Tuesday Recipes

Enjoy!

SPAGHETTI WITH SPINACH AND MUSHROOMS

This comes from the May/June 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 76. It begins, “Toasting the spaghetti in the oven to bring out a nutty taste, then cooking it in a light vegetable broth gives this dish so much flavor, you won’t even miss the cheese you usually add to pasta.” Serves 6 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

8 oz. spaghetti, broken into thirds

1 15-oz. can low-sodium vegetable broth

2 Tbs. tomato paste

1 Tbs. harissa, or 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/8 tsp. saffron threads

1 lb. mushrooms, quartered

1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)

1 lb. spinach, coarsely chopped

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pasta on baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden, shaking pan once or twice to brown evenly.

Bring vegetable broth, 2½ cups water, tomato paste, harissa, and saffron to a simmer in saucepan. Reduce heat to low, and keep warm.

Heat large stockpot over medium-high heat, and coat with cooking spray. Add mushrooms, and cook 7 minutes, or until browned. Stir in garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in pasta and 2 cups hot broth. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Add spinach, chickpeas and remaining broth. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes more, or until noodles are tender and most of broth is absorbed, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

nutritional information Per Serving: Calories: 274; Protein: 12 g; Total Fat: 3 g; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Carbohydrates: 51 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 490 mg; Fiber: 8 g; Sugar: 4 g; Vegan

RUSTIC SPINACH PIE

This comes from FamilyTime, and begins, “Looking for an appetizing, meatless main dish? Try this quiche-like spinach pie in a puff pastry crust, that gets extra flavor from feta cheese and dry onion soup mix.” Serves 8, Prep Time: 20 minutes, Cook Time: 45 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed

2 tablespoons butter

2 medium carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1 pouch dry onion soup and recipe mix

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup whipped cottage cheese

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.

Heat the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the spinach, soup mix and black pepper and cook for 2 minutes or until the spinach is tender, stirring often. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Beat the eggs, cottage cheese and feta cheese in a large bowl. Stir in the spinach mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Press the pastry into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, leaving the excess pastry draped over the sides of the pan. Spoon the spinach mixture into the pan. Fold the excess pastry in over the filling.

Bake for 45 minutes or until set. Let the pie cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

PINK LADY PUNCH

This comes from my e-cookbook, titled Off the Wall Cooking, found on Amazon.com. I'm not sure of its origins; I do remember getting it from my mom; not sure where she got the recipe from

4 C cranberry juice

4 C pineapple juice

1 1/2 C sugar

2 qts. chilled ginger ale

Add sugar to cranberry juice. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add pineapple juice. Chill. Pour into punch bowl & add ginger ale.

PURPLE HAZE SMOOTHIE

This comes from my e-cookbook, titled Off the Wall Cooking, found on Amazon.com.Variation on a theme. You can make smoothies out of almost any fruit and/or juice (or milk), without having to resorting to packaged mixes (unless you like the mixed smoothies). Experiment; use any juice to your liking: apple, cranberry, orange (my favorite), whatever, then add whatever fruits you have around. If none of the fruits are conducive to freezing (berries work best), add a few ice cubes, or better still, frozen juice cubes.

This one is similar to the above smoothies. The blueberries give it a pleasant taste and a beautiful color.

1 – 1 1/2 cups orange juice (see Note)

1/2 C frozen blueberries

4 frozen strawberries (opt.)

1/2 C yogurt

1/2 C frozen cranberries

1 T wheat germ

Blend orange juice & berries. Add yogurt & wheat germ, blend for 5-15 more seconds.

Note: If adding strawberries, add the extra 1/2 C orange juice. Or use 1 C juice and 1/2 C soymilk.

PUMPKIN POLENTA

This recipe comes from PureWow. Makes 6 servings; Time: start to finish: 1 hour 10 minutes

To view this online, go to http://www.purewow.com/recipes/Pumpkin-Polenta.

Note: Crunched for time? Substitute 2 cups canned pumpkin puree for the roasted pumpkin in this recipe.

Ingredients

3 cups peeled, cubed pumpkin

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup polenta

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Spread the pumpkin into an even layer on the baking sheet and drizzle it evenly with the olive oil. Season with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper, and toss well to coat. Roast the pumpkin until very tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

Transfer the pumpkin to a blender or food processor and add the milk. Blend until smooth, and then transfer the mixture to a large pot.

Stir in 2 cups water and the heavy cream, and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat.

When the liquid is hot, whisk in the polenta. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture becomes thick, resembling oatmeal, 25 to 30 minutes.

Stir in the Parmesan and butter, and check the seasoning; add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve warm.

VEGETARIAN CHILI

This also comes from PureWow. Makes 6 to 8 servings; Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large white onion, diced

2 large (or 4 small) poblano peppers, seeded and diced

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chile powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

4 cups vegetable broth

One 15-ounce can chickpeas

One 15-ounce can black beans

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

Sour cream, for garnish

1 avocado, diced, for garnish

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, poblano pepper and sweet potato, and sauté until the onion is translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.

Add the chile powder, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until good flavor develops and the vegetables are very tender, 30 to 35 minutes.

Stir in the beans, chickpeas and corn, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, 1 to 2 tablespoons avocado and 2 teaspoons cilantro. Leftover chili will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.