Wednesday Recipes

Here are today's six vegetarian recipes to help you through the day. Enjoy!

TRADITIONAL IRISH SODA BREAD WITH CARAWAY

I know, St. Patrick’s Day was months ago, but I could eat Irish Soda Bread any time. This is from the March 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times, and begins, “Pricking the surface of the unbaked loaf is an old Irish tradition to let the fairies out.” Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbs. caraway seeds

1 Tbs. granulated sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 cups buttermilk or sour milk

Preheat oven to 425F. Spray round 8-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine flour, caraway seeds, sugar and salt in mixing bowl. In separate bowl, whisk baking soda into buttermilk. Make a well in center of flour. Pour buttermilk mixture into well, and stir to blend, using large spatula or wooden spoon. Dough should be soft but not sticky; if still sticky, work in 1/4 cup flour at a time until dough holds together.

Scrape dough into cake pan. Lightly flour hands, and pat dough flat. Using sharp knife, cut deep cross on top. Prick each quarter three or four times with fork.

Bake bread 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan, and cool slightly on rack. Serve warm with butter.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 200; Protein: 7 g; Total Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 40 g; Sodium: 500 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 5 g

MAYAN SPICED CHOCOLATE PUDDING

This is from the April 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times, and begins, “We've provided instructions for having this pudding ready to eat in 30 minutes, but you could also just chill with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface.” Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

1 13.5-oz. can light coconut milk, divided

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. chili powder, plus more for garnish

1/8 tsp. salt

1 3-oz. bar vegan dark chocolate, chopped

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whisk together 1/4 cup coconut milk and cornstarch in small bowl. Set aside.

Combine remaining coconut milk, sugar, cinnamon, chili powder, and salt in saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk 1/4 cup hot mixture into cornstarch mixture to form slurry.

Whisk slurry into hot mixture, and cook 3 minutes, or until thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and whisk in chocolate and vanilla.

Transfer to metal bowl, and set in larger bowl filled with ice and water. Whisk occasionally to cool. Serve sprinkled with pinch of chili powder.

nutritional information Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 285; Protein: 3 g; Total Fat: 18 g; Saturated Fat: 11 g; Carbohydrates: 26 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 95 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 16 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

QUICK BALSAMIC QUINOA SALAD

This comes from The Kitchn’s e-newsletter. Serves 4 to 6.

To view this online, click here.

1 cup cooked quinoa (from roughly 1/3 cup dry quinoa; see How To Cook Quinoa)

1 cup frozen or fresh corn

1/2 cup pine nuts

1 large bowl of salad greens

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Heat a little olive oil in a pan, reducing the heat before adding cooked quinoa, corn, and pine nuts. Sauté until the quinoa is a little crunchy, the corn slightly brown, and the pine nuts toasted, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Let the mixture cool to room temperature or a little warmer, and toss with salad greens.

Whisk the oil and vinegar together, adding salt and pepper to taste, and toss with the salad. Taste and add more oil, vinegar, or salt to your personal preference.

Recipe Notes:

Slivered almonds (or any other nuts you like) can be substituted for the pine nuts.

If using frozen corn, add it to the pan first to thaw.

Add more quinoa and nuts to make this a light meal.

“I like to keep a bowl of cooked quinoa in the fridge, to use for different dishes throughout the week. It's delicious roasted and tossed with veggies and beans, reheated and stirred into almond milk for breakfast, or tossed into a salad for extra protein.”

CREAMY ZUCCHINI FETTUCCINE

This also comes from The Kitchn’s e-newsletter. Serves 3 (or 2 very hungry people)

To view this online, click here.

Salt, to taste

8 ounces fettuccine

4 tablespoons butter

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes, to taste

2 small zucchini, finely diced

Zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Pepper, to taste

Sprinkling of finely chopped fresh basil, optional

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Salt the water liberally. This is how pasta gets its flavor, so don’t be shy! Most of the salt won’t end up in the pasta.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. I drain the pasta just before it’s finished so it doesn’t get mushy when I add it to the vegetable pan, where it gets cooked a little more.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile flakes. Let them sizzle for 30 seconds to a minute, then add the zucchini. Stir the vegetables to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until some of the water has cooked off and the veggies are tender, 5 to 7 minutes; young summer zucchini doesn’t need much cooking. Add the lemon zest and stir.

Drain the fettuccine and add it to the pan, along with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, the cream, and most of the cheese. Toss the fettuccine around the pan, and add salt and lots of freshly ground pepper to taste. Top with a bit more cheese and a sprinkling of basil, if using, and serve immediately.

EASY LO MEIN

This is from Chungah Rhee, whose blog, Damn Delicious is packed with yummy recipes “using simple, fresh ingredients.” While I haven’t tried this recipe, it looks simple - and simply yummy. Shanghai wrote, “The easiest lo mein you will ever make in 15 min from start to finish. And it’s so much quicker, tastier and healthier than take-out!” Makes 4 servings; prep time: 10 minutes; cook time: 15 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

8 ounces lo mein egg noodles* (see Note

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 carrot, julienned

1/2 cup snow peas

3 cups baby spinach

For the Sauce:

2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce, or more, to taste

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste

Directions>

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ginger and Sriracha; set aside.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions; drain well.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add garlic, mushrooms, bell pepper and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in snow peas and spinach until the spinach has wilted, about 2-3 minutes.

Stir in egg noodles and soy sauce mixture, and gently toss to combine.

Serve immediately.

Note: *If lo mein egg noodles cannot be found, spaghetti can be substituted.

ALASKAN TOMATO SOUP

This comes from the January 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times, and begins, “Alaska resident Angela Wilde uses cooking and eating to get out of the house, despite the winter elements. Since fresh tomatoes are not in season in January, Wilde created this delicious soup using canned ones.” Serves 6 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 medium red onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)

6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 Tbs.)

1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes with sweet onion

1 14-oz. can plain tomato sauce

4 oz. silken tofu, mashed (about 2/3 cup)

1 low-sodium vegetable bouillon cube

1/2 cup couscous

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 Tbs. chopped oregano

2 Tbs. chopped basil

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.

Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, tofu, bouillon cube and 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer, and add couscous, parsley, oregano and basil. Cook 5 minutes, or until couscous is tender. Season with salt and pepper, and serve hot.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 162; Protein: 5 g; Total Fat: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 24 g; Sodium: 678 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 7 g; Vegan