Meatless Monday Recipes

Hope everyone here is safe, after the weekend's cold weather (if you're in the eastern United States). Maybe we should all remember this next August when we're complaining about the heat!

Here are today's six recipes. Enjoy!

CABBAGE WITH TOMATOES, BULGUR AND CHICKPEAS

This comes from Martha Rose Shulman in The New York Times Cooking e-newsletter. Martha wrote, “This recipe is based on a Greek dish made with red cabbage. I’ve used both green and red cabbage, and I like it both ways. It’s a comforting vegan dish that works as an entree or a side.” Time: 40 minutes; Serves 6.

To view this online, go to http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013499-cabbage-with-tomatoes-bulgur-and-chickpeas.

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 medium head green or red cabbage, finely shredded

1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes with juice

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, cider vinegar or sherry vinegar

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

2 cups water

1 cup coarse bulgur

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Preparation

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy lidded skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion, and cook, stirring often, until tender, about five minutes. Stir in a pinch of salt and the paprika. Cook, stirring, until the onion is thoroughly tender and infused with paprika, three to four minutes.

Add the cabbage, and cook, stirring, for three minutes or until it begins to wilt. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar and vinegar, and add salt to taste. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes until the cabbage is thoroughly tender.

Stir in the dill and the water, and bring a to a boil. Add the bulgur and chickpeas. Stir to combine. When the water comes back to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer 10 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, taste and adjust seasonings, and serve hot or at room temperature.

Tip: Advance preparation: Since this is good served at room temperature, you can make it several hours ahead. Reheat if desired. It will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator.

QUICK PUMPKIN-SAGE PASTA

Pumpkin is one of those foods I absolutely adore. Pasta ranks right up there, too. This yummy recipe comes from Tara Parker-Pope, also from The New York Times Cooking e-newsletter. Tara wrote, “The vegan chef Lindsay S. Nixon is giving Well readers a sneak peek at her new cookbook, “Everyday Happy Herbivore: Over 175 Quick-and-Easy Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes." This is a great way to use up leftover pumpkin. It whips up as quickly as you can boil pasta and really captures the taste of autumn.” Time: about 30 minutes; makes 2 servings.

To view this online, go to http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015470-quick-pumpkin-sage-pasta.

Ingredients

4 ounces whole-wheat pasta

3/4 cup vegetable broth

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage

1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Pinch of dried oregano

Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Vegan Parmesan for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until thoroughly warm, about 5 minutes.

Taste, adding more sage if desired, plus salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and let sauce rest for 5 to 10 minutes, allowing the flavors to merge and sauce to thicken slightly.

Toss cooked pasta with pumpkin sauce and taste, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with vegan Parmesan if desired.

Tip:For a one-pot meal, prepare sauce in the same pot used to cook pasta, setting the pasta aside as you make the sauce.

STRAWBERRY VANILLA BEAN RAW VEGAN CHEESECAKE

This was posted in a recent The Kitchn's e-newsletter, and is from Sift & Whisk, a really cool blog put out by a blogger named Maria. I've looked through her blog, and it's really pretty cool!

Anyway, Maria wrote, “This vegan and gluten-free dessert uses cashew cream in place of cheese in its filling and requires no baking! Perfect for summer, whether you're vegan or not.” Prep Time is 5 hours (as is the Total Time), and it serves 12. To view it online, go to http://siftandwhisk.com/blog/strawberry-vanilla-bean-raw-vegan-cheesecake/. Also, you might want to sign up for updates from Maria's blog. (I have!)

For The Crust

1 1/2 cups pitted Medjool dates

1 1/2 cups raw almonds

For The Filling

3 cups (400 grams) raw cashew pieces, soaked overnight then drained

juice of 2 lemons (almost 1/2 cup)

2/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk

1 cup agave nectar

1 vanilla bean

For The Fruit Topping

2 cups strawberries, tops removed

1 tablespoon agave nectar

Instructions

Soak dates in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain. Pulse in food processor until the dates form a paste. Remove from food processor and place in a bowl. Pour almonds into the food processor bowl (it doesn't need to be clean), and pulse until finely chopped. Add the date paste back to the food processor bowl and pulse until the mixture comes together and forms a ball.

Press the crust evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

Combine cashews, lemon juice, coconut oil, coconut milk, and agave nectar in a blender. Start on low speed, then gradually increase to the highest speed. Blend until very smooth and no chunks of nuts remain. Scrape the seeds from your vanilla bean into the blender and blend on low speed until the seeds have distributed throughout the mixture.

Pour the filling into the crust and return to the freezer while you make the fruit puree.

Clean your food processor bowl, then add the strawberries and agave nectar to the bowl. Process until smooth.

Pour over the top of the cashew cream layer of the cheesecake, and very gently spread it across the top with a rubber or offset spatula. Alternatively, you can "marble" the top by drizzling the fruit puree over the top, then run a knife through the surface to create a design.

Freeze until solid, at least 4 hours. Let thaw for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. (The longer you allow the cheesecake to thaw, the messier your cuts will be, but the creamier the texture. I like to cut when the cheesecake is still frozen, then allow each slice to thaw for 10-20 minutes.)

