Thursday Recipes

One of my favorite magazines is Vegetarian Times. The first four recipes are from an article titled "Monday Night Magic," by Maria Lissandrello and photographed by Carin Krasner, in the May 2008 issue. It begins, "Gourmet dinners are great when you’ve got time, but who wants to worry about a long shopping list of ingredients at the start of a busy week? And even the most delectable main dish loses some of its attraction when 'serves six to eight' portions mean having it three nights in a row.

"These recipes make the most of on-hand ingredients for fast, flavorful meals that won’t have you racing to the supermarket after work—or eating leftovers till Friday."

The first four recipes can be found online here.

And one last thing: Enjoy!

EDAMAME RICE BOWLS


This recipe begins, “Shelled edamame (soybeans), aren’t just for Asian dishes. Here, they add fresh, subtle flavor to a warm rice salad studded with dried cranberries and olives. For a speedier supper, use instant brown rice in the recipe.” Serves 2.

1/2 cup brown rice


1 8-oz. bag frozen shelled edamame

1/4 cup dried cranberries


2 oz. crumbed feta


10 pitted kalamata olives, halved


3 Tbs. chopped cilantro

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. lime juice

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Bring 1 1/4 cups water to a boil, stir in rice, and season with salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.

Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil, add edamame, and cook 2 minutes, or until tender; drain and set aside.

Toss together rice, edamame, cranberries, feta, olives, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, and red pepper flakes in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

per serving: 540 cal; 20 g prot; 24.5 g total fat (6 g sat. fat); 63 g carb; 25 mg chol; 778 mg sod; 9 g fiber; 14 g sugars

BROCCOLI-POTATO STRATAS


This recipe begins, “Prepare these individual casseroles the night before, and pop them in the oven when you get home from work.” Serves 2.

1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes (2 lb.)

2 Tbs. skim milk Pinch ground nutmeg


1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli florets

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese


1 large egg, lightly beaten

2/3 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry


3 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

3 Tbs. crushed potato chips, divided

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 2 miniloaf pans or 1 8- x 8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Pierce sweet potatoes with fork, and wrap in plastic wrap. Cook in microwave on high power 10 to 12 minutes, or until soft. Halve, and scoop flesh into bowl. Add milk and nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper. Mash until smooth.

Place broccoli in glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high power 3 minutes, or until tender.

Beat together ricotta and egg until smooth and creamy. Add spinach and 1 tsp. Parmesan to egg mixture, and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon half of egg mixture into bottom of each prepared miniloaf pan, dividing equally between 2 pans. Next, layer crumbled chips into each pan, followed by layer of sweet potato mixture and layer of broccoli florets. Top both stratas with remaining Parmesan. Bake 20 minutes, or until stratas have set. Cool 10 minutes, and unmold.

PER SERVING: 582 CAL; 28 G PROT; 18 G TOTAL FAT (8.5 G SAT. FAT); 80 G CARB; 147 MG CHOL; 797 MG SOD; 13 G FIBER; 23 G SUGARS

PITA PANZANELLA


This one begins, “Serve this bread salad with a bowl of soup for a fast, veggie-loaded dinner. You might even want to double the recipe and take leftovers for lunch the next day.” Serves 2 in 30 minutes or less. Vegan.

Panzanella

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 7-inch whole-wheat pita, cut into 8 triangles

2 cups frozen artichoke hearts

3/4 cup frozen fava beans or lima beans
1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Lemon-Mint Dressing


2 Tbs. olive oil


2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint


1 Tbs. lemon juice


2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

Heat olive oil in skillet over high heat. Add pita triangles, and toast 1 minute on each side, or until slightly brown and crisp. Set aside.

Place artichoke hearts in glass dish, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high power 4 to 5 minutes, stirring halfway through. Drain, and place in bowl. Microwave fava beans in same glass dish on high power, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring halfway through. Drain, and add to artichokes. Microwave peas in same glass dish on high power, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring midway. Drain, and add to artichokes and fava beans.

