Friday Recipes

Finally, Friday. Here are six vegetarian recipes to help you through the weekend. Enjoy!

EGG WITH GRITS AND MUSHROOMS

This recipe and the next two are from the May 2016 issue of Runner’s World. The recipes begin, “If eggs aren’t a staple in your diet, they should be. One of the purest forms of protein, they contain brain-benefiting choline and muscle-repairing leucine. Each of these quick-and-easy snacks offers more than eight grams of protein, more than eight grams of carbohydrates, and about 200 calories, to help you recover after a run. And while you may have been cautious about eggs due to their high cholesterol content (200 mg), recent U.S. dietary guidelines lifted the 300 mg daily limit, citing research that has shown dietary cholesterol doesn’t increase the risk of heart disease. “Most people can safely have one egg a day,” says Tara Collingwood, R.D.N., C.S.S.D, official nutritionist for runDisney. And be sure to eat the whole package: The yolk carries much of the egg’s protein, all of its fat-soluble vitamins, and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin—important for keeping your vision healthy so you can clearly see that finish line.”

All three can be found by clicking here.

This recipe begins, “Stay perky. Shiitake mushrooms are a good source of B vitamins, which help create energy from carbs.”

Ingredients

1/4 cup instant grits

1/4 tsp. minced garlic

3 sliced medium shiitake mushroom caps

1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth

1 large egg

Salt

Pepper

Instructions

Combine 1/4 cup instant grits in a bowl with 1/4 tsp. minced garlic. Microwave with water, according to package directions. Saute 3 sliced medium shiitake mushroom caps in pan with 1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth over medium-high heat until most liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.

Fry 1 large egg sunny-side up over low to medium heat in a small nonstick pan with spray oil. Combine grits with mushrooms and egg. Season with black pepper and salt.

SWEET BERRY OMELET

This recipe begins, “Protect your ticker. Berries, high in antioxidants, are good for your heart. Research found that women who ate 1 1/2-plus cups of berries weekly had a lower risk of heart attack.” That alone is a great reason to fix this!

Ingredients

1 large egg

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries

1 1/2 Tbsp. part-skim ricotta

1 Tbsp. chopped pecans

Cinnamon

Instructions

Mix 1 large egg with 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract in small bowl. Cook omelet over medium heat in a nonstick pan with spray oil. Pan-fry 3/4 cup blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries over medium-high heat, in another pan coated with spray oil, until fruit begins to cook. Top omelet with 1 1/2 Tbsp. part-skim ricotta, 1 Tbsp. chopped pecans, and fruit. Dust with cinnamon.

HUMMUS DEVILED EGG

This recipe begins, “Cure the cold. Lemons are an excellent source of immunity-boosting vitamin C.”

Ingredients

1 large egg

1 tsp. store-bought hummus

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/8 tsp. lemon zest

Chopped parsley

Pepper

6 whole-grain crackers

Instructions

Slice 1 large shelled and hard-boiled egg lengthwise, and remove yolk. Place yolk in a bowl with 1 tsp. store-bought hummus and 1 tsp. lemon juice. Mash with a fork, mixing in 1/8 tsp. lemon zest. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and black pepper to taste. Serve with six whole-grain crackers.

J’s B-B-Q GLUTEN

This is from my oldest son. For the most part, the recipe is included exactly as he wrote it out for me, though I have changed a word or two. (This stuff is definitely good.)

Ingredients:

5 lb. whole wheat flour

2 onions

1/2 C creamy peanut butter

2 bottles of B-B-Q sauce

1 stick butter

2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons paprika

Huge bowl

Take whole wheat flour, empty into Big Bowl. Add enough water to knead into dough ball. Knead really well. I repeat, knead really well. For at least 10 minutes.

Fill huge bowl with water, put dough ball under water for 2 hours. Pour off water. Knead doughball under cold running water for 10 minutes or more. Water should be clear. You are washing out the starch and bran. You know it’s ready when stringy and it sticks together and is bouncy.

Melt 1 stick butter and fry 2 chopped onions until clear. Dump onto Gluten. Add salt, paprika, and peanut butter. Mix with hands completely.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cooking pan with non-stick spray. Pinch off pieces bigger than a golf ball. Take piece and fold it and twist it and lay it down in pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip over and bake for 10 more. Pour B-B-Q sauce and bake 10 more minutes, then flip and pour more B-B-Q sauce and bake 10 more minutes. It’s done—enjoy.

(Xtra note—be careful when you first mix wheat and water. Don’t add too much water. Make a hard dough ball. It might take 20 minutes to knead it.)

PENNE WITH DARK LEAFY PESTO AND ROASTED SQUASH

This comes from the June 2015 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 55, and begins, “Penne is a good pasta choice with pesto because the sauce gets into the grooves on the medium-size tubes.” Serves 6 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

3 yellow squash, quartered and sliced 1/2-inch-thick

3 zucchini, quartered and sliced 1/2-inch thick

1 Tbs. olive oil

6 oz. penne or other medium-size pasta (1 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup Dark Leafy Pesto (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss yellow squash and zucchini with oil, and spread on one or two large baking sheets. Roast 20 to 25 minutes, or until vegetables are browned, tossing once or twice.

Meanwhile, cook penne according to package directions. Drain, and reserve 1/4 cup cooking water.

Toss penne with pesto and reserved pasta cooking water. Divide among bowls, and top with squash.

nutritional information Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 222; Protein: 7 g; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 28 g; Cholesterol: less than 1 mg; Sodium: 25 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 6 g

DARK LEAFY PESTO

This is also from the June 2015 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 55, and begins, “Made with blanched greens, this pesto gets a hint of Southern flavor from pecans and fresh sage. You could even spice it up with a dash of hot sauce.” Makes 1 cup in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

8 oz. collard, kale, or mustard greens, tough stems trimmed

1/4 cup pecans

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/4 cup sage leaves

2/3 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt, optional

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Blanch collard greens in large pot of boiling salted water 3 minutes. Refresh under cold water. Drain, pat dry, and tear into pieces.

Pulse pecans, Parmesan, and garlic in food processor until finely chopped. Add collard and sage leaves, and pulse until greens are finely chopped. With motor running, add oil in steady stream, and process until smooth. Season with salt (if using) and pepper.

nutritional information Per 1-tbs. Serving: Calories: 100; Protein: less than 1 g; Total Fat: 11 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: less than 1 g; Cholesterol: 1 mg; Sodium: 21 mg; Fiber: less than 1 g; Sugar: less than 1 g; Gluten-Free