Tuesday Recipes

Enjoy!

GARLICKY TOFU WITH SPINACH OVER PASTA

This comes from the October 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times, and begins, “A nonstick skillet is a must for this recipe—it makes the garlic cling to the tofu and form a sort of crust.” Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

10 oz. whole wheat linguine

1 1/2 cups prepared pasta sauce

12 oz. baked tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 cloves garlic, minced

10 oz. baby spinach, washed

Cook linguine according to package directions; drain.

Warm pasta sauce in pot over medium-low heat.

Coat nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium heat. Add tofu, and cook 5 minutes, or until crisp and browned, turning often. Stir in garlic, and cook 1 minute more, or until tofu is coated with browned garlic. Transfer to plate, and cover to keep warm.

Add spinach to same skillet. (Add spinach in batches, if necessary, stirring to wilt so remainder will fit.) Cover, and cook 2 minutes, or until tender.

Divide cooked pasta among 4 individual plates. Top each with equal amounts of spinach then garlic tofu. Spoon sauce on top, and serve.

nutritional informatio Per SERVING: Calories: 506; Protein: 28 g; Total Fat: 15 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 70 g; Sodium: 847 mg; Fiber: 18 g; Sugar: 8 g; Vegan

PEACH “DOUGHNUTS”

This comes from Martha Rose Shulman in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Martha wrote, “These doughnuts are pure fruit. They are inspired by a baked pistachio-encrusted Saturn peach doughnut I learned to make from the pastry chef Sherry Yard. I coat mine with a mix of ground almonds and raw brown sugar, sear them in butter and set them on a lime-inflected raspberry sauce. It’s a match made in heaven.” Time: 45 minutes; makes 6 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the raspberry sauce:

1/4 cup sugar

1 6-ounce box raspberries

1 tablespoon crème de cassis liqueur

Finely grated or chopped zest of 1 lime

For the peaches:

6 ripe Saturn peaches

1/2 cup almonds

2 tablespoons raw brown sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons butter, as needed

For serving:

Vanilla ice cream or ice milk (optional)

Additional raspberries (optional)

Preparation

To make raspberry sauce, combine 1/3 cup water and the sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium low and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Stir in raspberries and cassis liqueur. Return to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

Place lime zest in a bowl and strain hot raspberry sauce into bowl. Press raspberry pulp through strainer; discard seeds. Whisk to blend pulp and syrup, and return to saucepan.

To skin peaches, bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add peaches. Blanch for 30 seconds and transfer to a bowl of ice water; drain. Cut peaches laterally around pit and gently twist apart. If peaches do not twist apart easily, insert knife tip and cut around the pit, then gently ease it out and separate the peach halves. Remove skin.

Place almonds and sugar in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until mixture is finely ground. Transfer to a wide bowl. Gently dip each peach half into the mixture to coat both sides, and place on a plate.

Shortly before serving, heat sauce and spoon a few tablespoons onto dessert plates.

Heat a large, heavy, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and when it has stopped foaming, add a batch of peach halves; do not crowd the pan. Sear for about 1 minute, until almond coating has browned, and flip over. Sear for another 30 seconds to a minute and remove to dessert plates, placing two halves on each plate, cut side up. Add more butter to pan if necessary and finish searing peaches. If desired, serve peaches with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and, for garnish, additional raspberries.

CHEESE-FREE STUFFED SHELLS

This is from the January 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times. It begins, “Tofu can still be a tough sell for some adults, much less for kids, who aren't likely to be swayed by arguments of how high tofu is in protein, calcium, iron and B vitamins. The small set worries about texture and taste. So, we resorted to the oldest trick in the book: pasta. We stuffed shells—always a kid favorite—with an Italian-seasoned tofu filling, then topped them with tomato sauce and a sprinkling of soy cheese. The creamy results will fool any tofu-phobe—in fact, our test-kitchen tasters liked these shells even better than the traditional ricotta-filled ones. Because tofu absorbs flavors so well, it's an ideal stand-in for mild ricotta cheese. Once the gang has scooped up the last bite, you can come clean, and use the meal to turn them on to other tofu dishes. Or it can just remain your healthy little secret.” Serves 4.