BARLEY-STUFFED RED PEPPERS

This comes from the January 2003 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 21. It begins, “Baked, stuffed bell peppers make an ideal budget main course but usually require lengthy cooking time. This speedy version calls for steaming the red peppers to soften them before you fill them to the brim with zesty barley-mushroom stuffing.” Serves 3 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, go to http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/barley-stuffed-red-peppers/.

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley

3 cups vegetable or mushroom broth

3 large red bell peppers

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 Tbs. minced garlic

6 oz. presliced portobello mushrooms, cubed

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Hot pepper sauce to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Parsley sprigs for garnish

Combine barley and 2 cups vegetable broth in saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice tops off red peppers, and remove seeds and inner membranes. Reserve tops for later use. Place peppers on steaming rack over boiling water, and cover saucepan. Steam peppers for about 15 minutes, or until tender but not soft. Remove from heat, and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Sauté onion and garlic until onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add barley and any remaining cooking liquid, and stir until grains are coated with oil. Add mushrooms and remaining 1 cup vegetable broth, and sauté mixture for about 5 minutes, or until mushrooms soften and liquid absorbed. Stir in feta, lemon juice, parsley, hot pepper sauce, and salt and pepper to taste, and cook about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Stand peppers upright, and spoon barley mixture into them. Fill each pepper, and serve with tops over the filling or propped alongside. Garnish with parsley and serve.

nutritional information Per Serving: Calories: 460; Protein: 14 g; Total Fat: 19 g; Saturated Fat: 7 g; Carbohydrates: 62 g; Cholesterol: 35 mg; Sodium: 900 mg; Fiber: 13 g; Sugar: 13 g

BAKED VEGETABLE MEDLEY

This also comes from the January 2003 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 22. It begins, “The crust for this vegetable-filled pie may be made from ready-made, store-bought dough that you roll out and fit into a pie plate. Or, for a no-fuss meal, start with a premade frozen pie crust. This is a meal-in-a-slice, calling only for a light dessert of fruit and nuts.” Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, go to http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/baked-vegetable-medley/.

One 9-inch unbaked frozen pie shell

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 large leek, thinly sliced

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 bunch kale, shredded

2/3 cup chunky seasoned tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups artichoke hearts, drained

6 oz. smoked tofu, cut into thin strips

1 cup grated low-fat mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Reserve strips of leek for garnish.

Bake pie shell until golden, about 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Remove from oven, and set aside. Increase oven temperature to 450F.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over med-ium heat. When hot, sauté leek and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add kale and tomato sauce, stirring often, and cook until kale wilts and leeks are translucent. Add artichoke hearts.

Fill baked pie shell, and arrange tofu pieces decoratively on top. Sprinkle grated cheese over top, and bake 5 minutes more. Increase oven temperature to broil, and heat until cheese browns, about 1 minute.

nutritional information Per Serving: Calories: 420; Protein: 18 g; Total Fat: 25 g; Saturated Fat: 8 g; Carbohydrates: 34 g; Cholesterol: 20 mg; Sodium: 510 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 3 g

CORN AND HOMINY CHOWDER

This also comes from the January 2003 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 25. It begins, “This hearty main-course soup banishes chills on a winter day and makes a perfect partner for quesadillas or hot corn bread and a simple salad of sliced tomatoes.” Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, go to http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/corn-and-hominy-chowder/.

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 onion, diced

1 3/4 cups canned hominy, drained and rinsed

1 to 2 tsp. chili powder, or to taste

6 large white mushrooms (3 oz.), wiped clean

1 3/4 cups creamed corn

1 cup soymilk

4 oz. diced mild green chiles

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 oz. shredded Pepper Jack cheese or soy cheese for garnish

1/2 avocado, diced for garnish

1/2 red bell pepper, diced for garnish

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. When hot, sauté onion until golden and crisp, about 7 minutes. Add hominy and chili powder, and cook through. Slice mushrooms lengthwise, including cap and stem. Stir into hominy mixture, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine creamed corn and soymilk in large saucepan, and heat over medium heat until mixture boils. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in green chiles, onion mixture, and salt and pepper. When soup returns to a boil, remove from heat and serve, garnishing each portion with shredded cheese, avocado and red bell pepper.

BOLOGNESE SAUCE

This comes from the April 2002 issue of Vegetarian Times. It begins, “Here's a satisfying tomato sauce that will add a hearty, wholegrain flavor to any pasta or lasagna dish.” Makes 6 servings.

To view this online, go to http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/bolognese-sauce/.

8 oz. whole-grain tempeh

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs. soy sauce or tamari

28-oz. can crushed tomatoes in puree

1 cup tomato purée

2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried

2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 small bay leaf

Using your hands, crumble tempeh into fine pieces. Set aside.

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, 15 seconds. Stir in tempeh, 1 cup water and tamari. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove cover and simmer until liquid is reduced and tempeh begins to sizzle.

Add remaining ingredients to tempeh mixture and mix well. Cover and simmer sauce 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

nutritional information Per Serving: Calories: 181; Protein: 10 g; Total Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 24 g; Sodium: 358 mg; Fiber: 6 g; Vegan