To make Lemon-Mint Dressing: Whisk together all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add Lemon-Mint Dressing and toasted pita triangles to artichoke mixture, and toss to coat. Let stand 5 minutes before serving so pita absorbs flavors.

PER SERVING: 472 CAL; 17 G PROT; 22.5 G TOTAL FAT (3.5 G SAT. FAT); 57 G CARB; 0 MG CHOL; 365 MG SOD; 19 G FIBER; 7 G SUGARS

QUICK PIEROGI BAKE

This recipe begins, “Pierogi are Polish dumplings stuffed with cheese, potatoes, and /or sauerkraut.


”If you can’t find pierogi in the freezer or refrigerator section of your supermarket, substitute cheese-filled ravioli. Serve with prepared sauerkraut, if desired.” Serves 2 in 30 minutes or less.

1 tsp. unsalted butter

1/4 cup finely chopped onion


1 cup sliced mushrooms


8 refrigerated or frozen cheese pierogi

3 Tbs. shredded low-fat Monterey Jack cheese

2 slices soy bacon, cooked and crumbled


2 Tbs. fat-free sour cream, optional

Preheat broiler. Coat 6- x 2-inch round pan with cooking spray.

Heat butter in skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion in butter 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high, and cook 4 minutes, or until mushrooms have wilted, stirring often.

Reduce heat to medium, add pierogi, and sauté 3 minutes, or until pierogi are browned on both sides. Transfer pierogi to prepared pan. Spoon onion and mushrooms on top, and sprinkle with cheese and crumbled soy bacon. Broil 6 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown. Serve with dollops of sour cream, if desired.

PER SERVING: 328 Cal; 18 g prot; 7.5 g total fat (4 g sat. fat); 49 g carb; 18 mg chol; 851 mg sod; 2 g fiber; 3 g sugars

APPLE RUTABAGA SOUP

This came from Brett Moore, About.com’s Gourmet Food expert. He wrote, “Here's a beautiful comfort soup from Chef Patrick O'Connell (The Inn at Little Washington). Delicious and complex flavors with a velvety texture. Perfect for those cold winter days.” Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/4 pound) butter

1 cup onion, roughly chopped

1 cup Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

1 cup rutabaga, peeled and roughly chopped

1 cup butternut squash, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped

1 cup carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

1 cup sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped

1 quart good chicken stock

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup maple syrup

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, apple, rutabaga, squash, carrots and sweet potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until all of the vegetables are cooked through and tender.

Puree the vegetables in a blender or food processor. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into the same pot you used to cook the vegetables. Add the cream, maple syrup, salt and cayenne pepper.

Return the pot to the stove, bring the soup to a simmer, and serve.

CHEWY FUDGE BROWNIES

This comes from Alex Witchel in The New York Times Cooking e-newsletter. Alex wrote, “These brownies must sit for some time before they reach their deeply fudgy peak. They are a perfect midweek recipe to yield a weekend's dessert, though in truth they'll be ready after only a night's rest. Once they've matured, you end up with a mystifying brownie that is firm to the bite yet melting in the mouth. Walnuts contribute crunch if you like that sort of thing. They are entirely optional.” Makes 24 brownies.

To view these online, click here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan

1 1/2 cups walnut halves (optional)

9 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped or broken into small pieces

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13-by-9-inch glass baking pan. If using walnuts, spread on a baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, add chocolate, and cover pan until chocolate is melted, about 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla just until thick, creamy and beginning to lighten in color.

Whisk the butter and chocolate until smooth, then mix into the sugar-egg mixture just until well combined. Using a spatula, fold in the flour, using as few strokes as possible, until it disappears. Fold in the walnuts, if using. Spread the batter evenly in the baking pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, checking after 22 minutes to avoid over-baking. When the tip of a knife inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, but not liquid, remove brownies from the oven. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and leave in the pan for several hours or overnight before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container.