15.5-oz. can great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Saute onion 2 to 3 minutes, or until soft. Add navy beans, black beans and garlic, and continue cooking and stirring 8 to 10 minutes more. Stir in 1 cup broth.

Meanwhile, put great Northern beans and remaining 1 cup broth into food processor or blender, and puree until smooth. Pour puree into soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Thin with more broth or water, if desired.

Spoon into individual soup bowls, and serve hot.

Per serving: 231 calories; 13 g protein; 5 g total fat (0 g saturated fat); 39 g carbs; 0 mg cholesterol; 557 mg sodium; 11 g fiber; 5 g sugars

APPLE-CRANBERRY CRISP

I'm not sure where I originally found this; probably on an old emailing list.

2 pounds Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced

3/4 cup cranberries

1/4 cup white sugar

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/3 cup quick-cooking oats

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.) Butter an 8 inch square baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together apples, cranberries, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place evenly into baking dish.

In the same bowl, combine oats, flour and brown sugar. With a fork, mix in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over apples.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until topping is golden brown, and apples are tender.

BAKED ZITI

This was originally posted on April 2, 2010. Great for a yummy, easy meal.

What to fix when you've just gotten home from work and you want something good, hot and with a minimum amount of effort? Baked Ziti fits the bill on all three counts. And if you're like me, chances are you have all the makings in your cupboard and fridge.

Here's what it takes:

16 ounce box of ziti
26 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
1 jar-full of water
2 C shredded cheese

Okay, I can hear you asking, "What brand of spaghetti sauce? What type of sauce? And the cheese...Cheddar? Mozzarella? Can it be the stuff already shredded and in a bag or does it have to be a block of cheese that I grate and measure?" Here's the good part: Use what you have.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Take a 9 X 13 inch baking pan. Dump the dried ziti into the pan. (No, no, do NOT cook the ziti first. Dump the ziti uncooked straight from the box.) Pour the spaghetti sauce into the pan and add one jar-full of water into the pan. Stir to mix. Add most of the shredded cheese, reserving 1/4-1/2 cup of cheese. Stir to mix. Bake in pre-heated oven for 35 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake for another 5 minutes for a total time of 40 minutes.

Serve with a salad and possibly garlic bread.

See? Simple, hot, good and with at minimum amount of energy. What could be better for an after-work or weekend dinner?

VEGETABLE AND BEAN SOUP

This recipe is from Diabetic Gourmet

Yield: 6 servings

Source: "The Everyday Low-Carb Slow Cooker Cookbook"

Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/17.shtml

Notes: This recipe originally calls for chicken broth and butter. To make it vegetarian, I've substituted vegetarian broth and olive oil.

Ingredients

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 (14.5) cans vegetarian broth

1 cube vegetable bouillon

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 (15.5 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 summer squashes (zucchini or yellow squash, about 1 pound total), quartered lengthwise and chopped

1 (7 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons olive oil (Note: this is in place of butter – for a total of 3 tablespoons of olive oil)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (about 4 shakes) (optional)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker crock and mix well. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Stir well before serving. If desired, stir in Tabasco sauce before serving.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/6 of recipe): Calories: 210, Protein: 8 g, Carbohydrate: 18 g, Fat: 9 g, Cholesterol: 14 mg, Sodium: 1020 mg; Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat, 2 Fat, 2 Vegetable

POTATO GNOCCHI

This comes from the January/February 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 38. It starts off, “The secret to fluffy, tender gnocchi is to make the dough while the mashed potatoes are hot, add just enough liquid to hold it together, and work it as little as possible. To freeze: place cooked gnocchi on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer, freeze until gnocchi are hard, and transfer to resealable plastic bags. To reheat: add frozen gnocchi to boiling water, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until heated through. Serve with your favorite pasta sauce and cheese.” Serves 6 (makes about 100 gnocchi)

2 1/2 lb. russet or Idaho potatoes

1/2 tsp. salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup potato starch

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prick potatoes all over with fork, and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until soft to touch. Slice open, and let cool 10 minutes.

Scoop out potato flesh (it will still be hot); reserve skins for another use. Mash potato flesh in bowl or put through potato ricer. Stir in salt, then egg with fork. Stir in potato starch until dough comes together and no longer sticks to fork or your hands.

Scoop out 1/2 cup dough, and roll into 3/4-inch-thick rope on work surface dusted with potato starch. Cut rope into 3/4-inch pieces. Set back of fork atop 1 gnocchi, and use fork to roll gnocchi toward you, making light indentations with fork tines. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi, and cook 2 minutes, or until gnocchi float to top. Drain, and serve.

nutritional information Per Serving (about 16 gnocchi): Calories: 207; Protein: 4 g; Total Fat: less than 1 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 47 g; Cholesterol: 31 mg; Sodium: 213 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 3 g; Gluten-Free

CRANBERRY STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, About.com's Homecooking guide, writes, “Oragne marmalade, cranberries, brown sugar, sweet onion, and spices sweeten up stuffed acorn squash cooked in the microwave. Kids may even consider this dessert!”

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes; Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 (1-pound) acorn squash

1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1/4 cup finely-minced sweet onion

3 Tablespoons orange marmalade or orange juice

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons butter, melted but cool

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation:

Pierce the acorn squash all over with a fork or sharp knife so it will not burst in the microwave. Cook on High for 6 to 10 minutes (microwave power levels vary, so check). Turn the squash over, if necessary, and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes until fork-tender. Remove from microwave and let rest for 10 minutes.

While the acorn squash is resting, stir together cranberrries, sweet onion, marmalade or orange juice, brown sugar, butter, lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt until well-combined. Place mixture in a micro-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap (venting to let air pressure escape), and cook on High for 3 minutes. Remove and stir. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until cranberries have popped and softened. Remove and let cool slightly while you proceed with the acorn squash.

Cut the acorn squash in half from stem to point and remove seeds. Place cut-side up on a platter. Fill with the cranberry mixture. If necessary, cover and reheat on a micro-safe platter on High for 1 to 3 minutes, until heated through. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.