Thursday Recipes

Here are today's six yummy recipes to help you through the day, including Baked Hawaii and Pineapple Fried Rice. Enjoy!

SAVORY BREAKFAST SANDWICHES

This recipe, as well as the next one (Tofu Scramble) comes from Compassion Over Killing, and can be found in the breakfast section of their Easy Vegan Recipes.

You can request (or download) Compassion Over Killing's free Easy Vegan Recipes booklet here.

Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, divided

1 14-ounce package firm tofu, drained and cut crosswise into 8 slices

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced

1 medium tomato, chopped

2 cups baby spinach leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

Vegan butter, such as Earth Balance (optional)

4 English muffins, toasted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a shallow baking dish, mix together the vinegar, Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce, olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper with a whisk. Place tofu slices in a single layer in the dish, then turn over to coat on all sides. Allow tofu to marinate for 20 minutes, turning slices occasionally.

Place baking dish in oven for 20 minutes. Flip tofu slices over and continue to bake for an additional 10-20 minutes until crispy and most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, spray a large skillet with oil or cooking spray. Sauté onion and garlic over medium-high heat until onion begins to soften. Add mushrooms and continue cooking until they begin to brown. Add tomato, spinach, thyme, salt, and remaining black pepper. Cook and stir until spinach is wilted and any liquid has evaporated, turning heat to medium low if the vegetables are browning too quickly. Adjust seasoning.

To assemble sandwiches, spread vegan butter on English muffins, if using. Then add 2 tablespoons of the cooked vegetables to the bottom half of each muffin. Top with 2 slices of tofu and evenly distribute the remaining vegetables on top of the tofu slices on all 4 sandwiches. Cover with the other muffin halves and press down to help keep vegetables from spilling out.

TOFU SCRAMBLE

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

1 14-ounce package extra firm tofu, drained

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or vegan butter (try Earth Balance)

1/2 pound white button mushrooms, sliced

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 packed cup fresh spinach

2 green onions, diced

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (for color)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Heat the oil or butter in a medium-sized frying pan over medium-high heat. Crumble the tofu into the pan and sauté, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients. Lightly toss in the pan until well-cooked, about 5 more minutes.

Adjust spices to taste and serve hot.

MEYER LEMON TART

This is from Amanda Hesser at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Amanda wrote, “The Meyer lemon has always been something of a California secret, and every year when its brief growing season begins there, eager cooks sigh with relief. The Meyer is not as assertive as the common supermarket varieties, but it offers so much more in nuanced flavor that it is unforgettable. And these days, the Meyer's secret is finally out. A Meyer lemon contains about four times the sugar of a regular lemon, but it can be used almost interchangeably with the traditional varieties, adding a rounder edge to both sweet and savory dishes. And you can use the whole thing – from pulp to peel. This gorgeous tart is the ideal way to showcase its seductive fragrance and flavor. (Regular lemons will work well in this recipe too, but you'll likely want to add a bit more sugar.)”

Yield: One 10-inch tart; Time: 1 hour.

This was featured in “All Perfume, No Pucker” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

For the Crust

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing pan

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 tablespoon milk

12 ounces (about 2 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Lemon Curd

1 1/4 pound (5 or 6) Meyer lemons

1 cup sugar

5 1/2 ounces (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing pan

7 large egg yolks

5 large eggs

1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Make the crust: in the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg yolk and the milk, and beat to combine. In a medium bowl, combine the flour with salt. Slowly add the flour to the butter mixture, stirring until completely blended. Gather dough into two balls. Freeze one for future use, chill the other for at least 1 hour.

Heavily butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the pan and trim the edges. Prick the bottom with a fork, and place the shell in the freezer for 30 minutes.

While shell is in freezer, prepare lemon curd. Grate zest of lemons. Squeeze lemons to extract 1 cup of juice. In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine juice and zest. Add remaining sugar, butter and salt. Place over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted.