To view this online, click here.

16 jumbo pasta shells

1/2 jar marinara sauce(about 13 oz.)

1 15-oz. pkg. extra-firm tofu, drained

1/2 medium-sized onion, peeled and quartered

5 oz. frozen chopped spinach (about 1/2 cup), thawed and drained

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar-style soy cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce over bottom of 9×13-inch baking dish.

Put tofu and all remaining ingredients except soy cheese in food processor; purée. Transfer tofu mixture to 1-gallon sealable plastic bag.

Snip off a bottom corner of bag; squeeze about 3 Tbs. tofu mixture into each shell. Arrange shells over sauce in baking dish, drizzle with remaining sauce and cover tightly with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle shells with cheese and bake 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 418; Protein: 21 g; Total Fat: 17 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 41 g; Cholesterol: mg; Sodium: 821 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 3 g; Vegan

PINEAPPLE SHEET CAKE

This is from Taste of Home. Kim Miller Spiek of Sarasota, Florida wrote, “This cake is perfect for serving to a crowd. It keeps so well that you can easily prepare it a day ahead and it will stay moist. I often take this to potluck meals at our church, and I have yet to take much of it home.” Prep Time: 15 minutes; Bake Time: 35 minutes + cooling; Makes 24 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup chopped nuts

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained

Cream Cheese Icing:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions

In a large bowl, combine cake ingredients; beat until smooth. Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Cool.

For icing, in a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over cake and sprinkle with nuts.

CRUNCHY BLACK BEAN TACOS

This comes from The Kitchn’s e-newsletter. If you haven’t signed up for The Kitchn’s e-newsletter yet, I highly recommend that, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy.

This recipe serves 3 to 4, or makes 8 tacos; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes and can be found online by clicking here.

2 cups cooked black beans

1/2 cup minced red onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

Pinch of salt

4 to 6 ounces (1 heaping cup) grated Pepper Jack cheese

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

8 corn tortillas

Toppings

Avocado

Hot sauce

Salsa

Sour cream

In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, cumin, and paprika. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all the ingredients together. Grate the cheese and have it ready as well.

In a large, nonstick or cast-iron skillet, add the 2 tablespoons oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add about 1/4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese. Try not to overfill the tacos, or you might have issues flipping them without losing filling.

Using a spatula, carefully fold the other half of the tortilla over to form a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape. If some cheese spills out, don’t worry — it will get crispy and delicious.

As the first taco cooks, move it to the side and begin a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you can cook two or three tacos at once. A griddle will hold even more.

Cook each taco until they are nicely browned and crispy, about 3 minutes per side. When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out. If your pan is very dry between batches, add another drizzle of oil.

Place the cooked tacos in a warm oven while you finish the rest. If the tacos are very greasy, blot them with a paper towel before moving them to the oven.

Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.

Recipe Notes:

Corn tortillas are resilient to heat. Don’t worry about burning them; they are very sturdy. Just be sure to cook tortillas on each side long enough to get them really crispy.

TEMPEH PARMESAN SANDWICH

This also comes from The Kitchn’s e-newsletter. Makes 1 sandwich

To view this online, go to http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-tempeh-parmesan-sandwich-227949.

4 ounces tempeh

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 French or submarine sandwich roll

2 tablespoons marinara sauce

1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven and heat to broil. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

Depending on the thickness and shape of the tempeh, cut it into pieces as needed so that it is about the same size as the sandwich roll. (You may need to butterfly the tempeh in half.) Brush one side of the tempeh with the tomato paste. Sprinkle with the oregano and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a small nonstick frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the tempeh and cook until golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove the pan from the heat.

Split the sub roll in half lengthwise. Place directly on the oven rack cut-side up and toast until light golden-brown, 1 to 2 minutes (keep a close eye on it). Transfer the roll cut-side up to the baking sheet. Place the tempeh on the bottom half of the roll. Spoon the marinara sauce evenly over the tempeh, then sprinkle with the Parmesan. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the top half of the roll.

Broil until the mozzarella is melted, about 2 minutes (keep a close eye on it). Close the sandwich, cut in half crosswise with a serrated knife, and serve.