In bowl of a mixer, combine eggs and egg yolks until blended. Slowly add hot lemon mixture to eggs until blended. Return mixture to saucepan, and place over low heat. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency; do not allow it to boil. Remove from heat, and continue to stir to stop the cooking. Strain lemon curd into a bowl. Adjust sugar to taste; the curd should be tart, but may need additional sugar if the lemons were unripe. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it right against the surface of the curd. Allow to cool.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove tart shell from freezer, and bake until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Spoon lemon curd into tart shell, and smooth the top. Bake until filling has puffed around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cover edges with foil, if necessary, to prevent over-browning. Cool to room temperature before serving.

PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

This is from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “The Hawaiian answer to the stir-fry, this dish is exotic, colorful, and bursting with flavor. To fill out the dish with more veggies, add 1/2 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms along with the onions and garlic, and 1/2 cup peas just after the carrots.” Serves 6.

This can be viewed at http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/pineapple-fried-rice.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided

1 cup long-grain brown rice

1 1/4 cups diced fresh pineapple, divided

1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce or tamari

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 Tbs. toasted sesame oil

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

6 cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbs.)

1 small carrot, finely diced (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper

5 green onions, thinly sliced (1/3 cup)

Instructions:

Bring 2 cups broth and rice to a boil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Blend 1/2 cup pineapple, remaining 1/4 cup broth, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes in blender until smooth. Set aside.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add carrot and bell pepper, and sauté 3 minutes more. Add remaining 3/4 cup diced pineapple, and cook 3 minutes. Add cooked rice to skillet, and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add blended pineapple mixture, and cook 3 minutes more, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in green onions; season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 198; Protein: 4 g; Total Fat: 6 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 34 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 156 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 6 g

THAI VEGETABLE STIR-FRY

This is from the February 2001 issue of Vegetables Times. It begins, “Serve with quick-cooking brown rice and toss a salad of curly endive, seedless orange chunks and slivered red onion. For dessert, a bowl of grapes would go well.” Makes 4 servings in 30 minutes or less.

3 medium cloves garlic, peeled

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel

1/2 tsp. grated lime peel

14-oz. can lite coconut milk

1 lb. mixed vegetables (about 4 cups): fresh mushrooms, quartered; sliced asparagus; sliced bell peppers; water chestnuts, halved

1 small bok choy, stems sliced and leaves left whole

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. fresh lime juice

10 fresh basil leaves, slivered

In food processor or blender, combine garlic, jalapenos and lemon and lime peel; process to a paste.

Heat large skillet or wok over high heat; add coconut milk and paste mixture and stir well. Simmer 1 minute.

Add all vegetables and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes, soy sauce, lime juice and basil. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve hot.

nutritional information Per Serving: Calories: 163; Protein: 7 g; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 18 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 359 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Vegan

BAKED HAWAII

This comes from the February 2004 issue of Vegetarian Times. It begins, “With a blending of coconut, pineapple and macadamia nuts, this pie takes its cues from the tropics. Be sure to squeeze out any excess juice from the pineapple shreds, or it may dilute the filling. A quick freezing of the filling mix firms it up fast.” Serves 6.

To view this online, click here.

1 pkg. instant coconut-flavored pudding mix

1 3/4 cups nonfat milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 prepared crumb pie shell

1 3/4 cups canned shredded pineapple

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup crushed macadamia nuts as garnish

1/4 cup shredded coconut as garnish

2 Tbs. diced crystallized ginger, or more as desired, for garnish

Preheat oven to 450F.

Mix instant pudding with milk and vanilla extract, and pour into prepared pie shell. Put in freezer immediately.

Drain pineapple, and reserve juice for another use. Squeeze excess juice from shreds, and put shreds in baking dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar, and bake for 15 minutes, or until sugar bubbles. Remove from oven.

Take firmed pudding mixture from freezer, spoon pineapple mixture over top and garnish with macadamia nuts, coconut shreds and crystallized ginger.

nutritional information Per Serving: Calories: 310; Protein: 4 g; Total Fat: 11 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 51 g; Sodium: 450 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 35 g